“It’s human instinct to open a door for someone when they are knocking on it and want access. It’s polite and good manners,” says Kelly Lake, VP of Strategic Programs and LATAM for Zenitel Americas. “So it's important that organizations maintain constant training for their own people, and provide intuitive security technologies at the door, like video and intercom, to make it easy for the visitor to contact the proper authorities for assistance when looking to enter a building.”

Lake concisely spells out one of the greatest challenges to visitor management: the human element. The average employee will seek to help a person who is requesting entry, whether or not the individual in question should be given access. In order to provide a beneficial customer experience, workers may unwittingly sacrifice security. However, challenges exist on the opposite end of the spectrum as well.

Robby Dunn-Bernstein, Head of Global Safety, Security, and Intelligence at GoDaddy, explains, “A notable challenge to visitor management includes balancing robust security features with a welcoming experience. Security measures, if not thoughtfully implemented, can sometimes feel overwhelming or even invasive to visitors.”

Balancing security and the guest experience can be difficult. But, if implemented effectively, visitor management systems and processes can benefit the guest experience rather than hinder it.

Effective Visitor Management: Importance and Implementation Tips

“Visitor management is the foundation of access control — it’s where security truly begins,” says Christina Alexandropoulou, Security & Market Safety Cluster Manager at Philip Morris International.

Visitor management and access control are essential parts of protecting an organization, often acting as a first line of defense not just for a physical location, but for the safety of those inside — which could have direct impacts on the business’s reputation.

“Effective visitor management is a critical part of a comprehensive security program because corporate security truly touches nearly every aspect of a business, including the people who visit our spaces,” says Dunn-Bernstein. “We have a duty of care not just to our employees, but also to our visitors, guests, and vendors, ensuring everyone’s safety while they’re on site.”

Protecting an organization doesn’t have to be at the expense of the guest experience. When it comes to visitor management, these qualities can go hand in hand.

“Another reason to have an effective visitor management program is to help guide people once they do have access, in addition to accounting for them throughout their journey in the facility,” explains Lake. “Known individuals such as employees and vendors will likely know where to go once they gain access, but others will not. In an emergency, for example, they won’t know the evacuation points.”

Dunn-Bernstein asserts, “Ultimately, a quality VMS will help to support a safe and secure environment for everyone, but also demonstrate your ongoing commitment to care, compliance, and preparedness of your guests.”

Technology alone will not create effective visitor management practices within the workplace. Instead, the deliberate combination of technology and implementation strategy will lead to successful visitor management.

For example, calculated implementation of visitor management can extend the reach of an organization’s security measures. Lake states, “It’s important to incorporate technology that allows security teams to extend the perimeter further out than a reception desk. For example, an intercom placed at an exterior gate can provide valuable information to a security officer about the individual who wants access: their physical features, languages spoken, tone, emotion, and more. Are they carrying anything? Is there anyone else with them? If it’s determined that the individual should not have access, then security is ensured because the individual is not near the main entrance. Using video and audio allows you to push the perimeter back a bit further to vet someone even more than just allowing them to register with the visitor management software at a reception desk.”

Ultimately, a quality VMS will help to support a safe and secure environment for everyone, but also demonstrate your ongoing commitment to care, compliance, and preparedness of your guests.

To make the most of implemented technology and processes, organizations must ensure their employees are on board with visitor management expectations and understand their role in facilitating it.

“Start with policy and culture before technology,” advises Alexandropoulou. “A visitor management system is only as good as the people who use it. You need clear procedures, well-trained staff and leadership support.”

With so much ground to cover — literally and figuratively — it can be overwhelming for security leaders who are just starting the process of implementing visitor management systems. Dunn-Bernstein walks through some essential steps for constructive execution.

“Best practices for implementing or improving a visitor management system start with clearly defining the features your team will use. From there, it’s important to build policies and standard operating procedures around those features, ensuring teams in your organization are aligned and committed. If policies are ignored or unenforced, it can undermine your visitor protocols and the broader security framework.

“Integration is another critical, and sometimes overlooked, aspect. A quality VMS should work smoothly with your existing security infrastructure and workflows, which often requires close coordination across multiple teams. Additionally, data privacy and compliance need careful attention, particularly when sensitive personal information is being collected and stored.

“Lastly, consistent adoption across all locations and staff is essential for success. This requires ongoing training, clear communication, and visible leadership support. In the end, a well-implemented VMS should reinforce both safety and hospitality, helping to build a culture where both are valued and maintained.”

Though security is meant to be a barrier to threats, awkwardly placed security measures can feel like a barrier to the guest experience. However, with a well-instituted visitor management system, organizations can protect their space while opening it up to others.

“Visitor management is more than an operational tool — it’s part of an organization’s reputation for safety, professionalism, and trust,” states Alexandropoulou. “Whether it’s a luxury resort, a retail headquarters, or a tech facility, people want to feel that security is there to enable their experience, not restrict it. The most successful programs are those that blend empathy with efficiency —protecting people while respecting their dignity and purpose for being there.”