We all know how important first impressions can be, and this is just as true of your business as it is anywhere else. When a client, visitor or even a contractor first walks through your doors, they start to get an idea of the type of business that you run.
This means you need to pay plenty of attention to your reception area, both in the way it looks, and more importantly, in how it works. So, what does your reception area need to be fit for purpose in 2025 and beyond?
Time is everything
In the modern era, we seem to be busier than ever, which means no one has the time to wait around in queues. Anyone left waiting to be seen in a reception area is likely to lose patience and become frustrated very quickly. This can then set the tone for their entire visit, so you need to pay close attention to your visitor management system.
This is the process of guiding and managing visitors through an office space to avoid them being left waiting for long periods of time.
The starting point for this is at your reception desk. Receptionists can only deal with one thing at once, so any visitors who are caught behind people with complicated queries could be left waiting long beyond their agreed appointment time.
This is why an increasing number of businesses are now integrating visitor management software to help streamline this initial sign-in process. Hosted on a tablet computer or even a smartphone, this allows visitors to sign-in digitally without any long waits.
Your business can determine exactly what information you want to gather from each visitor, and they will be presented with a personalised sign-in form which takes seconds or minutes to complete and can be sent directly to the person they are there to see. This presents you as a much more efficient business and it shows that you are prioritising your visitors and their reasons for coming to see you.
Data security
Personal data is one of the most valuable assets that a business can hold, so it is important that it is kept secure. GDPR laws are incredibly strict in order to prevent any data being shared with unauthorised personnel. Whilst most businesses will have secure processes in gathering data from their website, many still leave a paper sign-in book on the reception desk for all to see. This makes it very easy for any visitors to see who has come before them and could leave you at risk of a data breach.
By using visitor management software, such as VMFree, you can ensure that all data collected from your visitors is encrypted and kept securely. This ensures it will not fall into the wrong hands whether it is other people at reception or cyber criminals from the other side of the world.
Personalised experiences
In days gone by, personalising a reception experience relied on the person behind the desk remembering a visitor and addressing them accordingly. With large numbers of people to deal with and new faces coming through the door every day, this has become an increasingly challenging task.
Using visitor management software might seem like a more faceless sign-in process, but it actually allows you to provide a more personalised experience for visitors. You can customise your greeting messages, display visitor information on digital signage and tailor the check-in process based on who is coming to see you.
Once they have signed in, you can provide them with directions to meeting rooms or provide personalised greeting messages from their hosts to make them feel welcome and create a smoother transition into the business.
Visitor insights
In order to plan how your business works and your office space, you need to understand who is coming through your doors. By using visitor management software, it is much easier to gain a proper overview of who your visitors are, when they are coming and what the purpose is.
You can put together data-driven insights to help manage your office capacity and optimise visitor movement throughout the business to improve your services and your efficiency.
Emergency procedures
In the event of a fire alarm, you need to act quickly, efficiently and effectively, and visitor management software can help you to do this. In the past, a receptionist would have to take the visitor sign-in book outside with them and try to track down any visitors to establish who was in the building.
With the help of visitor management software, a number of staff members can have access to the information, which will not only log who is in the building, but also contain a photograph snapped on their arrival to make it much easier to identify them.
They can then be marked as found in real time, which allows other members of staff and emergency services to know who else they still need to look for. This can add new levels of safety to your emergency procedures by accounting for everyone much more effectively.
A professional impression
You will want visitors to see your business as professional no matter what size it is. Visitor management software is not simply a tool for big corporations and can be used by businesses of any size. This can help to maximise valuable time for everyone involved and also show your visitors your professionalism and innovation. This helps to create that all important positive first impression for anyone who walks through your doors.
Contactless technology
The COVID-19 pandemic made contactless sign-in a priority for many people, and it is now a core expectation in many businesses. Checking in through dedicated systems, QR code check-ins and mobile sign-in links can help to protect health and hygiene whilst still streamlining the visitor experience.
Visitor management software is now an expectation for many businesses in 2025 to show that they prioritise safety, security, and visitor experience. They can ensure that the reception experience is positive and efficient, one that can then set the tone for the rest of the visit.
Ready to improve your visitor management?
Download VM Free today for a more secure, efficient and professional visitor experience.