Following global COVID-19 lockdowns, we’re understanding the needs of companies in essential industries.
The pharmaceutical sector, for one, has struggled to keep up with global demand for emergency medical supplies and products related (and unrelated) to the virus. They've also face supply chain issues and shortages due to the crisis.
At the same time, like other essential industries, they’re putting procedures in place to keep all those on their premises safe, ensuring a Return Ready workplace.
Within the workplace, flexible cloud-based software solutions for vetting and managing people on the premises have now become less of an option, and more of an essential need.
Below are 5 ways pharmaceutical companies benefit from a visitor management system (VMS) during this global pandemic and beyond.
5 ways pharmaceutical companies benefit from visitor management software
1. Screening visitors before allowing them on the premises.
Before essential workers or important visitors arrive on site, pharmaceutical companies can use a visitor management system to vet these individuals for possible health risks. In an email, they can send digital questionnaires to ask important questions, and grant or deny access based on visitors' answers.
Remember: If your company opts to ask sensitive health-related questions, be sure to abide by your local or national data privacy regulations. You can also start by implementing automatic data deletion of this information from your VMS after a given number of days.
2. Sharing sharing site-specific health and safety regulations in advance.
Companies can also send company health guidelines and protocols, as well as necessary agreements, to ensure that these are reviewed and signed by visitors before granting access to their site.
Include step-by-step instructions on what to do once individuals arrive on site, such as where to go for a temperature check.
3. Putting a touchless guest experience in place.
It’s now increasingly important to limit human contact with hardware, such as sign in sheets or touch screens at front desk kiosks, to reduce the spread of the virus.
If visitors meet pre-screening requirements prior to arrival, grant them access to your site by sending a unique QR code via email. They can scan this code directly from their mobile device at contactless kiosks, turnstiles, doorways, and other access control points to ensure a complete touchless check-in experience.
With this code, visitors will only be able to access authorized areas of the building during the specified period of time allotted.
4. Ensuring only authorized guests and employees are on the premises at a given time.
Security is of the utmost concern for pharmaceutical companies looking to protect their products, such as in-demand face masks. To combat this, set up a watchlist in your VMS to make sure that no unwanted or threatening individuals step foot on your site.
5. Taking advantage of a flexible, cloud-based solution.
A cloud-based visitor management solution allows for necessary changes to be implemented in real-time. For example, if new questions must be asked upon guest or employee arrival to a premises per a country or region’s regulations, managers can implement these questions (even remotely) with a few clicks.
In addition, with the right VMS, companies can quickly and efficiently integrate other tools that may assist in communicating or managing the crisis in the workplace.
Visitor management systems: the future of the pharmaceutical sector
The case for the pharmaceutical industry to fully cross that digital threshold is now stronger than ever.
As the experienced biotech CEO Mahesh Karande, who managed a pharmaceutical company in the midst of three crises, notes on what he’s learned:
“Straightforward solutions that go directly to the problems experienced by those most affected by the crisis will do the most to help keep staff safe and maintain business continuity. Practical, simple solutions are most likely to be effective and remembered.” - Mahesh Karande, Stat, April 2020
Moving forward, pharmaceutical companies will continue to compensate for COVID-19 market disruptions by increasing manufacturing in less impacted markets. With this comes the need to abide by regional and national crisis regulations in the workplace.
During this pandemic and possible future crises, procedures put in place today might very well be changed tomorrow. Having flexible, cloud-based solutions will therefore become absolutely necessary to maintain business continuity.
All companies, especially those in essential industries, will require an efficient way to manage all those on the premises and keep their employees, visitors, assets, and products safe.
To learn more about how Proxyclick helps get companies prepare for a safe return to work, visit our Return Ready resource center.