Visitor Management for Your School
In a year when many schools have prohibited some visitors from entering their facilities, you may wonder if a visitor management system is even necessary. A modern visitor management system for schools extends well beyond regular visitor traffic to monitor and/or vet employees, vendors, contractors and so much more. See how a smart system provides versatile tools to keep students and staff safe today and in the future.
What is a Visitor Management System
A visitor management system allows schools to welcome those who belong in the building and vet those who do not. Modern systems scan visitor IDs and screen them against local, state, or online watch lists – as well as school-specific lists – of banned or potentially threatening individuals to keep them from entering the building. The system creates a printed visitor badge for everyone cleared to enter. It also collects data from visitors and volunteers for reporting purposes. An analog system is an inadequate solution to keep your schools safe, especially amid the evolving visitor experience.
Discover what your school’s visitor management system has been missing with this valuable guide.
Why Should It Be Used In Your School
The most important safety value of Visitor Management is knowing who is in your buildings. Use Visitor Management systems in your school to ensure the safety of staff and students, and to keep detailed records of everyone entering the building. Especially as the school’s needs change.
Safety
A culture of safety is crucial to achieving strong outcomes. That starts at the front door with keeping track of visitors. K-12 schools experience a steady volume of non-staff or student visitors that need to be accounted for. Not only that, they are responsible for vetting the individual attempting to sign children out for doctor’s appointments or early dismissal.
Smart visitor management systems retain information about each person, such as arrival and departure time, duration of visit and more. The system enables school staff to alert onsite security personnel or even local authorities if a dangerous individual attempts to enter the building. It’s a proactive resource that welcomes and protects.
Evolving Visitor Experience
As the pandemic evolves, so does the visitor experience. Schools need an innovative visitor management system that can evolve, too. Before allowing substitute teachers or construction workers inside the building, schools can ask basic health-screening questions as part of the visitor management process. Or, for families who chose virtual learning and have in-school appointments for portraits, fundraising pickup, etc., schools can use the user-friendly platform to send pre-registration emails ahead of the visit. These emails can include dates, times, directions, parking information, and other details that help visitors get to the purpose of their visit quickly.
Limitations of Paper-Based Visitor Systems
A paper-based visitor management system is not only outdated, it’s an unnecessary liability risk that every school can avoid. Consider some of the major limitations to a paper-based system.
1. Sheets aren’t streamlined.
Physical records are easy to damage or lose. Anyone could drop their coffee on the log sheet and ruin it or accidentally throw it away at the end of the school day. Imagine an unauthorized relative signs a child out of school and the parents don’t know. The school must be able to refer to these records and could even be liable for the child’s safety. If they are damaged, missing, or even illegible, they’re worthless.
2. Screening is impossible.
If a sex offender signs in, no one will know unless they retrieve the log and look up the person’s name online. Why be reactive when an electronic visitor management system allows for proactive screening of every visitor against the registered sex offender databases from all 50 states? The paper system creates a similar problem for custody disputes. Without checking against the school’s customized custody records, a paper log allows anyone to write down a name and walk right into the building. Visitor management systems automatically inform front office staff when a banned visitor is attempting to enter or sign a child out of school.
3. Not synched up to the emergency management system.
In the event of an emergency, schools need to be able to account for every person in the building. With a paper log sheet, front office staff has to figure out who left and who’s still present. An electronic visitor management system that integrates with the school’s existing emergency management system provides a real-time report of additional people to account for. It also synchronizes class rosters to remove students who already signed out for the day. This kind of convenience goes a long way during a crisis and keeps staff focused on reunification.
Advantages of Using The Navigate360 Visitor Management System
Navigate360 Visitor Management helps maintain a welcoming school environment while keeping your community safe. With today’s safety concerns now including an increased emphasis on physical health, our system meets a wide range of needs.
Instant Alerts & Notifications
Communication is key. When there’s an emergency, our integrated technology instantly sends security alerts and notifications to staff, students and guardians. Parents and guardians also receive automatic notifications when their child is signed out of school. Internally, the system equips the school to monitor visitors with a real-time view via the interactive dashboard. In the event of an emergency, the system also keeps visitors informed with alert instructions for exiting the building, lockdown, etc.
No-Contact Capabilities
Visitor check-in doesn’t have to be a chore. Guests self-register by using a tablet or smartphone as they enter the building. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, schools can add health-screening questions for each individual to complete before entering the building. Customize the questions to meet new health department guidelines or district-specific policies when they change (or eliminate them when no longer needed). This no-contact check-in reduces the spread of illness and creates a safe, thoughtful experience for all visitors.
User-Friendly Design
The system is designed with you in mind. Navigate360’s user-friendly interface and seamless connections to customer service and support to keep your staff focused on your mission, not the tool. Utilizing our technology doesn’t require countless troubleshooting calls or in-depth implementation and training sessions. Schools have the flexibility to choose additional hardware with an HD camera for ID pictures and the sex offender scan, and may also elect to purchase a badge printer. Or, simply manage visitors on a computer through our cloud-based software with no hardware at all.
Contact Us to Learn More About Our Visitor Management System
Smart visitor management technology can help increase security, reduce fear and empower your staff and students to thrive.
Contact us today to learn more about the Navigate360 Visitor Management System.
