We all know that first impressions are important, but did you know that your business’ first impression doesn’t start when they meet an employee, its starts when they enter the building!
Many organisations have a wide range of visitors including potential new hires, family and friends, clients and even delivery people so providing them with a welcoming and professional environment as soon as they step through the door can do wonders for how they feel and how they perceive your business.
Visitor management systems are a great way to welcome both visitors and staff during the work day. They can help give directions and information to visitors while also giving your team a way to track who is in the building and why.
Here we discuss the ways a visitor management system can help welcome visitors to your business.
It gives a great first impression
A VMS can help you impress guests as soon as they walk through your door. You can send them an invite that contains all the information they require to know such as directions, parking instructions or anything unique to your business. Additionally, you can send over your privacy and data policies, so your guests are comfortable with these prior to arrival.
A professional appearance
Step away from using old style pen and paper. A VMS lets your guests digitally sign in which can help streamline the sign-in process.
A friendly digital welcome screen is a lot more inviting than a sheet of paper and a pen. Additionally, it prevents employees having to keep track of visitors manually which can help improve efficiency and time management.
Wayfinding
Visitor management software can help guests find where they need to be. Once they have signed in, the system can provide them with directions to find exactly where they need to be, and this can be very useful for first time visitors.
It can help address your visitors quickly
Leaving your visitors to wonder aimlessly through your lobby or reception is no way to create a welcoming environment. Using a visitor management system which can give recently signed-in visitors their ‘next step’ can reduce their anxiety in situations where they’re not sure where they’re supposed to go.
These next steps could be directions to the meeting room or waiting room, informing them of who they need to speak to like a receptionist and even direct them to important areas like facilities and cafeterias. This can help address each visitor as they arrive, reducing reception wait times and welcoming visitors instantly.
Furthermore, as soon as a guest signs in, an employee can be notified about their arrival and then greet the guest to make them feel welcome.
Security measures
A visitor management system helps you keep your workplace secure from unauthorised guests. You can utilise the system to pre-screen visitors, so you are confident that they are who they are claiming to be. This can help guests feel safe and secure whilst they are visiting your premises.
You can also run through the emergency evacuation process and notify visitors of the nearest emergency exits should they be required. This can also help them feel safe and aware of their surroundings.
Additionally, having staff regularly checking the reception area or hiring security guards can help employees and guests feel safe and comfortable at all times.
It gives them identification
Especially in larger organisations, visitors can often feel as if they don’t belong or that the person that they’re there to see, won’t be able to find them in a room full of people, so providing them with a custom visitor badge can ease this tension.
VMFree’s custom visitor badges can include the visitors name, picture, what type of visitor they are (family and friends, potential hire, deliveries and more) and even the date of their visit. You can also customise the look of your visitor badges to add your companies branding and logo.
To make it easier for a visitor’s return visit, you can save templates for your custom visitor badges so you wont have to create a new one each time, just will just need to change the date of the visit and maybe the reason for their visit.
Welcoming visuals
No matter if your visitors sign in through a physical terminal or on their phone, they should have an easy warm welcome. If visitors are signing in on a physical terminal or even at reception, ensuring it is easily accessible is important, this means having adequate signage and putting it in an accessible area, preferably close to the entrance of your premises.
Allowing visitors to sign in on the app gives them opportunity to sign in ahead of time, this means it will reduce time stood around or wondering where to go. Signing in on the app allows visitors to read your policies ahead of time and also allows them to see where they need to go before even entering the building.
Welcoming environment
Your reception area should be warm and inviting for all guests for a good first impression. It should be on brand colours, well-lit, clean and have space for guests to take a seat whilst waiting to be greeted.
You can even go the extra mile with your reception area by providing guests with light snacks and refreshments should they require these. They may have had a long journey so a refreshment may be greatly appreciated. Furthermore, to create a positive and relaxing environment you could select an appropriate playlist and aroma which go hand in hand.
How can VMFree help?
VMFree is a free visitor management system that has a wide range of features to help you manage and welcome visitors to your business including, custom visitor badges, visitor tracking, staff management and an accompanying sign in/out application.
If you would like to learn more about VMFree and how it can provide your business with new ways to manage staff and visitors, please contact us today!