Visitor management should be part of a business’ health and safety policy and used to record who is in the building at any one time. In its simplest form, visitors sign in when they arrive and sign out when they leave the building. In addition to its use in health, safety and security, a visitor management system can also provide information on who is using the building.
Welcoming visitors back to business premises
As businesses try to get back toward normality following lockdown, they will be considering first and foremost how to keep their employees safe. It may initially be best not to allow visitors to the premises. However, over time, businesses will be considering how they can safely welcome back visitors to their offices.
Traditional signing in and out books do not meet government guidelines for minimising transmission of the virus, so some businesses are considering a smart visitor management system UK, such as https://www.ofec.co.uk/web-and-software-development-services/digital-visitors-and-staff-signing-in-book.aspx. A smart visitor management system uses an app to send information to visitors about the expectations for their visit, and they can answer questions through the app, making for a touch-free signing in and out process.
How does a smart visitor management system meet government guidelines?
The government has issued a guidance document on safe working during the coronavirus pandemic that lays out certain requirements for businesses. One such requirement is that businesses should give clear guidance on hygiene and social distancing to people as they arrive. The smart management system can do this by sending information directly to the visitor’s smart phone through the app. Businesses should also limit visitor numbers and keep a record of visitors, both of which can be handled by the management system. Since it will be necessary to obtain a visitor’s mobile phone number to use the system, the data collected through use of the app can also be used for Track and Trace.
As the country was put into lockdown, businesses had to adapt quickly to survive. Significant investments in technology and infrastructure have been required to enable many operations to be moved online and give employees the option of working from their own homes. That investment needs to continue as lockdown eases and we try to get to a new ‘business as usual’ that protects our staff and visitors as much as possible.