Impact on the Yard today
Through Proxyclick, the visitor management experience at the Yard has achieved the difficult balance of providing an experience that is both smoother for visitors while enhancing the security at the site.
Smoother visitor experience
Proxyclick has significantly reduced check-in times for the Yard. “Now, it takes one third the time for a visitor to be checked in and welcomed to the Yard,” says Ricardo, Head of Security. And, with more visitors expected over the next five years, any decrease in check-in times will reduce congestion at the gates and strain on security.
Security
The security staff’s favorite feature is the watch list, and for good reason. Today, the watch list is automatically updated in Proxyclick, so it’s consistent across at all seven gates. And, if someone on the watch list tries to enter, Proxyclick automatically notifies the entire security team via text message, in real-time.
“Training security on how to use Proxyclick is very simple because the solution is so intuitive. Our security staff quickly picked up how to use the system with minimal training.”
Ricardo Bowens, Head of Security
More pre-registered visitors than ever
Pre-registrations by the Yard’s tenants are up 30% which is a testament to Proxyclick’s ease of use. This makes the process at the security gates much faster and lines shorter throughout the Yard.
Response to the COVID-19 health crisis
Proxyclick also proved to be an immediate advantage in the Yard's on-premises management of the COVID-19 virus outbreak.
“BNY does not currently have many touch points for visitors, which put the company at an advantage right off the bat during COVID-19," says Marc Cecere. "If visitors use local entrance lanes, security officers at guard booths will type into Proxyclick kiosks for guests. This helped a lot during the crisis as the process has been almost entirely ‘touchless’ for visitors."
During the crisis, while the BNY office was mostly closed, the company saw a reduced number of about 1,000-2,000 employees and visitors coming onto the premises each day.
Only essential workers and visitors, including security staff and sergeants, property managers, and union staff were allowed on the Yard.
Marc also indicated that BNY shifted to using Proxyclick almost exclusively for new tenants, which helped reduce the risk of virus exposure to security staff.
“Proxyclick has been super helpful; I’m not sure what we would’ve done otherwise if we didn’t have a system that was that convenient and easy to use. It’s really been seamless in getting people into the Yard [during COVID-19].”
Marc A. Cecere, Director of Applications
While BNY did not implement Proxyclick’s custom flows to prompt health screening questions, Marc added that this is certainly something they will consider putting in place in the future.
What’s to come at the Yard
The Yard is gearing up to welcome tens of thousands of visitors daily. And, they’re on the lookout for ways to improve visitor experience and security in the long term.
“Today, we are testing an integration between Proxyclick, the access control system and an automated license plate scanner to help solve an ongoing issue with deliveries,”Marc explains. “Pre-registering delivery drivers was a problem, as we are often not provided with names. Pre-approving their truck plates would speed this process up".
Finally, the tenants within the Yard have the option to move towards their own iPad experience at their building. This allows them to enjoy all of the benefits of Proxyclick at their buildings, with their own specific workflows and visitor experience, all while connecting to the Yard’s access control system to provide the same consistent arrival experience.
Also, soon, the Yard will deploy a wayfinding to make their 300 acres easier to navigate for visitors. With Proxyclick orchestrating access, assisting with directions, loading authorized number plates, notifying security if needed and doing it all in real-time, the future looks bright in Brooklyn.
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Editor's Note: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated in April 2020 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
