Four Ways to Promote Touchless Visitor Management

By Katherine Schwartz
Demand Generation Specialist
SpaceIQ

Coronavirus mitigation efforts are everywhere in the workplace. Masks and PPE. Occupancy limits and social distancing. Now, visitor management is a growing concern as companies begin to open their doors beyond in-house employees. How can companies make the visitor experience a safe, hassle-free one? Touchless visitor management is the best and simplest answer.

Next to a mask mandate and social distancing rules, touchless interaction with the workplace eliminates one of the biggest concerns guests have when entering a new space. Visitors don’t have to worry about coronavirus lingering on the sign-in touchpad, or if the person who used the ID badge before them was a carrier. Touchless processes promote better peace of mind.

Here’s a look at four ways to shape a touchless visitor management system and how they integrate into already-established visitor experiences.

1. Stylus pens for tablets and kiosks

If you have kiosks or tablets at the point of check-in, there’s probably some concern about germs on these surfaces. Sure, you could spray and wipe them down after every use, but that’s a solution that creates more work and worry than it’s worth. Moreover, if guests don’t see you wipe down these surfaces, they might not be certain you did.

The solution to touchless visitor sign-in is stylus pens for three distinct reasons. First, there’s no finger-to-surface contact needed with a stylus, mitigating germ spread. Second, stylus pens work on any touch screen surface and are broadly applicable no matter what type of tablet or kiosk you have. Finally, they’re great swag. Order branded stylus pens at a low cost and let visitors keep them after check-in for a win-win solution to touchless visitor management and guerilla marketing.

2. Email confirmation

The more information you can relay pre-check-in, the less face-time you’ll need to devote to physical interaction. A simple way to preface touchless check-in for visitor management is through emails that provide clear instructions that a human might otherwise.

Use email confirmations to cover the basics of visitor check-ins. Verify information like name, arrival time, purpose of visit, people they’re meeting with, and any other pertinent information. Provide useful information such as how to check in once they arrive, where the person they’re meeting sits, and links to facility resources.

The best part about email confirmations is automation, providing plenty of utility with minimal effort on the part of facility managers. They’re also very convenient for guests and can boost confidence before a visit. It’s all touchless.

3. App downloads and directions

For large campuses and facilities, it’s convenient to provide visitors with maps. The problem is, maps are tangible. As companies move toward touchless processes, the need for digital wayfinding solutions grows. Company- or facility-specific apps fill the need for wayfinding solutions while keeping them touch-free and easy to access. If your guest has a smartphone, they can participate in a completely touchless wayfinding experience.

Not only does digital wayfinding make maps and printed directions obsolete, it also opens the door to a broader touchless experience. Visitors won’t open a dozen doors as they search for their destination—instead, they’ll open one door, reducing physical interactions altogether. This goes for interactions, too. Visitors don’t need to flag down employees to get directions and risk human-to-human exposure.

4. Smartphone badging and proximity sensors

The ultimate touchless solution to visitor management is badging, in combination with proximity sensors and other IoT devices. This is further exemplified by smartphone badges. It works like this.

Shawna is a visitor at ABC Company. When she checks in and downloads the company’s app, she’s awarded a digital visitor pass on her smartphone. The pass allows her access to various areas of the facilities. All she needs to do is get near a door sensor and unlock her phone—the IoT sensor will automatically read her pass and open if she’s allowed access. 

Visitors can get from check-in to wherever they need to go in facilities without touching anything along the way—other than their own smartphone. Doors open where and when they should, to allow access to those who need it. All that’s required is proximity and the right credentials, which facility managers can automate and bestow on different visitors. After visitors leave permissions expire, for a complete end-to-end solution to visitor management that’s touchless and convenient.

Touchless investments will outlast COVID-19

No one knows what the future will look like post-COVID-19. Thankfully, touchless investments aren’t tied to a certain future. The beauty of touchless visitor management investments is that they’re an enhancement for your facilities that’s convenient for reasons beyond the pandemic. Touchless is simple. Touchless is sanitary. Touchless is the future, whether or not coronavirus persists.

Keep reading: Importance of a Visitor Management System