Expert advice on
how to choose the best visitor management system
- Olena Romanenko
We all visit buildings, organizations, and offices, and participate in various events from time to time. But have you ever considered how many people are involved in ensuring that everything runs smoothly? If you’re responsible for an office or organizing events, you know how challenging it can be when the person managing the reception is suddenly unavailable. Other employees might need to step in, leaving their own tasks aside to register visitors. In such situations, a visitor management system (VMS) can prevent many problems. It operates 24/7, without breaks or sick leave, which is a significant advantage for your organization. This allows your employees to focus on more important tasks while creating a welcoming atmosphere for all visitors.
The solution might seem simple—get a visitor management system and say goodbye to your worries. But is it really that easy to find the right one with a quick Google search? We’ve heard various questions from customers during their search for the best digital reception. That’s why we’re discussing this topic, to help you find the right solution. Lets look into some key points.
Inhoud
What is a visitor management system?
A visitor management system, simply put, is a software solution that tracks who enters your building and helps efficiently receive visitors, with a focus on safety and efficiency. However, with so many available options, it can be challenging to determine which system best meets your specific needs.
When you search for terms like “digital reception,” “visitor management system,” “self-service kiosk,” or “attendance registration,” you get a lot of results, making it a challenge to make the right choice. Let’s take a look at the number of results you can find on Google in the Netherlands when searching in Dutch.
| Search term | Amount of searches |
|---|---|
|
Visitor management system |
18.300 |
|
Digital reception |
226.000 |
|
Attendance registration |
15.300 |
|
Self-service kisok |
10.700 |
Bron: Auteur o.b.v. SERP
Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to look at every result for each search term, but you’ll likely go up to the second page of the search results. Let’s first clarify what each term means:
Visitor management system
This is a combination of software and hardware designed to manage the registration, tracking, and documentation of visitors entering a building. The visitor management system is part of the digital reception.
Our digital visitor management system offers flexibility and can be tailored to your business environment. This means we can add or remove features based on your specific needs. If you require more advanced features than what a standard visitor management system offers, it might be better to consider the digital reception solution.
Our digital visitor management system offers flexibility and can be tailored to your business environment. This means we can add or remove features based on your specific needs. If you require more advanced features than what a standard visitor management system offers, it might be better to consider the digital reception solution.
Digital reception
Digital reception is a software solution similar to the visitor management system, but more comprehensive. It manages and tracks the entry and exit of visitors, enhances security, and automates visitor reception. Through the software system, you can easily schedule appointments and invite visitors. Upon arrival, visitors can check in with a QR code, notifying their host of their arrival. Package deliverers can also check in through the system, informing the recipient that their package has been delivered. Feel free to contact us for a consultation or to ask questions about the best solution and option for your company.
Attendance registration
Attendance registration involves keeping track of who is present or absent at a certain location, such as a workplace, school, event, or meeting. This is important for organizational management and regulatory compliance. A common example is when, as an HR manager, you need to track the attendance of your employees at work. This can be done via a simple app with data stored in the cloud or, alternatively, the digital reception that automatically registers the entry and exit of employees.
Self-service kiosk
A self-service kiosk is a physical device that allows users to register their presence. It is a digital self-service terminal or station that enables visitors to check in. In contrast, the broader system manages data storage, reporting, and other administrative functions.
You may notice some differences in definitions, but many people have the same search intent while using different words to find the right solution. This leads to a wide range of results in SERPs (search engine results pages) that you need to sift through even before requesting quotes for your final choices.
You may notice some differences in definitions, but many people have the same search intent while using different words to find the right solution. This leads to a wide range of results in SERPs (search engine results pages) that you need to sift through even before requesting quotes for your final choices.
Growing popularity
Although we already have a significant market share in digital technologies, we see that this share continues to grow. To confirm this, we used data from Google Trends to illustrate the trend.
We analyzed the term “visitor management system” to follow the global search trend. This data shows relative search volumes, where 100 indicates the highest popularity, 50 means the term is half as popular, and a score of 0 indicates insufficient data.
Secondly, we focused on the global market for the “visitor management system,” as Google Trends provides sufficient data to show a smooth popularity graph. To compare this with the European market, we investigated the German term “Besuchermanagement,” which also has enough data in Trends to assess its popularity.
We analyzed the term “visitor management system” to follow the global search trend. This data shows relative search volumes, where 100 indicates the highest popularity, 50 means the term is half as popular, and a score of 0 indicates insufficient data.
Secondly, we focused on the global market for the “visitor management system,” as Google Trends provides sufficient data to show a smooth popularity graph. To compare this with the European market, we investigated the German term “Besuchermanagement,” which also has enough data in Trends to assess its popularity.
Search interest over time for 'Visitor Management System'
When we look at the term “visitor management system,” we see that its popularity remained relatively stable until 2019. As companies and organizations recognized the essential importance of audiovisual solutions during the pandemic, interest surged. Fortunately, that time is behind us, but the popularity of the “visitor management system” continues to increase, reaching a peak of 100 in February 2024. In November 2021, the term was already at a high level of 96.
Bron: Google Trends
Search interest over time for 'Besuchermanagement'
In the German market, interest in “Besuchermanagement” also rose sharply during the pandemic. Although there was a slight decline afterward, popularity has remained steadily growing lately. Like the term “visitor management system,” it reached a peak score of 100 in July 2024 and has since remained at a high level.
Bron: Google Trends
What does this mean? Higher demand leads to a greater supply. As a result, more and more solutions will appear on the market, and you will need to spend extra time searching the internet to find the solution that best suits your needs.
Key features of the best visitor management system to consider
Before you start your search for a visitor management system, you probably already have an idea of the features your system should include. Perhaps you have compiled a list of requirements or at least have a general picture of your workflow. To help you make the right choice, we discuss some of the key features you should consider here. When evaluating a visitor management system, ensure that it supports these features or can be adapted to meet your needs.
1. Outlook-integration
Microsoft Office and Outlook are widely used in business environments. They help automate processes and reduce the use of multiple applications. An important feature is the ability to pre-register visitors directly from Microsoft Outlook. This allows visitors to submit their information in advance, speeding up the check-in process upon arrival. The system should also be able to notify you via SMS, email, or Microsoft Teams when visitors arrive or, for example, are waiting in the reception area. Another useful feature is the QR code that visitors receive after registration, allowing them to quickly check in upon arrival.
2. Active Directory-integration
If you want to track employee presence or check their availability for meetings, integration with Microsoft Active Directory is essential. This feature automatically imports employee data and syncs calendars, ensuring host information remains up to date. Your IT team will appreciate this feature as it significantly reduces the need for manual data entry.
3. Data management and reporting
To gain valuable insights and optimize your business processes, you need a system that offers effective data management and reporting in real-time. Real-time dashboards can provide useful information, such as the number of expected visitors versus those who have actually arrived. Good reporting and data management capabilities also help you analyze visitor statistics and make informed decisions.
4. Branding and customization
It’s important that the tools you choose align with your brand’s style and colors. A visitor management system should offer a welcoming experience for visitors and have the ability to customize the look to match your brand identity. For example, our VMS can be tailored to your brand, thanks to our dedicated in-house designer.
5. User-friendly interface
A visitor management system should have a simple, user-friendly interface that can be used by everyone, regardless of age or technical skill. Supporting multiple languages is important as it allows your visitors to register and navigate in their preferred language. By choosing a simple and intuitive design, you ensure that your employees can quickly understand and use the system.
Security and data protection
Since a visitor management system processes both business and personal data, special attention must be paid to security and compliance with GDPR privacy regulations. Make sure to discuss the following points clearly with your AV solution representative:
- Data minimization: Ensure that your visitor management system only collects the necessary information from visitors. This reduces the risk of storing unnecessary personal data that may be vulnerable. Moreover, this avoids the use of paper logbooks and visitor registration forms that could allow unauthorized access to visitors’ personal data.
- Automated data deletion: Check if the provider of the visitor management system or digital reception can automatically delete visitor data after a certain period. This feature is valuable to ensure that personal information is not retained longer than necessary.
- Privacy compliance: It is crucial that your visitor management system complies with GDPR and other relevant privacy laws, as required by EU legislation. Make sure to obtain consent for data collection and inform visitors about how their data is being collected and used.
- ID-verification for acces control: Your visitor management system should be able to verify the identity of visitors using their ID. This increases accuracy and reduces the risk of human error, which is important for overall security.
- Visitor badges: Consider the option of printing visitor badges during check-in. This helps others at your event or office to easily identify visitors.
Additonal requirements
A reliable provider of visitor management or digital reception systems should offer a free demo so that you can test the features and assess whether the system meets your business needs before purchasing. Another important consideration is choosing a solution that provides regular updates with new features and improvements. This helps you enhance security and remain effective in the long term.
In summary
We have outlined the key considerations for you when you are still in the early stages of deciding which visitor management system to purchase. Of course, additional factors may influence your decision, such as personal preferences regarding which audiovisual company you wish to work with. Our team is committed to meeting customer expectations with a personalized approach. We always thoroughly assess our clients’ requirements and business processes to deliver the best custom solution for their needs. Feel free to contact us for an expert consultation.
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