Visitor management has long been a challenge for facility and workplace leaders. Manual check-ins, inconsistent data, and limited visibility often lead to inefficiencies and security gaps. AI-driven visitor management platforms (VMS) can help strengthen and simplify the process – especially for companies with multiple locations across sites and regions — by automating check-ins, customizing workflows for different visitor types, and centralizing data across global facilities.
Key takeaways
- Modern VMS streamline key processes: By automating check-ins, including customized workflows for different visitor types, modern visitor management solutions improve security, reduce inefficiencies, and enhance the visitor experience
- Remote registration allows visitors to complete their check-in process before arriving: The result is reduced wait times and more accurate data collection. The feature is particularly useful in high-traffic environments
- Facial recognition technology enhances security by instantly verifying visitor identities: Role-based access controls ensure that sensitive information is only accessible to authorized personnel. Collectively, they can make visitor management more secure and reliable
Across industries, facility and workplace leaders are embracing new tech to tackle old problems. In fact, 68% of facility managers are planning to implement AI-powered VMS solutions within the next year to improve security, automate check-ins, and enhance the overall visitor experience, according to the 2025 Workplace Index report.
What are the common challenges of manual visitor management?
Visitor management in the workplace has traditionally come with a number of challenges, from inefficiencies to security concerns. Manual processes often result in unreliable data, with visitor logs prone to errors and inconsistencies. Long wait times in lobbies can frustrate both visitors and staff, while inadequate screening methods may affect safety and compliance.
The manual check-in experience can feel outdated and unprofessional, potentially affecting how visitors perceive the organization. These issues underscore the need for a more effective and streamlined approach to visitor management — one that recent workplace trends have made even more critical.
What are the recent trends driving the need for modern visitor management?
Several trends are forcing facility and workplace leaders to take a closer look at how they manage visitors, including:
- Rising operational costs: With the cost of running facilities on the rise, organizations are seeking ways to operate more efficiently. Streamlining visitor processes can help reduce administrative overhead and improve resource use
- Hybrid work models: Flexible work schedules have made space planning more complex. Visitor management helps track occupancy and coordinate access, supporting better use of shared spaces
- Increased office attendance: 66% of companies expect employees to be in the office three or more days a week in 2025, and the shift is bringing more people into the workplace, making visitor coordination more important
- Security and compliance: Maintaining a secure and compliant workplace remains essential. VMS tools provide accurate visitor logs, support regulatory requirements, and help ensure a safe environment
Together, these trends are reshaping how organizations think about visitor management. The need for greater efficiency, tighter security, and more responsive space planning has made traditional methods increasingly unsustainable. As a result, many facility leaders are turning to technology-driven solutions that offer automation, real-time data, and centralized control.
What are some of the key features in digital visitor management?
Modern visitor management systems have evolved past the traditional sign-in sheet. Today’s solutions support a wide range of operational, security, and compliance needs, while also improving the overall experience for guests and staff alike. Whether you’re managing a corporate office, healthcare facility, or multi-tenant building, the right features can help you streamline check-in, enhance safety, and provide valuable insights into visitor activity.
Remote registration
Visitors can complete registration before arriving on-site, significantly improving operational flow. Remote registration enables guests to submit essential details like the purpose of their visit, host information, and health declarations. For example, a contractor visiting a manufacturing site can confirm safety training compliance in advance, reducing delays at entry. Once submitted, the system generates a unique QR code for fast, contactless check-in, which improves the visitor experience and reduces the administrative burden to ensure accurate data collection. Integration with internal systems allows for automatic updates to visitor logs and notifications to relevant staff, helping teams prepare for incoming guests more effectively.
Autonomous check-in
Self-service check-in options are becoming increasingly valuable in high-traffic environments. Rather than relying on front desk personnel, visitors can use digital kiosks or mobile apps to check themselves in when they arrive. The feature is particularly useful in corporate offices, healthcare facilities, and educational campuses where managing large volumes of guests efficiently is critical.
For example, a university might deploy branded kiosks at multiple entrances to allow guest lecturers and vendors to check in independently. These systems help you capture visit details, issue temporary access credentials, and sync with internal calendars or meeting room bookings. While autonomous check-in reduces wait times and staff workload, it also provides a consistent and professional experience for visitors.
Digital logbook
A digital logbook provides real-time visibility into visitor activity, supporting both operational and compliance needs. Unlike paper logs, digital records are searchable, secure, and accessible remotely. Facility managers can use this data to analyze visitor trends, identify peak traffic times, and assess resource needs. For example, a corporate office might notice a surge in vendor visits on Mondays and adjust staffing accordingly. The logbook also supports audit readiness by maintaining a complete and accurate record of all visitor interactions, which is essential for regulatory inspections or internal reviews.
Facial recognition for check-In
Facial recognition technology is a powerful tool for streamlining visitor check-in while enhancing security. Instead of presenting ID or scanning a QR code, visitors can be identified instantly through biometric verification at entry points. The feature is particularly effective in high-security environments such as corporate headquarters, research facilities, or government buildings, where identity confirmation is critical.
For example, a visitor arriving at a secure data center can be automatically matched to their pre-registered profile using facial recognition, granting access without manual intervention. The system can also flag unregistered individuals or mismatches, helping prevent unauthorized entry. Beyond convenience, facial recognition reduces physical contact, speeds up the check-in process, and ensures a consistent and professional experience. When integrated with access control and visitor logs, it supports real-time monitoring and audit readiness, making it a valuable addition to modern visitor management strategies.
What are the key features and benefits of digital visitor management for large organizations with multiple facilities?
For organizations with a global footprint, managing visitor operations across multiple sites presents a unique set of challenges, including maintaining consistent security standards, ensuring compliance with regional data protection laws, and delivering a seamless visitor experience regardless of location. Modern visitor management platforms are designed to address these complexities through centralized control, flexible configuration, and scalable policy enforcement.
Centralized global administration
A unified administrative dashboard allows global facility leaders to monitor and manage visitor activity across all locations from a single interface. Centralized visibility supports consistent policy enforcement, simplifies reporting, and enables faster, data-driven decision-making. For example, administrators can track visitor volumes across regions, identify unusual patterns, and adjust staffing or access protocols accordingly. Additional oversight is especially valuable for organizations operating in regulated industries or managing high-security environments.
Configurable data retention policies
Data privacy regulations differ significantly across jurisdictions, requiring organizations to tailor their data handling practices accordingly. A modern visitor management system allows administrators to configure data retention settings based on local legal requirements like retaining visitor logs only for the duration necessary to fulfill business or compliance obligations. These settings can be applied globally and locked at the administrative level to prevent unauthorized changes at the site level. You can then ensure all locations remain compliant with applicable laws while maintaining a consistent approach to data governance.
Enhanced visitor privacy controls
Protecting the privacy of visitors is increasingly important, particularly in sectors where sensitive meetings or client interactions are common. Advanced visitor management platforms offer granular privacy controls that allow organizations to obscure visitor names, meeting details, and host information from unauthorized personnel, helping prevent internal data exposure and supports compliance with privacy regulations. For example, in a shared office environment, these controls can ensure that only relevant staff have access to visitor information, preserving confidentiality and professionalism.
Role-based access to facility data
Not all facility data should be visible to every employee. Role-based access controls allow organizations to restrict visibility of sensitive areas like executive suites, research labs, or secure storage zones within digital floorplans and dashboards. These controls ensure that only authorized personnel can view or manage information related to high-security spaces. The feature is particularly useful in large or multi-tenant buildings where different teams or departments require varying levels of access to facility data.
Scalable policy enforcement across locations
Standardizing visitor workflows across multiple sites helps ensure consistency while still allowing for local flexibility. Administrators can define global policies, including ID verification, health declarations, or watchlist screening, and apply them across all locations. At the same time, local teams can adapt workflows to meet site-specific needs, such as language preferences or unique access protocols. A balance of centralized control and local adaptability is essential for organizations with diverse operational environments, from corporate campuses to manufacturing facilities.
The future of the workplace is welcoming, secure with AI-backed visitor management
Organizations need a more connected, informed, and intelligent workplace ecosystem that can address key operational challenges, including those created by unreliable, manual visitor management.
At the Intelligent Workplace product event, Eptura Chief Executive Officer Brandon Holden outlined the many challenges large companies face at their commercial offices. “Enterprises are under pressure to manage rising office occupancy, deliver frictionless experiences, and make smarter decisions about their spaces and assets,” he said.
With insights and announcements from across the organization, Eptura showed how our platform will help industry professionals enhance workplace efficiency and security through a variety of features and updates.
To learn more about the future of work and the growing role of visitor management, watch the event video on-demand.
Frequently asked questions
By Jonathan Davis
As a content creator at Eptura, Jonathan Davis covers asset management, maintenance software, and SaaS solutions, delivering thought leadership with actionable insights across industries such as fleet, manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality. Jonathan’s writing focuses on topics to help enterprises optimize their operations, including building lifecycle management, digital twins, BIM for facility management, and preventive and predictive maintenance strategies. With a master's degree in journalism and a diverse background that includes writing textbooks, editing video game dialogue, and teaching English as a foreign language, Jonathan brings a versatile perspective to his content creation.
