According to Research and Markets, the market for visitor management technologies is expected to leap from $1.1 billion in 2021 to $2.3 billion by 2026. A large part of this results from the pandemic. It has forced companies to change their approach to security and technology.
What prompts the change and growth? Research and Markets lists the following factors:
- Increasing awareness of security threats.
- Rising need for paperless and contactless processes.
- Growing demand for visitor management and data.
Managing visitors requires more than just access control. Organizations must track visitor data for health and safety reasons. Even with the crisis potentially nearing the end, the changes to visitor management and new ways of managing security are here to stay.
Investing in modern visitor management technologies will help companies quickly pivot when something unexpected happens like a pandemic. What do companies gain when they implement or upgrade their visitor management system from a manual or outdated system? Here are the four benefits of deploying current visitor management technology.
1. Cut Costs
Building security is often a manual, laborious process. Some companies find themselves adding more employees to entrances, reception areas, and areas in the building where people enter and exit. They opt to do this to improve visitor management for safety’s sake. Unfortunately, this approach has increased costs.
Moreover, this is a stressful job for these frontline employees as they deal with unwelcome visitors and potentially sick individuals. Visitor management technology reduces the number of employees you need to oversee visitors. Automation will improve customer service as visitors won’t have to wait to be checked in. Automating the visitor management process will speed up the process. Visitors won’t have to wait their turn to sign in on paper-based logbooks.
In short, switching to automation will help save on time and costs associated with slower manual processes. That brings up the next point.
2. Streamline Manual Processes
Doing away with traditional paper sign-in alone will increase the efficiency of the visitor check-in process. There are different types of visitor management technologies. For example, one option is an access control system combined with video monitoring. Whichever solution you choose, automation can keep accurate records and help reduce the chances of human errors.
Employees who know they will have a visitor can plan ahead by entering the visitor’s information into the system. When the visitor arrives, they will just have to show their ID and they’ll receive a temporary badge. They won’t have to sign anything as the process is now contactless. Even if a visitor shows up unannounced, the technology can still streamline the check-in process.
Some companies may require NDAs for their visitors. This, too, can be automated into the visitor management technology workflow. If you require every visitor to answer screening questions, those can be added to the workflow. Compliance requirements can also be incorporated into the visitor management process.
3. Gain Instant Access to Visitor Activity Data
Has the visitor been to the building before? Is this their first time? How many visitors are expected on specific days? What are they doing in the building? By automating visitor management, you will gain insights into your visitor activity trends.
You might spot bottlenecks and find a better way to plan for them. Maybe there’s a special event taking place in the building. That means more people will check in around the same time. You can prepare for these.
Anytime a visitor has caused problems and is not welcome back, the visitor can be added to a watch list. This will ensure the visitor is not allowed back into the building.
4. Integrate Visitor Management with Other Systems
The best visitor management systems can integrate other core business systems. These can include an access control system and video surveillance. A unified system is more efficient because the data can be cross-referenced from multiple systems. A security company with experience in your industry can design a security system integrating multiple systems.
If you have multiple buildings, then all of the information can be centralized into a single system. So, if someone shows up at a building and ends up on the watchlist, the system will ensure the person does not get admitted to any other building.
The best security processes contain multiple layers. Integrating security systems with other systems helps bolster multi-layered security. The more layers you have in your security process, the less likely an intruder will try something in your business.
An integrated system can contain some or all of the following:
- Video surveillance
- Remote monitoring
- Video analytics
- Visitor management with access control
- Audio warning speaker
Integrated systems work together. For instance, when you combine remote video surveillance with access control, you can match the time stamp from the access control with the video to locate an event.
Systems that work in silos create more work and tend to be a manual process. Say the access control system indicates an incident happened at 4:30 PM and you need to locate the footage. Someone would have to search for hours of video footage to locate the exact time and date someone accessed an off-limits room.
An integrated security system removes the need to search for footage. Integrating security systems with visitor management can simplify the process and reporting while helping to fortify security.
The Advantages of Remote Video Surveillance
An integrated system that includes remote video surveillance can help protect the entire building and property. Remote video surveillance can put eyes on the whole property including the entrances, exits, and parking areas. The security technology can record everything and makes it all searchable. If you find out about an incident that took place one month ago, security analysts can search for the event to figure out what happened.
Unlike traditional security technologies, video surveillance is a proactive security solution. It helps maximize security and safety by using video analytics and human intelligence. The system monitors for specific scenarios and alerts the monitoring operator when it gets a positive. The operator checks it out and acts as needed.
With remote video surveillance, analytics and a trained monitoring operator both watching monitors in a safe location away from your building. The lives of the people watching your cameras will never be at risk. Because of this, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to contact the monitoring operator for help in committing an inside job. This can and does happen with security guards.
A lot of criminals will move on to the next victim if they see cameras posted around a property. However, if they don’t leave, the operator can issue a warning through on-site audio speakers. If this still does not stop the trespasser, the operator can call law enforcement while tracking the intruder’s movements.
Often, the police officers arrive on the property and arrest the suspects before they cause damage or get away. On top of it all, you could have a recording of everything that has occurred. The footage will come in handy as evidence for criminal, liability, and false claims.
The video monitoring technology can help identify when someone does not follow processes and procedures. These recordings can show the right way and the wrong way to follow procedures. Some companies use the recordings in employee training to improve safety and security.
How Remote Video Surveillance Leads to a Fast ROI
Video surveillance with remote monitoring is more affordable than most people realize. The cost of remote video surveillance offers one of the quickest returns on investment in security and safety that has the ability to deter crime.
No single security system can work alone for security. It’s vital to have multiple layers in your security. That’s one of the powerful aspects of the integration of security technologies with visitor management systems. It creates many layers. Not only that, but an integrated security system doesn’t require as many people to manage it. That delivers more cost savings.
Clients who choose to work with Stealth gain all these benefits and more. Stealth has relationships with law enforcement communities across North America. This includes law enforcement and first responders. As soon as they get a call from ECAM, they react because they know something is really happening. That it likely not a false alarm.
Video surveillance with remote monitoring is flexible. You can scale up or down as needed. Check out this case study to learn how video surveillance helped lower crime and save money.
Technology is constantly evolving to become more effective, more affordable, and more efficient. Innovative security and visitor management technologies can solve many problems. Companies that invest in surveillance cameras with remote monitoring have experienced increases in productivity, improved customer experience, and maximized their profits.
We live in a world where information is as valuable if not more valuable than physical assets. You need to protect your visitor management system data. The fact is physical security affects cybersecurity and vice versa. Companies have a responsibility for the safety and security of data, assets, employees, and visitors.
An effective security system integrated with visitor management helps keep everyone safe and healthy while protecting your physical and digital assets. Not having a holistic security program with identification can hurt your bottom line, business reputation, and people’s safety. To learn about protecting your business from digital and physical vulnerabilities, check out the information risk management guide.
If you’re not sure what’s right for you, meet with security consultants and ask lots of questions. A Stealth security consultant can review your requirements, property, and budget to design an effective security system. To learn more, contact us.
