10 key considerations when choosing a visitor sign-in system

As well as helping your guests to sign in easily, there are other features to look out for when selecting the right system for your organisation or facility. In this blog, we’ll outline 10 questions to ask when choosing a visitor sign-in system.

1 - If you’re using it for collecting contact tracing information, does it collect the information you need in a contactless way?

You need to collect specific information if using your guest registration system for contact tracing – including full name, date, time in and out, email address, phone number and in some cases physical address. Is there flexibility to collect different information as regulations change?‍

2 - Is there built-in reporting?

If you want to easily keep up to date with check-ins and find who else was on site at any time, look for a system with built-in reporting– so you aren’t looking through emails or paper records to find data.‍

3 - Are your visitors’ details secure and does the system meet data privacy standards?

If you have personal data out on display, you risk breaches of trust. Visitors should be able to enter their information, knowing that it will be kept safe, and that is destroyed when no longer required. It’s crucial to check that it meets all your digital security and privacy requirements; including password protection, secure access to the data collected, secure data storage and data encryption. Ideally, it will have a government-grade security risk assessment completed. An example of this is the NZ Government Cloud Risk Assessment (GC105)– which includes 105 questions about security and privacy.

4 - Can the system distinguish between different visitor types?  

You may want to register different kinds of visitors, e.g. contractors, staff, couriers, customers, members – and capture different details depending on who they are. Look for a system that gives you flexibility to configure what you collect and report on.  

5 - Have your visitors agreed to health and safety or conditions of entry?  

Visitor health and safety is your responsibility. It’s helpful to ask people to read and agree to your conditions of entry before they come inside. Look for systems that let you set up your own health and safety messages.

6 - Is it easy to use?

The system should be simple and easy to use – for both you and your guests. A confusing or difficult system will put visitors off, and they might end up not signing in at all. If you have groups of people arriving or leaving at the same time, e.g. sports clubs, speed and ease of use are valuable features.    

7 - Do you need to download an App or install hardware?  

Ideally, you don’t want to install hardware or download an App. It’s extra time and effort for your occasional guests, make it quick and easy for them! Of course, repeat visitors will prefer their details are remembered so the process is quick next time. Select a system which covers both scenarios.  

8 - Is there an alternative way of checking in people who don’t have a device?  

Not everyone has a device that they can check-in with, or you might prefer to register visitors yourself. A guest registration system that allows for a range of scenarios gives you more flexibility.  

9 - Can you get help on hand if you need to?  

Reliable technical support is a must. If you’re busy and need help with something, it will pay to have a bit of assistance. You don’t want visitors standing at the door while you try and figure out the problem.

10 - Does it monitor gathering sizes or how many people are on-site?  

In the current pandemic circumstances, visitor count and threshold alerting for monitoring gathering sizes is important. It’s worth checking if your system can cope with this.  

If your current system doesn’t meet the mark, or you’re looking for a new system to get up and running – talk to us. We’ve got over 10 years’ experience in visitor management systems, and over 25 years’ experience as a technology company. Our product EVA Check-in ticks all the boxes above (and more!)  

Get started today, contact us to talk about more specific requirements, or