Every enterprise deals with innumerable visitors on a daily basis. However, it is
very difficult to manage the appointments of these visitors and keep a record of
them. A visitor management system helps in recording information on visitors which
helps in keeping a security vigil. The following are some of the best practices
in visitor management.
# 1 Start appointment based visits
An appointment based system helps in ensuring security tremendously. The main advantage
is the person at the security gate is aware that a visitor is expected. In an appointment
based system, normally a security person from the reception would give a call to
the concerned person and confirm whether he/she is expecting a guest. This procedure
has many disadvantages. First of all it wastes a lot of time. If the concerned person
is not available at his/her seat the visitor has to wait at the reception. And the
procedure of appointment does not get documented and hence one has to reply only
on individual's efficiency in the process. So in an appointment based system, the
best practice would be to request the host to send a note/email to the reception
and visitor badge should be made only for those for whom there is a note.
# 2 Design an neat badge
The badge should display the name of the visitor prominently. The organization name
should be displayed below that. Specifying the name of the host can help security
guards in identifying the visitors who are strolling in non designated areas.
#3 Put Photograph of the Visitor on the badge
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This is especially true in
visitor management including a photograph of a person on the badge prevents several
problems that may otherwise arise. The host himself can confirm that the same person
for whom the badge was made has visited him.
#4 Put a Color band on the badge indicating the type of visitor
Security persons can categorize visitors as Vendors, Trainees, and Temp Employee
etc. and assign a color to each type. Putting a color band of the type of visitor
makes it relatively easy for security guards to identify the visitors.
#5 Collect Details about Government issued ID
It is a good practice to collect details about government issued ID like the Drivers
License, Passport No, Social Security No. etc. Normally this is more suitable for
government buildings since persons in corporate buildings may to refuse to disclose
this information.
#6 NDA or limited liability statement
The responsibility for any injury to the visitor lies on the organization unless
the organization does not declare the limited liability clause to the visitor before
entering the premise. It is essential to write a line or paragraph about to what
extent the organization would be liable for the damages on the badge itself. One
can even write "Subject to Limited Liability clause ### of security policy" if the
information is lengthy .
#7 Contacts in case of emergencies and other safety instructions
The visitor badge should have important phone nos. in of emergency. This is the
handiest place to inform contact details. Similarly the safety instructions like
"Ignore the siren at 11 am which is for a drill" should also be included.
#8 Collect back the used Visitor Badge
The visitor badges should be collected back when the visitor leaves the organization.
This can avoid the misuse of the badges.
