In large organizations, it is not easy to tell who is coming in or out of the office premises. A person with bad motives can enter the premises and carry out their evil plans with no one noticing. A visitor log sheet keeps the records of who visited, the time they entered, and who they were visiting. The guest log book template is useful at business premises, schools, healthcare facilities, government offices, and non-governmental organizations. It benefits organizations in different ways.
Visitor Log Templates
What is a guest register template?
A guest register template is a document that records details of people visiting a place. It is used by companies, educational institutions, health care institutions, and other entities to improve security.
The visitor sign-in sheet is kept under the custody of the receptionist or security personnel. The officer at the front office desk records the names in a spreadsheet and stores them for access by the management or other authorized personnel.
Visitors Log Sheets
Benefits of using visitors’ log sheet
A lot of people access an organization’s facility daily. The people who come in can be:
- Customers
- Suppliers
- Employees
- Family members
- Friends
- Job applicants, etc
Every organization has its reasons for keeping visitor records in a guest log book template. The main benefits are as follows:
- Security
It is beneficial to know who enters or leaves the facility. It is more important to know when they entered or left and their reason for entry. Security challenges are continuing as time progresses. The major security challenges any organization can experience are:
- Terrorism
- Armed theft
- Property destruction
- Vandalism
- Unarmed theft
If such incidences happen, it is easier for the security men to follow from the visitor sign-in sheet to know who entered the facility at a given time. It can be easier to know who are suspects.
- Dealing with emergencies
Emergencies can be of various degrees. They can be due to natural causes or human causes.
Natural causes
- Earthquakes
- Fire due to lightning
- Storms
- Tornados, etc
Human causes
- Human triggered fire
- Electricity fires
- Terrorism
If such incidences happen, it is easier for the management or person concerned to know if there are people trapped in the building. They can tell if everyone escaped safely or whether anyone is missing.
- Data and analysis
The number of people entering or leaving a facility can be beneficial to a business. The data gathered can be used to improve the visitor experience in different ways.
- Managing access
When there is no control, anyone feels free to access the facility even when they do not have any genuine reason to do so. When the office introduces a guest register template, there is better control of access.
Each visitor is required to have an identification document and declare who they want to visit or their purpose for visiting. This strategy keeps off people who want to visit without any good reason.
Guest Log Book Templates
How to design your visitor log sheet?
It is beneficial to keep a record of who comes into your premises. There are different types of visitor sign-in sheets you can adopt. It depends on the needs of your company. To create a visitor sign-in sheet, you need to download a guest register template. You require to have columns and rows enough for each day.
If you receive many visitors daily, you might require a larger guest log book template. If your company receives fewer visitors daily, you may only require a standard template. The following steps will help you create a visitors log sheet.
- Visitor name
Some companies let the visitor record their details on the visitor sign-in sheet. However, it is safer for the receptionist or security officer to record the details themselves. This way, you will be certain that the details recorded are authentic. Some visitors with bad motives may decide to record fake names.
The name should be recorded as it appears in their identification document. The rule used by most companies is for the visitor to give their identification document to the security officer or receptionist. The officer uses the document to record the visitor’s name and identification document number.
- Visitor’s contact details
The visitor’s contact detail is important. They must be recorded properly for various benefits. If an emergency happens, it is easier to know who had accessed the facility and have proper records about any missing people. The visitor’s contact information is mostly their telephone number and email address. In rare cases, some visitor’s books may have a column for recording visitors’ addresses.
- Date
The officer in charge should record the date when the visitor accessed the premises.
- Time of check-in and out
Time shows the hour and minute when the visitor was allowed access. It is very useful for administrative purposes. It can help the administration to know how long it is taking the employees to serve a customer. The check-out time shows the time when the visitor left the premises.
If there is a big difference between the time of check-in and out, it might be a sign that the customer service strategies in the company are not effective. If there is an emergency issue, the administration can check to know who entered but never left.
- Purpose for visiting
The visitor must indicate why they are visiting the company. It could be they are delivering products or they want to transact with the company. The advantage of stating their reason for visiting is to help the employee know how to direct the visitor to the right person.
- Signature
The customer must sign in the visitor log sheet. When they sign, they confirm that indeed they visited the premises. Without a signature, the visitor can claim they never visited the office. It could be their identification document was stolen and used to access the premises. There are two options for signing the visitor sign-in sheet.
They can sign when entering or when leaving. They can also sign twice – when entering to confirm they have been allowed access and when leaving to confirm they have left the premises. When filling the guest register template, you may want to refer to a sample guest log book template to give you an idea of all the information required.
