Technology makes life easier in every possible way. Whether it’s being able to communicate and collaborate remotely or make purchases through online payment gateways, every industry today is seeing a level of digital disruption. This disruption presents new opportunities for organisations to streamline and automate their processes. The education industry is no different.
Globally, educational institutions have a growing need for systems which improve the safety and security of both students and staff. Due to this, schools are ditching pen and paper visitor logs, and replacing them with advanced visitor management systems (VMS) which help keep out unwanted and unsolicited visitors. Ofsted evaluations now take into account to what extent schools take measures to ensure pupils are kept safe on school premises. Touch screen visitor management solutions are being adopted, which are easy to use and improve visitor experience, whilst delivering upon the underlying need for better safeguarding processes.
So, is this technology really a sound investment? We take a look at the key advantages of a visitor management system for schools:
Resource
First-of-all, the use of a visitor management system for schools has a positive impact on resources in a busy working environment. Staff no longer need to take care of the entry and exit time of students or visitors. Visitors, staff and students alike can use the self-service software to sign-in and out without intervention from staff. Systems can be programmed to take a picture of visitors automatically, printing an ID badge for improved visitor recognition. This frees up busy reception staff to dedicate their efforts to operations, while the VMS takes care of the tedious tasks.
Ease of use
With the popularity of smartphones and portable tablets, today users can easily navigate and utilise touch screen devices. Using a touch screen visitor management solution provides an improved user experience and limits the requirements for staff to process contractors and visitors. Furthermore, this helps to overcome human error which is often encountered with traditional, paper processes. Errors which can lead to inaccurate visitor data being held which can have serious consequences in emergency situations and fire evacuations.
Maintenance
Unlike traditional visitor books, staff need not deal with the maintenance of countless record books in order to monitor the entry or exit time of the staff, students or visitors in a facility. School visitor management systems offer access to real-time data and reports which be accessed on mobile devices for on-the-go management. This eliminates the ongoing expense of visitor books and reception stationery.
Access control
Deployment of a visitor management system allows your school to put the best foot forward when it comes to access control. Terms and conditions of access can be input into the system which then determines that access to certain areas of the building is granted only to those in possession of safety certificates. The hardware can have built-in RFID card readers which allow staff to sign-in and out instantly using their existing door access cards. As a result building access and staff sign-in are streamlined into one automated process.
Speed
One of the greatest advantages of visitor management technology is it makes life easier – for everyone. Whether it be your school reception staff who are currently disrupted from their key duties to process visitors, or for the delivery teams who struggle to deliver to schools past their reception hours, the truth is it streamlines your processes and makes visitor registration quick and easy.
The system walks visitors through a step-by-step process, capturing their details at the touch of a button. Hence, the education industry must keep pace and take advantage of the advancements in technology today to maximise resources, digitalise their processes and enhance the security of their premises.
To find out more, visit our previous post about security risks at reception and how to handle them.
VisiPoint is a visitor management system for UK schools, which is revolutionising how schools engage staff, students and everyday visitors. Our hardware has a built-in RFID reader as standard and can be integrated with your school’s MIS system. Request an on-site demo of our visitor management system today by clicking the link below.