Many businesses, such as corporate buildings, hospitals, apartment complexes, schools and daycares, have frequent visitors, increasing their vulnerability to theft, kidnapping and other incidents.
In this day and age, a visitor management system is no longer an extra security feature; it is an integral part of a tailored security plan that keeps employees and visitors safe.
The Risks Associated with Visitors
The lobby is your first line of defense against unwanted and potentially dangerous visitors. Take the following stats, as example:
- One Harvard study concludes that mass shootings have tripled since 2011.
- Physical attacks at hospitals have spiked 37% in the past three years.
- Between 1983-April 2010, 128 infants have been abducted from hospitals.
- On average, 564 work-related homicides occurred annually between 2004-2008.
To prevent criminally minded persons from entering the building, businesses need to define their visitor management protocols and leverage available technology.
Create Your Visitor Policy
First, document your visitor protocol so that everyone knows their roles in keeping out those who do not belong, and welcoming those who do. Your policy should answer:
- Who will greet visitors?
- Where can visitors enter the building?
- How will visitors be identified?
- How will visitors be confirmed and by whom?
- Will visitors be escorted to their appropriate destination?
- When will visitors be accepted?
- Which areas of the building can visitors access?
- How must visitors leave the building?
The list goes on. Consult with a security expert to create a visitor management protocol that works best for your situation.
Leverage Visitor Management Technology
Sign in sheets and other ad hoc systems just don’t cut it in today’s society. Instead, opt for visitor management technology to fulfill your building’s visitor management needs.
Best systems have the capability to:
- Log in guests and deliveries
- Capture visitors’ credentials
- Take photos of visitors
- Create temporary access cards
- Utilize video surveillance for records and analytics and more
Pair visitor management with access control technology to further restrict what areas of the business visitors can access. This way, even if a visitor is left unattended, they wont be able to infiltrate sensitive areas.
Image Source: John Zacherle via Flickr
