Using existing cloud technology to save money creating visitor passes
Written: 28 July 2023 by John Annand, CRM developer
John outlines how he’s using a power app solution to replace a legacy system without spending much money.
The challenge
We needed a solution for managing visitors to the building, issuing them with a photo ID and notifying the person they were visiting that they’d arrived.
Our contract with the previous application was coming to an end and we had talked about some of the challenges of the legacy application.
The legacy application:
- meant we had to manually add staff to a directory. This was time consuming for our reception staff
- meant we couldn’t connect to the data within the application easily (having to export CSV files was time consuming and error prone especially for an off-network device)
- was costly and inflexible
We took this opportunity to see if we could build the same functionality but also add some of the things on our wish list, using only our existing tools.
Ideas and improvements
Using Microsoft Power Apps, Power Automate and SharePoint, we have developed a canvas app, designed to fulfil the entire journey of a corporate visitor.
- Visitor signs in, giving their name and organisation details
These are now written directly into a SharePoint Online Table for reference and further data analysis - Visitor searches and selects the staff member they’re visiting
We use a connection to our Office 365 Active Directory system all staff are searchable within the power app. We have set exceptions so staff can be hidden from this search function such as our Chief Executive - Takes a photo the visitor which will be printed on their badge
Using power automate this photo is destroyed after the visitor signs out - Prints a badge
A temporary ID badge is printed, including the photograph - Sends a copy of this badge to the visitor by email
Using a corporate HTML email template and providing other useful information such as fire safety and first aid advice for the building - Notifies the staff member with visitor details and a contact from reception team if there be any delay or questions
The staff gets an automatic email using power automate - There is a live view of all visitors in the building
The list is available via a separate app for fire marshals, facilities teams, and similar users in case of an evacuation or fire drill - The visitor signs out when they leave
Using power automate all visitor records are signed out at midnight each day
Following this visit we also have some useful data:
- the name of the visitor, their contact information and organisation name. This can be analysed to gain insight into regular visitors
- a separate record of who they visited, when they signed in and out and the building location (extendable to any number of buildings)
Using hardware visitors can use
As an app designed to run on a tablet device, we needed a way to present this to the visitors which is both functional and secure.
Deploying our app to a tablet in Kiosk mode allows us to limit the tablet so it only runs the app we want it to. You cannot run browsers or other applications on this device.
We procured a locking stand and printer within which this tablet was placed. To extend this app we can clone the existing tablet image onto another device, procure another stand and deploy it to another location.
As the app and the data is all managed in the Cloud, we can capture data from multiple devices simultaneously into a single data source (in this case SharePoint).
The only costs involved in this solution were the costs of the hardware such as the tablet, printer, stand and power leads.
What we achieved
With the solution developed and tested, we had achieved our goals. We had reduced the cost (no annual cost as per the legacy application) whilst increasing the functionality of the visitor sign in process.
More importantly to me, we proved that low code, cloud technologies already available to us could be used to provide bespoke digital tools to support manual processes and functions.
With the success of this solution, we will explore other uses for the component parts of the Microsoft Power Platform.
Final thoughts
I write this blog post after a hectic day in our office deploying the first tablet to run this app on our corporate reception desk. (I was using a screwdriver and everything, which for a software developer is a pleasant change of pace).
We are confident from testing that this will help:
- reduce the time spent by staff on this activity
- streamline the process for both visitors and hosts
- us get new and exciting insights from the data we capture
However, as any developer knows there are always bugs after going live. Hopefully, these provide opportunities for further development as nothing is ever “finished” either.
Update — 6 months on
After some initial use of the solution some changes have been made and we are always on the lookout for more opportunities to improve upon this work.
So far changes have included:
- updating some images from PNG to SVG (better quality images)
- adjusting colours used throughout the app to be more accessible. Meeting WCAG AA guidelines
- adding some extra navigation buttons following feedback from our reception staff
- as a business decision and for GDPR reasons, we have automated the cleansing of visitor data. Electronic versions of photos are destroyed immediately upon sign out and other data such as name, organisation and contact info is only held for 5 working days after sign out.
- We are currently testing a new printer (colour prints for better quality badges)
With the built in version controls it is easy to iterate changes within the power platform and deploy these rapidly as changes arise.
Get in touch
We would love to hear from teams who are exploring power apps, power automate and the wider power platform.
Whether you are a professional developer or a citizen developer (“maker”) I hope you find inspiration from this solution and article.
We would be happy to share our learning and potentially a template of this solution. Please use the form below to reach out to us.
