5 Steps To Create a Great Visitor Experience (From Check-In To Check-Out)

by
Alice Twu
July 17, 2024
Facilities
Hybrid Work
Technology

TL;DR Article Summary

A positive visitor experience can leave a lasting impression and foster trust. Organizations can create a welcoming experience by using a visitor management system (VMS) to:

  • Streamline registration: Send personalized emails with visit details and reminders to prepare visitors before their arrival.
  • Book meeting rooms in advance: Use a visitor management system to book meeting rooms and other resources for a seamless experience.
  • Enable easy check-in and check-out: Offer self-service options like QR code scanning or tablet check-in for convenience.
  • Greet visitors promptly: Send real-time notifications to hosts when visitors arrive for immediate greetings.
  • Accommodate impromptu visits: Allow visitors to schedule meetings on demand and ensure a smooth process for last-minute visits.

Check out The Definitive Guide to Hybrid Work for everything you need to know about successful hybrid work.

Keeping track of who is in the building in a hybrid workplace at any given time can be difficult. Variability in foot traffic and the different groups of people—employees, contractors, clients, investors, vendors, service personnel, job candidates—can make it challenging to efficiently and effectively monitor all their movements, posing potential safety and security hazards.

Not to mention, the first experience that visitors have when they enter your workplace creates a lasting impression. If you have a clunky check-in process that leaves them feeling unwelcome, they are less likely to want to return. Ensuring a great visitor experience can build trust and increase the desire to return. Facilities leaders can leverage a visitor management system as part of workplace management software to make it easier to create a welcoming experience for all.

Why Use a Visitor Management System?

A visitor management system (VMS) is a technology that helps organizations efficiently welcome, track, and manage visitors in a workplace. A VMS can help create secure, efficient, and welcoming visitor experiences by automating specific processes and continuously updating a dynamic list of visitors.

Here are the top reasons for using a visitor management system at your hybrid workplace:

Ensure safety and security

A visitor management system enhances security by providing a record of all visitors entering and exiting the workplace—from invite to sign-in to sign-out. The system can also automatically notify specific teams (i.e., facilities, security) of new visits, changes to existing visits, or visitor arrivals, which all help to beef up safety and security in your workplace. Visitor tracking can help prevent unauthorized access and provide a clear audit trail in case of emergencies and security incidents.

A digital record is also great if someone outside the office needs to access the information or make changes. They can remotely access the data and see a complete list of visits and the status of each visitor, making it easy to coordinate visitor access even when working from home or another location. The ability to access visitor information remotely is instrumental in hybrid workplaces.

Increase communication and personalization

A visitor management system allows you to automate communication, making it easier to ensure the correct info is sent out at the right time. Employees can create personalized emails with the visit details beforehand. The visitor management system can send real-time notifications to hosts when their visitors arrive on the premises, allowing them to greet their visitors immediately.

Additionally, you can customize the system to fit the unique needs of your hybrid workplace. That may include setting up specific visitor policies (i.e., acceptance of terms and conditions) and employee needs (i.e., food allergies for catering info) to prepare the hosts and guests better before the visit even begins.

Save time with self check-in

A visitor management system boosts efficiency through seamless digital check-ins and check-outs. Visitors can scan a QR code via their own mobile devices or check in using a tablet, reducing wait times. Visitors do not need to input personal data (i.e., email address) into a public device when checking in, which improves overall security as opposed to writing down your personal information on a piece of paper that someone can easily lose. These contactless check-in methods also help reduce physical touchpoints, promoting health and safety.

Drive continuous improvement

A visitor management system with visitor insights can help you keep track of all visits to your hybrid workplace. Organizations can access valuable insights into visitor patterns and behaviors to inform decision-making and resource allocation, all ways that can help facilities leaders optimize their office space use. The system also simplifies administrative tasks by providing up-to-date visitor records, which frees your employees to focus on other, more important responsibilities.

5 Steps to Create a Great Visitor Experience

A great experience starts way before the visit. Physically traveling to a new location can already be confusing and stressful. You can make the experience smoother and friendlier by providing clear instructions, automatic reminders, and quick check-ins and check-outs so your visitors are prepared even before arriving.

Here are five steps you can take to create a great visitor experience:

Step 1: Streamline Registration Before the Visit

You can ensure that your visitors come prepared when you first set up a meeting with them. That includes sending them personalized emails with the visit details beforehand and setting up automated reminders to be sent out before the actual meeting. Ensure that you include the basic information (date and location) and any other information about your hybrid work arrangements that visitors should know about, like your hybrid work policies, important documents to review and sign beforehand, and personalized options like catering and seat preferences. Tailor the experience even more by ensuring personalized items (beverage, laptop, lunch, etc.) are ready for the visit.

Step 2: Book a Meeting Room in Advance

You can book meeting rooms, desks, and other necessary resources in advance with a visitor management system that has space booking capabilities. That ensures everyone can get started right away when your visitor arrives, creating a welcoming and efficient workplace experience that your HR and Facilities teams would be proud of. Additionally, leveraging a VMS as part of a workplace management system can allow visitors to see the office layout, workstation images and descriptions, and resources beforehand so visitors feel more comfortable and familiar with navigating new office spaces.

Step 3: Enable Easy Check-In and Check-Out

Reduce wait time at the front desk by using a visitor management system that allows self-check-in and check-out. You can provide various options for a more inclusive and welcoming experience, one that meets the company culture your HR team strives to achieve. For instance, visitors may access a QR code via their mobile device or use the organization’s tablet. That’s not to say that you can’t have front desk staff to help answer visitors' questions. Providing visitors with both digital and in-person methods can improve efficiency and the overall experience.

Step 4: Greet Visitors Immediately When They Arrive

When visitors arrive on premise, make sure to send real-time notifications to the hosts so they can greet them right away. That way, visitors won’t waste time waiting, and hosts won’t have to anxiously check with the front desk to know if their guests have arrived. This also helps your Facilities teams create a work environment that’s streamlined and efficient, as they do not have to allocate a huge waiting room to seat many visitors all at once.

Step 5: Be Prepared for Impromptu Visits

Last-minute visits happen. Ensure you are prepared to welcome guests who may need to meet spontaneously. With a visitor management system, guests can still visit your premises and easily schedule a meeting on demand. The whole process—from walking in to sitting down together—takes fewer than five minutes. The system automatically notifies the host when someone creates a new visit with them, so they know who the visitor is and can greet them. Your organization can also require visitors to confirm that they’ve read and understood specific workplace rules before they can set up a visit.

Impress With a Smooth and Seamless Visitor Experience

When your visitors feel valued and comfortable, they are more likely to return, do business with you, trust your brand, and think of your company favorably. This is crucial when inviting investors, high-profile clients, job candidates, and other stakeholders to your workplace to conduct business. By automating and digitizing visitor management, organizations can save time, reduce stress, and maintain accurate records—all while fostering a welcoming and professional culture.

Ready to secure your workplace, improve efficiency, and create a great visitor experience? Try out Skedda Visitor Management with a 30-day free trial. 

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