What is a Visitor Management System?

A visitor management system is a digital solution that automates the process of managing and monitoring visitor access across one or multiple facilities. When optimized, it aids in ensuring security, maintaining regulatory compliance, and enhancing the overall visitor experience for guests, contractors, and employees.

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90 %

still use receptionists to process facility visitors

78 %

don't feel very confident in their security practices

93 %

see increased efficiency by streamlining the visitor check-in process with technology

76 %

report that adding a VMS improves visitor feedback

Feature	Cloud-Based Visitor Management System	Manual Paper Visitor Management Methods
Scalability and Flexibility	Highly scalable for multi-site management	No scalability, manual records required
Cost-Effectiveness	Lower upfront costs, subscription model	High ongoing costs for paper and storage
Ease of Access and Maintenance	Accessible remotely, automatic updates	No remote access, time-consuming to manage
Security	Encryption and backups, compliant with regulations	No encryption, risk of data loss
Integration with Other Systems	Easy integration with access control, CRM, etc.	No integration possible
Customization	Moderate customization through APIs	No customization
Data-Driven Insights & Reporting	Real-time reporting and analytics	Manual record-keeping, delayed reporting
Compliance with Privacy Regulations	Automatically updated for compliance	Difficult to ensure compliance

Upper Management

Senior management leverages VisitorOS for strategic insights. The system's analytics provide essential data on visitor trends and facility usage, supporting informed decision-making.

Online Pre-Registration

Visitor pre-registration speeds the up the check-in process while maintaining high security standards through integrated screening measures. Getting visitor registration data in advance not only streamlines registration, it also and helps to prevent bottlenecks. You can enable touchless sign-in options for visitors by allowing them to check in before arriving on-site. Upon arrival, they can scan an on-site QR code to confirm their check-in and proceed without further steps. Learn more about Visitor Pre-Registration.

Security Checks

A visitor management system is a security check that can screen and monitor all on-site guests at your facility. It also supports custom visitor sign-in, pre-registration, and post-sign-in processes to suit the unique needs of your facilities. Plus, instantly access all your visitor data in the cloud through a centralized dashboard.

Badge Printing

Printing visitor badges on-site makes adding details to each badge easy to help identify visitors. You can create badges for different visitor types, including customizable text, QR codes, and guest pictures. The touchless visitor access feature ensures a smooth and fast visitor experience. Learn more about The Advantages of Visitor Badges.

Host Notifications

Guests are prompted to enters their host's name on sign-in, and the visitor management system automatically sends a notification to the host announcing their arrival. Hosts can even choose their preferred method of notification from in-demand integrations, including communication tools like Slack, or email and SMS. Discover how alerts streamline communication in your facility: Visitor Host Notifications 101.

Digital Visitor Logs

Sifting through handwritten visitor logs for specific information is difficult. Logs can be hard to read, and visitors don't always provide accurate information. Digital visitor logs eliminate these challenges by verifying visitor information, logging entry and exit times, and storing data in a centralized dashboard for easy access. For example, you could look at a list of those on-site during a certain time window or see everyone who came to visit a specific employee on a particular day. Learn more about Digital Visitor Logs.

Workplace Trend Reports

Visitor management systems automatically log and store all visitor data, capturing every detail from sign-in to sign-out, including time stamps and visitor types. These reports help create a thorough audit trail that can be accessed anytime, supporting compliance and enhancing security protocols. Stay updated with real-time insights on all your visitors. Learn more about data and reporting with VMS.

Visitor management systems (VMS) are a prime opportunity to boost compliance. Most regulations can be incorporated into or enhanced by VMS software. For example, FacillityOS's VisitorOS ensures multiple compliance requirements are met. It incorporates many of the most valuable compliance tools in one platform:

Audit
Established Processes
Identity Verification
Information Security
Legal Contracts
Monitoring
Physical Security
Regional Data
Reporting
Visitor Badges

Learn more about Visitor Management Compliance

A VMS, like FacilityOS's VisitorOS, is designed to assist during emergencies by providing real-time notifications and actionable guidance to staff and visitors. In critical situations like fire drills, lockdowns, or evacuations, the system can send out mass notifications via SMS, email, and push alerts to ensure everyone in the facility is informed and can respond quickly.

VisitorOS can also integrate with an emergency module, such as EmergencyOS. An employee evacuation tracking system identifies who is in the building, their location, and who is missing, helping send real-time evacuation alerts. It enables emergency management teams to respond faster and more efficiently, enhancing fast evacuations and protecting life, safety, and property.

Learn more about Emergency Management.

The cost of a visitor management system will vary depending on the provider, features, scalability, support levels, and billing model. With a subscription-based pricing model, which is common for cloud-based visitor management systems, the costs typically start around $100 per month and can go as high as hundreds of dollars per month. With subscription models, essential hardware and software, ongoing support and updates are included and baked into the monthly fee. With one time license fees, the initial investment typically includes the upfront costs for software licenses, hardware infrastructure, and implementation. Unlike subscriptions, there can be addition long-term costs for support, updates, and customizations.

Learn more about VisitorOS pricing.

Visitor Management Kiosk

A visitor management kiosk, often referred to as a check-in kiosk, is a display or tablet located at points of entry to a facility. It is used to manage on-site visitors and to automate the visitor sign-in process. Sign-in workflows can be tailored to meet a facilities entry and security needs. With VisitorOS, kiosks come preloaded, preconfigured and deployment ready.

ID Badge Printers

ID badge printers are stationed near visitor management kiosks and are used to print identification badges for visitors. These badges display various details about a guest and are configurable based on a facilities requirements. Typically, they include the date, guest's name, guest's photo, and host's name.

A Visitor Management System That Elevates Security and Visitor Experiences