Workplace solutions such as visitor management and access control originally held a singular security function for small- to large-scale organizations, and, originally, the innovation that these procedures delivered was derived from the transformation of paper-based methods. For example, the signing of visitor log books and punch-card stamping when entering and exiting workplaces were eradicated in favor of advanced digital procedures.

Today, the world’s leading enterprises are going even further to unlock greater efficiencies and new and innovative capabilities well beyond the original security functions. The most sophisticated implementations of visitor management and access control are affecting many more stakeholders of the business – and it looks like it’s only the beginning.

A digital revolution is playing out in workplaces globally. With a common focus to create an optimized and future-proof office culture, digital advances are initiating more efficient approaches to a wide range of daily business processes. Furthermore, new job titles such as “workspace coordinator” and “workspace experience manager” are being created and growing more prevalent. This shift from traditional security-focused procedures of facility and security managers is propelling technological innovations in the workspace at the center of global organizations’ operational flow.

More welcoming and secure workplaces, more efficient and productive interactions

With recent developments in the digital security management industry, organizations can now implement smarter workplace systems that not only manage their visitors’ interactions with their facilities but also bring new efficiency to the workloads of their employees and other stakeholders.

Every facility in the world engaging with a diverse range of guests requires a workflow process that functions seamlessly with the organization's daily operations. Developing visitor workflows to suit each visitor type and instance means check-in processes can be streamlined, unnecessary data gathering can be eliminated, and visitor experiences can be enhanced.

It is important for organizations to choose their workplace solutions with flexibility in mind for their visitors, and this is how it is being achieved today by some of the world’s most innovative enterprises:

• Before arriving, all personnel entering a site (employees, contractors, VIPs, event attendees, etc.) have the opportunity to pre-register their information after receiving invitations to their mobile devices.
• Once the process is initiated on a tablet or kiosk in the lobby, the visitor is asked to choose a visitor type. After selecting the applicable option, the visitor is then presented with tailored information that is relevant to their relationship with the enterprise, such as that office's terms and conditions.
• When all required details are provided, the kiosk takes the visitor's photo for identification purposes.
• With the check-in now complete, the visitor is welcomed safely to the facility by a host, who verifies the visitor's identity and allocates a visitor pass.

This process applies to all personnel who enter a site, such as contractors, VIPs or event attendees.

Wide-ranging business applications

One example of how these smart solutions are being applied today is with human resources (HR) executives and global security managers.

The role of HR is to ensure the needs and requirements of all personnel onsite are met, including visitors. The world’s leading digital workplace solutions seamlessly integrate with the enterprise’s email and HR system. This enables, for example, a digital non-disclosure agreement (NDA) form to be created for the visitor and, after it is signed, for it to be automatically filed into the HR system. Indeed, this process can immediately file all important documents (such as health, safety and legal compliance forms), creating a significantly more secure and organized enterprise.

Workplace solutions with expanded features for an HR executive can mean significant time savings. Now, when a visitor misplaces an access badge, an additional temporary badge replacement functionality allows HR to inform staff that temporary badges can be allocated and tracked through the visitor check-in kiosk at reception instead of reallocating all badges to team members and visitors.

For global security managers, the digital workplace solution’s back-office dashboard provides a full, detailed insight into every visitor currently on-site across multiple locations and countries. With updated solution procedures, all security managers can create immediate reports and derive insights from visitor data and trends, meaning facility data can be analyzed and reviewed effectively. This full visibility makes digital visitor management a very clear business asset for all security managers and their responsibilities, which account for the global security of the entire organization.

Ongoing Innovations for future-proofed enterprises

These innovative workplace solutions continue to grow and develop at a steady rate and are offering facilities new and expansive features beyond traditional digital visitor management which promise to future-proof the enterprise as a whole.

The reshaping of digital workplace solutions is helping to mold a new path for companies seeking to evolve their workplaces for the future. We are only now beginning to scratch the surface with how visitor management, access control and other security innovations will reshape the look and feel of work in enterprises in the years ahead.

This article originally ran in Security, a twice-monthly security-focused eNewsletter for security end users, brought to you by Security Magazine. Subscribe here.