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What Information Can be Stored in Your Visitor Management Software (and What Can’t)

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Your visitor management system stores a lot of information, but can it store too much? Data security for your company and your visitors is a key reason to invest in visitor management software. However, some companies can go overboard with the information they store and store visitor data they either don’t need or should not legally store. 

When establishing an effective visitor system, think about what information you’ll really need from your visitors. From there, narrow down what information your system needs for reference. This information can vary depending on your industry, but once you’ve decided what data to have stored, dump the rest. The less information your visitor management stores, the more secure your visitors feel about the check-in process. 

What to store in visitor management systems:

  • Name: A visitor’s name is the most expected, most common, and arguably most important part of the data you collect from your guests. With a name, you can quickly run background checks or check the name against internal and external watchlists. 
  • Visitor’s consent to personal data storage: Due to GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), data privacy is paramount across all web devices. Even though GDPR directly impacts EU countries, the regulation has become expected by most digital users. Asking and receiving consent from your visitors about using and storing their personal data gives your visitors peace of mind about checking in.
  • Reason for visit: Your visitors’ “why” can help your team identify trends, keep tabs on contact tracing, and get an idea of what types of visitors check-in throughout the day. 
  • History of visits to your locations

What should not be stored in visitor management systems: 

  • Medical records: If you’re a hospital or long term care facility, medical records might be important — but not to your visitor check-in system.
  • Temperatures (from temperature checks): While this information is important to your COVID screening efforts, storing this data isn’t needed. 
  • Driver’s license number
  • Social security numbers, financial account numbers, or any other highly sensitive information

With all data storage, you should have a practical reason behind whatever piece of information you request of your visitors. Your guests want to know their data is secure, and that you’re not storing information that’s irrelevant to their visit. It’s important to choose a visitor management system that automatically deletes data outside of a configured retention period. You also want to ensure that you host software on a secure environment, ideally in the cloud. Veristream offers clients these security benefits and more. Call 1-888-718-0807 or schedule a demo online to see how Veristream can help secure your front desk experience.

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