The security and image of a business are both hugely important. That’s why you need a way to manage both effectively – and one of the simplest ways to do so is through visitor badges.

Within this guide, we will be going over the fundamentals of a visitor badge system, why it is important, and the different types of badges that are available.

What Are Visitor Badges?

Workplace visitor badges easily identify visitors and control and monitor access to areas or systems that are not open to everyone. They often consist of a printed piece of paper on which office visitors have their names, along with some other relevant details including a small photograph, and possibly a signature.

What Information Do Visitor Badges Have?

The exact information that a visitor badge contains will depend on the type of business you run, and the level of security you need within your premises. Usually, visitor tags can contain some or all of the following information:

• Visitor name – for easy identification of the person.
• Visitor photo – to make the identification process swift.
• Date and time of check-in – an important part of safety and security within the premises e.g. in case of a fire you will need to know who is on-site.
• Expiration date – provides a specific date for when the badge needs to be renewed.
• Visitor type – helps to understand the reason that the visitor is here.
• Your company logo – makes the badge appear professional and official and reassures the visitor that they are at the right place.

What Is The Purpose Of Visitor Badges?

There are many reasons why a company should use visitor badges. They are:

An identification tool: the passes add to the security of any building, making it easier to spot unauthorised people on your site.

A safety tool: for example, if a fire breaks out the visitor log that your badging system creates can act as a fire register and help you ensure that everyone on site is accounted for.

A legible source of information: illegible, unclear, or inaccurate printing on badges can lead to lead to awkward situations for visitors, and so visitor badges can save people from being put in these situations.

What Are The Fundamental Aspects Of A Visitor Badge System?

In order for visitor badges to be effective within your company, there are some fundamental factors that need to be considered beforehand to make sure the whole system runs smoothly.

Who Wears A Badge

The best way to ensure your badge policy is easy to apply is to require that everyone present in the facility is wearing a badge at all times. You should make sure that visitor badges are a different colour or design to staff badges so that visitors can be easily identified within the premises. This is especially important in high-security facilities, or in schools where safeguarding is essential.

Permitted Areas For Badges

Special care should be taken where confidential information or intellectual property could be exposed to visitors if they enter certain areas. Additionally, occupational health and safety requirements may require visitors to be supervised in some areas.

You should consider where different visitor types are allowed to be on your site by outlining the areas where a visitor pass can take them and, of course, clearly designate the areas where a visitor may not be under any circumstances.

Levels of Visitor Badges

Where you require different clearance levels within your site, you should create different levels of visitor badges. This should clearly outline the types of badges that people may be required to wear, and where these badges can take them in your business.

For example, in a basic office environment, you may require simple types of badges such as ‘staff’, ‘contractor’ and ‘visitor’, but in more complex industries, you may require more specific badge labels.

What Type of Visitor Badge Do I Need?

The type of badge that you need will depend on your business type. Your badges may have a horizontal or vertical orientation and be black and white or colourful – it just depends on what you are looking for.

Some top tips to keep in mind when choosing your visitor badge include:

• Keep the colours consistent with your brand’s visual style guide.
• Keep it simple by not using more than two or three colours.
• Provide enough space for all the necessary elements (you don’t want your visitor’s long name to be cut off).
• Use a font that will match the overall design.

Keep the background white to provide a clean look, and let your images pop (while using less ink).