Visitor screening extends beyond simply controlling access to your facility, it’s fundamental to creating a secure and efficient workplace environment that benefits both guests and employees. Regardless of your company’s size or industry, effective visitor screening is essential for protecting assets and minimising risks from external parties. Furthermore, a streamlined screening process is your organisation’s first opportunity to make a positive impression, demonstrating professionalism and commitment to security.
What is Visitor Screening?
Let’s take this back to the beginning by exploring what visitor screening is.
Visitor screening is where you can evaluate and assess the risk of individuals before they enter your premises to determine their appropriate level of access. This critical security measure enables organisations to establish and enforce clear entry criteria, verify visitor identities, and collect necessary documentation.
Safety and compliance tend to be the top priorities and the screening process can range from basic identity verification to comprehensive background checks. For heavily regulated industries or certain specialised sites, additional requirements such as photo ID, DBS checks, or specific safety training may be required as part of the screening protocol.
Creating an Effective and Efficient Screening Strategy
The foundation of any visitor screening programme comes from creating clear protocols that balance security needs with operational efficiency. By carefully assessing facility-specific risks and requirements, organisations can implement adaptable screening measures that respond to threats without creating bottlenecks. The key lies in striking a balance between being robust enough to ensure safety, yet streamlined enough to process visitors efficiently without causing a significant amount of extra work for your staff.
So how do you go about creating this strategy?
Start by conducting a thorough risk assessment of your facility. This involves identifying valuable assets, potential threats, and vulnerable areas. Consider factors such as the nature of your business, location, visitor volume and any regulatory requirements that may apply to your industry which could require documentation such as; government security clearance, vaccination history or evidence of a negative COVID-19 test. Use all these points to determine what is required from your visitors to ensure both their safety and the safety of your staff and assets and whether different levels of access are required for each visitor.
When looking at ways to improve the speed of your visitor screening processes, one of the key ways is to have a system in place where visitors can upload this documentation ahead of time rather than presenting this at the time of their visit and having reception staff make copies before they can proceed with the visit.
VisiPoint, our visitor management system, is the perfect example of a system offices and facilities can use to process visitors. This comprehensive system empowers guests to complete pre-registration and document submission well before they arrive, eliminating traditional check-in barriers. Upon approval, visitors receive a QR code that acts as their digital passport, enabling swift, contactless entry when they reach the facility. By automating these crucial steps, organisations can maintain security standards while delivering a professional, friction-free experience that reflects well on their brand.
Training Staff in Creating A Great First Impression
The success of a visitor screening programme largely depends on staff engagement and participation. Companies must invest time not only in training employees on processing visitors correctly but also in customer service and giving visitors a great first impression. Security staff should be able to conduct thorough screenings while maintaining a professional and courteous demeanour.
Your screening area should be clearly marked and staffed appropriately for your visitor volume. Consider providing clear instructions through signage or digital displays to help visitors prepare for screening, reducing delays and frustration.
Integrating Technology into Your Visitor Screening Programme
We’ve touched on it briefly already but integrating visitor management software is the key to creating an effective and efficient screening programme.
Visitor management software is the perfect partner for your reception team, or can even be used standalone in an unmanned reception.
With VisiPoint all data is stored in the cloud and encrypted at rest and in transfer for complete security, allowing you to access visitor information when/if required at a later date.
For sites where ID badges are required, VisiPoint prints a photo ID badge for everyone coming onto your premises, clearly showing their details, visit information and what access has been granted.
VisiPoint streamlines the visitor check-in process by automatically notifying staff via email when their guests arrive, reducing the workload for front desk personnel. The intuitive solution will also intelligently identify repeat visitors.
Are you ready to unlock the benefits of a visitor management system?
Contact our expert team at VisiPoint today to discover how our comprehensive suite could help you better manage visitor screening within your organisation.
