Pros and Cons of having a Manual Visitor Management System
A manual visitor management system consists of a visitor log book, which the visitor fills out on entering the office. The log-book provides admins and managers with a record of the visitor’s stay.
It includes details such as name, company name, date, time of sign-in, time of sign-out, and name of host. Additional columns asking other details may or may not be present.
Upon completing the sign-in process, the visitor is handed over a badge with their credentials and the company’s logo on it. This badge has to be worn by the visitor at all times while on the premises. Later, the badge is returned to the front desk upon exit and the visitor book is signed again with their sign-out time.
This is how a manual visitor management system works. Now let’s have a look at some of the pros and cons of having a manual visitor management system at your front desk.
Pros of having a Manual Visitor Management System
Minimal Training
Sheets are self-explanatory. Your staff can just point out to the register and the visitor can do the rest.
Low Cost
A manual visitor management system is nothing more than a book. A book at your front desk is much less expensive than a digital system. Since there is no need for a software, there is also no license fee or additional system components to purchase either.
Little/No Overhead
A manual sign-in book takes up very little space on the front desk and requires no power source. Other than that just a pen would suffice for the visitors to fill up the log book.
Less Complicated
If you already have a receptionist or are looking to hire one then you probably know that not much effort need to be put in to train them on how a manual visitor management system works.
Alternate Uses
The visitor register can even be used as an evacuation register, in case of an emergency. The book will hold every visitor’s name in your facility, which could be can be passed along to Fire/Police personnel if need be.
CON’s of having a Manual visitor management system
Illegibility of Handwriting
A visitor could be too fast or just too sloppy while filling up their details in the visitor’s log. Illegibility of handwriting çould prove to be fatal as it compromises security, as well as your records for future reference. This would not be the case if the visitor is able to digitally sign documents.
Not Confidential
Once a visitor signs in, every other visitor to follow would be able to see every other detail the previous person has added to the register.
Time-Consuming
The entire process of reaching out to the front desk, filling up the visitor log and informing the receptionist is way too long. The host is not instantly notified hence it ends up wasting a lot of visitor’s time.
No Verification of Identity
Since manual sign-in systems can’t add a photo to the visitor badge, employees who encounter visitors away from your lobby have no way to verify their identity. Also, a manual visitor management system cannot verify if the visitor is the person who he says he is.
No Reporting
Visitor Insights is essential to run your office operations smoothly. You can optimize your office space or employees by looking at Visitor Insights. For example, at peak hours you can position more employees at your front desk to handle visitors.
Not a Brand Enhancement
If you have the perfect front office reception area then adding a hefty old visitor log book will only dull the experience for your visitors. It’s an old-school method of managing visitor information and even your visitors.
As you can see, the list of cons is longer than the list of pros in this case. This is because a manual visitor management system lacks features, and benefits of those features, that only a digital visitor management system can provide. Ara is the Future of Digital Visitor Management Systems in India. If you wish to see her at your front desk then don’t forget to take the FREE TRIAL.
Originally published at https://getara.co on June 7, 2018.
