Modern office intercom systems do more than just provide office buildings with a convenient way to manage their visitors. Below are all the benefits that offices gain from adding a video intercom solution to their business.
1. Better Business Security
Business security is top of mind for every corporation. Office intercom, particularly video intercom for offices, upgrades business security by filling gaps left by traditional intercom systems. Though receptionists and front desk staff act as a first point of contact for visitors, they have other responsibilities that take them away from the office entrance or lobby. When that becomes the case, traditional intercom systems become ineffective. Legacy intercoms need a stationary person to intercept intercom calls around the clock in order to ensure office security.
Modern video intercom systems operate from the cloud. This means that intercom calls can be received from any device, whether it be a smartphone, ipad, computer, or regular telephone. More importantly, they can be received, answered, and the visitor granted access from anywhere. Which ensures the highest level of security for offices at all times.
2. Minimize Overhead From Key Cards
Key cards are becoming an outdated form of access control. They require too much overhead from office admin staff, especially when a business has high turnover or a large amount of employees. When issuing a key card to a new employee, admins have to:
- Create a new profile for the user
- Schedule a headshot to be taken of the user for their profile and oftentimes to be added onto the key card
- Assign the appropriate level of access to the user. This is primarily outsourced to an IT professional or the access control manufacturer because of the specialized knowledge or training needed to operate the system and generate the card appropriately.
- Issue a temporary key card to the new user while their personalized one is being created.
- Receive the key card for the new user, and ensure it’s working appropriately at all relevant access points
- Distribute the new key card and get the temporary card back
This same process has to be repeated should an employee key card ever get lost or stolen.
Office intercom completely sidesteps this process by allowing office managers or admins to remotely generate and distribute temporary or single-use PIN codes for individual users. PIN code permissions can be easily updated or revoked from anywhere. This way, there is no gap in security while requiring minimal to no overhead while waiting for permanent access permissions.
3. Forgotten Key Cards
It’s inevitable — employees forget their keycards. Whether at home before they leave for the office or in the building after they have left the office for the day. In the event that an employee temporarily cannot get into the building, office intercom systems allow managers or admins to remotely grant them access. Access can be granted via mobile app or from the web-based dashboard, so doors can be unlocked for employees even if the admin is offsite.
4. Receive Visitor Notifications
Security is one of the most important considerations for office buildings. Which is why their front doors are kept locked for the majority of the time. Because of this, however, it’s almost impossible to know if a visitor — an important client, potential vendor, contractor, etc. — has arrived.
Office intercom allows the visitor to make a video call from the outdoor hardware to notify the office they have arrived. The video intercom call can go to the front desk, or any other device set up to receive intercom calls. Calls can come in via computer, mobile phone, ipad, or regular telephone line so an office visitor never goes unnoticed and will never be left waiting outside.
5. Receive Intercom Calls Remotely
Receptionists, security, front desk, and hospitality staff cannot always be at their station to receive visitors. For offices, these employees may be the only line of communication for visitors to gain access to the building. When these employees are away, they can still receive incoming intercom calls via mobile device, such as a smartphone or ipad. Similarly, if an office doesn’t have any dedicated staff to receive visitors, office managers or admins can intercept these intercom calls even if they are off site. Once an intercom call is received and the visitor is authorized to come into the building, the door can also be unlocked remotely by either pushing a button in the app or pressing 9 on the telephone keypad.
6. Lower Operational Burden With Remote Unlock
Office buildings can be large and have access points dispersed throughout the facility. Office intercom with remote unlock significantly drives down the operational burden of physically going to the door to let the visitor in. Remote unlock grants access to visitors even if the user is not on-site.
7. Upgrade From Legacy Intercom Software
Legacy intercom systems operate over software that is installed on local hard drives. This software is typically expensive, requires technical training, and needs regular updates and maintenance from a professional in order to work properly. The data and information stored with and on the software also lives locally, and cannot be accessed or altered from anywhere but the hardware on which it’s installed.
Modern office intercom, however, is a cloud-based system. Cloud-based systems receive regular, over the air updates automatically, so the latest software is always installed. This also does not require an appointment with a professional to come on-site to make the update. The biggest benefit to cloud-based intercom systems is that they can be managed from anywhere, not just through the on-site system. Through mobile apps and web-based browsers, every component of the office intercom — managing user permissions, generating and issuing temporary PIN codes, editing user profiles, etc. — can be managed from anywhere.
8. Intuitive User Interface
Typically, the dashboard or admin interface with legacy intercom systems are outdated and unintuitive. Which is why they are typically managed by the IT team or the manufacturer themselves. Either way, neither option involves the office employee responsible for initiating changes or updates to the system. This practice is time consuming and causes a considerable amount of friction.
Office intercom systems that are built in the cloud and cater to the user experience are intuitive, simple, and require no extra training. This allows the office manager or admin to be self-sufficient in managing visitor access for the office. Which in turn reduces the burden put on IT teams and creates a more efficient workplace.
9. Don’t Have A Receptionist?
Some offices just don’t employ receptionists or front desk staff. If that is the case, the office manager, or closest employee at the time, manages office visitors. This practice is far from efficient. It also risks missed visitors and deliveries. Deliveries, especially, are a concern because of the growing rate of package theft.
Offices can effectively navigate their own visitor management with a video intercom system. Video verification provides a safe and secure way to manage visitors or deliveries for the office. Remote unlock also enables a seamless visitor experience. Moreover, any user can generate and distribute a multi- or single-use PIN code that can be input into delivery instructions for secure package management.
10. Manage Visitors For Multiple Office Locations
Companies with several office locations run on siloed security and visitor management systems. This leaves gaps in security visibility for a manager overseeing those locations. It also takes time to understand who has been coming in and out of each building, when, and why.
Modern office intercom increases visibility for managers overseeing multiple office locations by operating under one platform. The system acts as a hub for all access events and activity for all locations. Greater insight into workplace security and activity allows office managers to gain a better understanding of their organization, have a higher level of accountability, and a comprehensive level of control over their office sites.
11. Remote Access After Hours
Office buildings employ intermittent cleaning, maintenance, and security staff after normal business hours. Some offices even have employees that require access during non-tradition hours, as well. These after hours occupants are another group of people that offices need to manage the access of.
With an office intercom system, office managers or admins can generate unique PIN codes to distribute to one-time users or intermittent employees. PIN codes can be generated from anywhere, not just on-site. They are also highly customizable. PINs can be scheduled to grant access on certain days, and even during specific times. Alternatively, single-use PIN codes can be issued and expire 5 minutes after their initial use. Scheduling PIN codes restricts access when it isn’t necessary and further increases security.
12. Deter Vandalism and Theft
Having a visible security camera, alarm, or other surveillance system present has been proven to deter burglaries and other crime. Vandalism and theft can cause major losses for businesses, so the cost of implementing one of these security systems far outweigh the consequences of not having one.
Intercom systems that have video cameras and capabilities do their part in deterring theft and other crime, just by their presence alone. But, they also give offices increased visibility into the access activity and security of their building. This allows them to put further preventative measures in place, if needed. And, it increases the response time to any security issues.
13. Works With Existing Devices
Office buildings host a number of different devices and hardware. Legacy intercom systems require their users to add more hardware to the building with receiving stations. Modern office intercom works with devices that already exist, such as mobile phones, computers, ipads, and traditional telephones. Offices do not need to purchase any additional receiving stations or install any wiring to be able to manage their office visitors.
14. Built-In Access Control
Traditionally, building systems have been siloed off from one another and operate within their own vacuum. They do not talk to each other, which makes operations and insight segmented and data hard to aggregate. Some office intercom systems, however, come with a built-in access control system. Which gives a high level of insight into building operation and security. By using a single system to manage both employee and visitor access, offices also reduce the cost, overhead, and training of two different systems.
15. Increased Data Security With Single Sign On
We live in a world of security breaches and vulnerabilities. So, companies have begun to migrate to Single Sign On and Identity providers like OKTA, G Suite, and Azure Active Directory in order to secure their digital access. It’s critical that building infrastructure like intercom and access control provide similar controls in order to maintain high security for data and physical access.
Modern office intercom systems have built their foundation on solving modern problems like data security and privacy. This also means that legacy intercom systems built on outdated practices can never achieve this level of security. Which is why it’s imperative that office buildings consider solutions — even beyond intercom and access systems — that offer high data security and privacy through Single Sign On.
16. Security Logs and Audit Trailing
Offices need security logs and audit trailing as a proactive way to respond to security incidents. Video intercom systems create photo logs of visitor and access events so that offices can respond quickly and confidently to any breaches in physical security. Security logs and audit trailing also allow offices to maintain records of compliance.
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