The use of a visitor badge gives your employees the chance to address visitors and customers by name more easily, making them feel more welcome. They also provide added security in schools, hospitals and government facilities. In these locations, its important to have visitors check in and obtain a visitor badge, identifying them as approved to be in the building.

There are several styles of visitor name tags available. Each style has its advantages, depending on your business’ needs. Consider visitor badge pricing and costs and how your company will use them before making a decision on which style to go with. You have the following options available to you:

1. Print a visitor badge for your guests on your own.

2. Stick with a basic, yet effective, adhesive visitor badge.

3. Use an expiring visitor badge in facilities where security is an issue.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Design a visitor badge and print it yourself

Many businesses don't see a lot of visitors, but an event may come up where name tags are a pretty good idea, such as an open house at your day care or a luncheon in honor of your loyal customers. In this case, you may want to stick to a small budget and produce a temporary visitor badge on your own for attendees.

I recommend: Find discount visitor name badge kits from Rapid Supplies for about $30 for 50 badges. Purchase this visitor badge management kit that prints, tracks and reports information on visitors from ANT Online for about $250.

Make things easier with an adhesive visitor badge

Keep it simple with adhesive visitor name tags. These are great for large events such as an open house or a conference where those invited can bring an extra guest. Simply lay the visitor badges out for people to write their own name on as they arrive and check in. They're quick, simple and cost effective.

I recommend: Obtain a box of 100 adhesive visitor badges from OfficeSupplies for $2 to $3. Baudville has packages of 100 fill-in-the-blank visitor name badges for about $20 per box.

Create added security with an expiring visitor badge

A visitor badge with an expiration feature, such as strips that appear eight hours after issuing (and activating) the visitor badge, is great for added security. Due to the fact that expiring visitor name tags can only work for a few hours, visitors can't return the next day without checking in again. These are best suited to schools, hospitals, government facilities and other locations that may need added security precautions.

I recommend: NovaVision offers expiring visitor tags with TIMEbadge technology. Visitor badge pricing and costs range from 30 cents to $1 each, depending on which style you go with. They also have custom logo printing available. Keys to Safer Schools offers a visitor name badge program that issues new badges to a school each month, complete with time-specific expiring stickers. By using one of their fundraising sponsors, you can get the program for free. Otherwise, it is about $650 per school for an entire school year (August through May).

An effective visitor badge system is a great security method to implement in your business to help employees and clients feel at ease. Schools, apartment complexes, hospitals and many other establishments have a visitor badge list, which requires individuals to sign in at a check-in location and receive a mandatory visitor badge. The visitor badge then needs to be worn at all times to signify to staff and other clients that an individual is authorized to be there.

A visitor badge system does not just help create a feeling of additional security. When you find visitor badge options that appeal to you and your clients, you can also improve customer service, client relations and organize your business exponentially. In turn, this can help your company to be more successful on a whole.

1. Find providers on a visitor badge directory that fall in line your needs and budget.

2. Supplement your visitor badge system with a visitor badge software program.

3. Make sure your staff has the appropriate visitor badge accessories to make the system effective.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find visitor badge options

Some visitor badge suppliers have personalized visitor badge capabilities that can be implemented into a business for free. Other offer cost-effective options that can handle the job nicely.

I recommend: Use Identity Systems or ID Wholesaler to implement visitor badges in your workplace.

Keep track of visitors with help from visitor badge software

Sometimes it can be easy to lose papers and physical visitor badge charts. Because of this, implementing visitor badge software can be an essential part of keeping your business organized and your client base current. Some of these programs will even allow you to print your own visitor badges and will automatically cross-file data.

I recommend: Touch Point is a great visitor management program. LobbyGuard is another effective and easily implemented option for schools and other visitor-heavy locations, but it is an actual kiosk station and not just a program. This may be particularly helpful for locations that do not have enough staff to deal with visitors one on one.

Get the necessary visitor badge accessories and tools

It won't be enough just to have visitor badge information and a reliable visitor badge provider. You also need to make sure you have all of the necessary accessories, such as pens or markers to fill out names on visitor badge stickers, visitor badge clips and the like.

I recommend: Alpha Card has a very extensive offering of visitor badge accessories. ID America also provides a number of accessories for visitor badges at discount prices.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Save your organization money by only investing in what you need. Don't go overboard with visitor badge items that you don't need. For example, if you don't require visitors to have a picture ID badge, then you probably won't need a connected camera. If you do need picture IDs for visitors, try using any general digital camera and uploading the picture rather than buying a camera that connects directly and continuously to your computers.

Visitor badge types and styles include everything from a peel-and-wear one-use sticker badge to a reusable and durable plastic imprinted security badge. Manufacturers produce visitor badges specifically for certain industries like the construction business while others manufacturer a general-use visitor badge that can be used in many situations.

When comparing visitor badge options, break your choices down into reusable or non-reusable. Within these categories there are many other options pertaining to security measures and wearing options. Badges come in magnetic, clip-on, sticker, pin-on or even necklace form. Start your comparison by:

1. Considering the stick-on visitor badge for a one-time use situation.

2. Reviewing reusable badge options.

3. Looking at a custom printed visitor badge.

4. Finding software to create your own one-of-a-kind badges.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a stick on visitor badge for one time use

The stick on badge is the most basic solution to identifying visitors to your work site or business. While the simplicity of writing a name and sticking a sticker on a shirt makes implementation easy, the security drawbacks are evident. There are stick-on badges that incorporate additional security measures like the one-day use badge that expires after the first day.

I recommend: Review the color changing one-day issue sticker visitor pass at Visitor Pass 2. The badge lets you issue for a one-day period, and then it changes colors after a day signaling it is not good. For examples of a basic sticker write-on badge with no additional security integration, see Bright Shine.

Choose a reusable visitor badge for permanent security

Reusable badges come in many styles and are made of many materials. They can be hard plastic, metal, plastic with paper inserts and more. Some hang around the visitor's neck, while others clip to their uniform, shirt or hat. Choosing a reusable badge allows you to identify different visitors on different days without having to make each a new badge.

I recommend: Review a hanging visitor badge option that you can refill with different information for each visitor at C-Line Products. Name Tag, Inc. offers a magnetic badge that you can reuse, and Ideal Identification produces a reusable visitor badge that clips on.

Order a custom printed visitor badge for daily visitors

Custom printed badges make it easier to identify visitors and the construction site or business. Order badges printed with logos, identification numbers or even badges with bar codes that you can computerize to keep track of the visitors on a site.

I recommend: Review custom printed visitor badge options at Hartford Badges, or look at the hanging options at Imprint Plus. Compare these custom options to the magnetic option available at Name Badge Productions.

Consider using software to create a custom visitor badge system

When you don't want to rely on others to make sure the security of your site or office is what it should be, find a software system you can use to create visitor badges and a system to control those visiting. Design your own badge with your logo and any specific security information you want included.

I recommend: Read the visitor badge information at Security Magazine to find out the different reasons visitor badges are important including security, population control and safety concerns. Easy Lobby offers a fully integrated badge system that allows you to keep track of everyone on site at all times. All Id Systems is another visitor badge computer system you can customize and use.

Any time a business wants to let an outsider through the gates, a visitor's badge may identify the outsider, let insiders know why the visitor is there, give electronic access, or some combination of the three. In older days, visitor badges were rarely used, but today's technology makes it easy to implement visitor ID badge systems.

Knowing about some of the key terms for types and styles of visitor badges, as well as vistor badge functions and accessories, can help a business decide how to create their own visitor badge system to protect sensitive areas.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Visitor badge software

Visitor badge software is designed to create and track visitor badges for a business. These new high-tech solutions are popular for controlling visitor access to any sensitive areas and for other associated uses. Advanced features allow for advanced tracking that was unthinkable just a few years ago.

I recommend: See visitor badge software options from this Forbes software site.

Visitor badge safety program

A visitor badge safety program is a comprehensive security system for businesses or other organizations wherein up-to-date badges provide legitimacy to visiting individuals. These are often used in public places where law enforcement and other officials feel it is imperative to protect the public from possible harm.

I recommend: See examples of a visitor badge safety program for schools at Key to Safer Schools.

Kiosk

A kiosk is a stand-alone piece of technology that performs some service for users. A lot of visitor ID technology is kiosk-based to provide for portability.

I recommend: See more on kiosks from wiseGEEK. Get details on some examples of visitor kiosk setups at VIP2020.

Lanyards

Though they may have other meanings in a nautical environment, lanyards in business are the cords that people put around their necks to carry ID badges, including visitor passes.

I recommend: Find out more details on lanyards as they are used in business from LanyardsPlace.

Proximity chips

Proximity chips, or radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, are interesting little features that can be added to visitor or employee ID badges. Basically, cards with these chips can be waved near a sensor for identification and tracking.

I recommend: See more on proximity chips at Wired.com.

Badge scanners

Badge scanners are hardware that take information off of a coded badge and relay it your security system. These are widely used for both visitors' and employees' badges.

I recommend: Get more info on badge scanners at badgescanner.com.