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Visitor Management Techniques and StepsEvery business and organization has visitors. Some just get a few package and food deliveries. Others have customers, vendors and interview candidates streaming in and out all day. How offices manage visitors can be as varied as the organizations themselves. For some, the process of visitor check-in is regimented and formal. For others, handling guests is a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants affair.Regardless of the visitor management system, there are certain aspects to the process of handling guests that are common across the board. Most are done so quickly that sometimes very little thought goes into the process at all. Each step, however, is important to the functioning of your organization, the safety of your employees and data, the comfort of the guest and -- most importantly -- the overall efficiency of time spent.In this six-part article about the visitor management process, we’ll break down each step of the process, explain why it is important, and give examples of different methods for effectively accomplishing the end goal - great first impressions, productivity and safety.Visitor Management Step 1: Recognizing Visitors and Making Them ComfortableHave you ever walked into a restaurant or other place of business, looked around and had no idea what you were supposed to do next? No one said hello. No sign directed you to “Order at the Window” or “Please seat yourself.” No directory on the wall pointed you to a visitor desk. Most guests in that situation will do one of three things: 1) they’ll wander around awkwardly and watch what other people do; 2) they’ll ask someone for help; or 3) they’ll turn around and leave.This is an obvious failure of the organization to accomplish the first technique of a strong visitor management process: recognizing that visitors will come to your organization and they will need tools to make the initial moments of that visit comfortable and pleasant. We all know it is easier to remember negative experiences. Visitors who feel confused, lost or unwelcome may never want to return, and even worse, may tell others about their treatment.People have an inherent need to be recognized. The first step of recognizing visitors can be easy as saying, “hello”, having a sign that reads “Welcome Visitors” or a welcome screen that informs visitors of their next step. Not every location needs to roll out the red carpet for visitors, but every location needs to acknowledge the visitors who do walk through the door.Every organization has different ways of recognizing guests, and they range from very hands-on and labor intensive, to reception automation. Some methods can be combined for maximum impact.Using People to Recognize GuestsHistorically, the most common method used by organizations to make guests feel recognized was to use people. There are really three types of personnel employed to greet visitors.Dedicated receptionist: The dedicated receptionist’s primary job is to welcome visitors and perhaps answer incoming phone calls. They often have minimal responsibilities outside of assisting guests. The greeter at Wal-Mart has minimal duties beyond saying hello and checking the occasional receipt. In some locations where security is a concern, the dedicated person might be a security guard or a door-person.Semi-dedicated receptionist: The difference between a dedicated and a semi-dedicated receptionist is one of responsibilities. A semi-dedicated receptionist is stationed near the door and expected to greet guests as part of the job description (or, maybe they forgot to mention that part), but also has other responsibilities. Most administrative assistants fall into this category. They are expected to greet walk-in guests, answer phones, and perform other tasks, like write letters, manage calendars, set up meetings, and sometimes accomplish large projects. It is surprisingly hard to resume these other responsibilities after interruptions.Informal/unrecognized receptionist: This is perhaps the least considered visitor welcome method, but is, unfortunately, a very common one. The unrecognized receptionist is often a junior employee with a functional role - human resources, accounting, office management - a person who has their own list of priorities. But in today’s modern office happens to sit in a desk by the door. Depending on the number of walk-ins every day, unrecognized receptionists find themselves interrupting important tasks to help guests find their way. Whether they tell you or not, the unrecognized receptionist HATES IT. They resent the guests and the interruptions and prefer to just get their own work done.Using people to greet guests has the advantage of bringing a personal touch to the welcome process. A warm smile, and a “how may I help you?” can provide the start to a truly positive experience.On the other hand, using people is expensive. You have the direct cost of a dedicated receptionist who is paid primarily to greet guests. Or, if you prefer, you have the high cost of productivity lost for semi-dedicated and informal receptionists. And in the case where you have a less-than-effective receptionist – one who greets people gruffly because they are tired of being interrupted – the cost could be greater in terms of negative attitudes toward your organization.Un-staffed Ways to Recognize VisitorsVisitors don’t always want or need to talk to a person to feel welcome. Organizations can spare employee time and save money by making effective use of the following methods for greeting guests.Automated receptionists: More and more locations are taking advantage of automation in order to greet and assist guests. It is common to see airport check-in kiosks, visitor registration kiosks, informational kiosks in visitor centers and libraries, self-ordering stations at fast-food restaurants. Even just an automated announcement connected to your door - “Welcome, please turn right and proceed to the counter” - tells visitors they are expected and what they are supposed to do. Modern offices are rapidly adopting visitor check-in apps to create strong impressions and improve efficiency.Signage: Prominent signs bridge important gaps for visitors. Posted directories, plaques that identify visitor check-in locations or information desks, and directional signs all help visitors to feel comfortable.Automated receptionists and signage have the advantage of being relatively permanent, tireless, and available 24 hours a day. The cost is far less than paying a dedicated person. Also, as crazy as it sounds, people don’t always like talking to people. Being able to use a kiosk or signage is often preferable to having to ask someone for directions. Signs and kiosks may not be able to deliver the warmth of a smile, but they can direct visitors to the person most likely to give them that smile.Conclusion: The Best WayYou guessed it, there is no single "best way". Rather, the best option to greet guests varies by organization, but all of the most effective methods ensure that the guest is acknowledged, either by a sign or a smile. Visitors should feel welcome, and confident that they can accomplish what they came to do. Using forethought and planning, you can ensure your organization recognizes visitors as part of your visitor management process.Visitor Management Step 2: Identifying VisitorsWhen visitors arrive in your place of work, how do you find out who they are and what their business is? Identifying visitors is an important step in the visitor management process. Once you have this valuable piece of information you can create a great visitor experience. Not having it though could cause you to steer a guest the wrong direction, or allow someone onto the premise who should not be there.In Part One of this series, we described how important it is to simply greet guests and make them feel comfortable. Once this is accomplished, the next step in the process is to determine who they are, what type of guest they are, and how best to meet their needs.Visitors VaryOrganizations have varying levels for how they need or want to greet guests, and it often depends on the type of business that person has come to accomplish. You might be thinking, “My organization doesn’t have any visitors,” but you’d be wrong. Even the most insular of organizations will have people from outside show up from time to time. Consider the following types of visitors:Task-oriented visitors: These include postal workers and delivery personnel, maintenance workers, building and code inspectors. These are people who arrive with a set task that must be done at your location (e.g. dropping off a pizza, painting an office, checking the smoke detectors). They are often paid (or tipped) per task so they will leave quickly once it is complete.Important guests: Prospective and current clients or donors, prospective and current vendors, management visiting from the head office, contacts from a related firm, etc., are all important guests. Anyone who your organization wants to have an ongoing, positive relationship with needs to have special care taken to ensure they feel welcome and are treated accordingly.Casual visitors: These are visitors who don’t plan to stay long do business, but need to know how to get where they are going. Consider hospitals, who have people stop in to visit patients all the time. Colleges have family visiting students on campus. Friends and family of employees also fall into this category; the manager’s spouse might show up to take her out to lunch.Visitor-visitors: This might seem like a no-brainer, but places like museums, hotels, tourist attractions, restaurants, and retail are designed to draw people in and welcome those who may only ever be there once.Starting the ConversationOnce a visitor walks in the door, how do you find out what they need?If you are employing a full-time receptionist to greet people, the logical next step is to ask the person who they are, and what they are there to accomplish. With a person at the door, a simple, “How may I help you?” will start the conversation, though other questions may be needed. Depending upon the security needs of your organization, you might require a guest to show an I.D., fill out forms, create a and explain their business.What happens if the receptionist is busy on the phone when a guest arrives? Or if you don’t have a dedicated receptionist, and the person nearest the door is engaged in other tasks?People aren’t the only way to ask guests what they need. More and more offices are using iPad receptionists to allow visitors to check in themselves, whether they employ a receptionist or not. If the receptionist is tied up on the phone but can pause long enough to point a guest to an automated reception kiosk, the guest can continue the visitor registration process instead of waiting around. Guests of all kinds don’t like to wait and appreciate the ability to be proactive instead of inactive.A reception application might ask the following questions:Your NameThe name of the person you are meeting, if applicableThe purpose for your visitOnce the information is obtained, the receptionist or the kiosk can either direct the guest to the appropriate location, or contact the appropriate person to come meet the guest.Conclusion: This is Mission-Critical InformationUnless they are lost and only walked in to get directions to somewhere else, every visitor who enters your organization is there for a specific purpose. However the person is greeted, finding out the reason for their visit is mission-critical to successfully moving them along on their journey. Your method for identifying them, whether a person or a digital visitor management system, needs to have the necessary skills to politely and effectively gather this key information. Then, they must be intelligent enough to guide the visitor to their next step.Only after you have successfully identified the visitor and their purpose can both your visitor and your organization continue the tasks that keep you in business.Visitor Management Step 3: Signing InDoes your organization require visitors to sign in upon arrival? Every organization and even individual offices within has different guidelines surrounding guests and whether or not signing guests in is part of their visitor management system.In parts of this series detailing the visitor management process, we described different ways to greet and identify your guests. Once you’ve identified which type of person or group is standing in your lobby, it is time to determine how much of the check-in process they are required to complete.Whether or not you have visitors sign a paper or digital visitor logbook will depend largely on the rules or customs of your organization, but there are definite benefits to requiring visitors to check in.Security FirstIn today’s modern world, office security is a higher priority than ever before. Schools, government buildings, large firms and factories all have reasons for knowing who is inside their facilities. And while businesses might like to maintain an open-campus type policy when it comes to visitors, that also makes them less secure.Visitors are wild cards. Security best practices require visitors to sign in, which acts as the first layer of protection from would-be criminals – people who would harm people or steal data – by causing them to have to think twice about leaving a trail of evidence.Many organizations require employees to wear or carry identification that doubles as electronic access keys for buildings. Visitors might also need visitor badges in order to access areas, or simply for identification.A good, secure sign-in process will require, at a minimum, the following information from guests:First and last nameBusiness or organization they represent (if applicable)Purpose for visitingName of the employee, host or contact person they are visitingTo go above and beyond, some organizations might also require:A visitor photograph is taken on site.Signed, or electronically signed non-disclosure agreements or waiversMaking Visitors WelcomeIt might seem slightly counter-intuitive, but having visitors sign in can actually help them feel more welcome. While some visitors may be frustrated by having to jump through hoops, this technique is also a signal that your organization has taken visitors into consideration, and it gives guests the knowledge that they’ve come to the right place. When a guest signs in, they know you are aware of their presence and therefore they are less likely to be left wandering around.Also, if visitor badges are part of the sign-in process, you can train your employees to keep an eye out for those visitors who might need a little extra help. Guests often find themselves lost in an unfamiliar location, especially if your building has a lot of twists, turns and levels. Visitor badges give employees the immediate knowledge that the people wearing them are supposed to be in the building, but may not be familiar with the layout.Who signs in?Not every organization is super-sensitive to security, and maybe not every visitor who comes in will be required to sign in. When thinking about your organization and its security needs, you’ll want to think about what your goals are, and what happens in your visitor management process. In step six of this article, we will discuss the benefits of keeping a visitor registration log that includes all guests, but here are some possible questions to consider.Do delivery personnel need to sign in? Will they go beyond the lobby? If not, then signing in may not be necessary. Or, you may require less information for delivery people.How much access will the person have? Could they see or hear sensitive information or encounter semi-dangerous manufacturing equipment? If so, they might need to sign a non-disclosure agreement or a waiver. Such documents can be handled during the sign-in process with an e-signature app.Does your organization want or need to know who is in the building at all times? If yes, then having every person sign in is important. Some organization may not; perhaps you don’t need to know about the visit from an employee’s spouse or the pizza delivery person.Do you have a skilled dedicated receptionist to help visitors find their way? If the answer is no, then an electronic check-in kiosk has the benefit of both signing in visitors and helping to move them along in the process. Otherwise, they may very well be lost from the start.Conclusion – Efficient Sign-In for Happy GuestsWhatever process you choose for signing in guests, visitors will appreciate any steps you take to make the experience easy. Take the time to plan ahead to determine your security needs and how best to make guests feel welcome. An efficient visitor sign-in process shows your guests that they are not just an afterthought, but rather an integrated part of a well-functioning workplace.Visitor Management Step 4: Contacting the HostWhen any visitor arrives at your workplace, they are there to connect with a person. It might be their host for a meeting, one of the people who receives food or package deliveries or someone they need to consult with. Helping the guest and their host connect is a crucial step in any visitor management process. There is nothing worse than walking into a building and talking to ten different people before you find someone who can actually help you. So how can you make this step seamless?First, of course, you have to ensure you are first greeting guests, if necessary. Upon knowing their purpose, you can determine who they came to see; it may be a specific person, a group of people, a department or even security if they are not wanted at your site.What is a host employee’s job? And what are the mechanics of making sure the host knows their guest has arrived in a timely manner?The Responsibilities of a HostWhen we think of a host, we often think of those who hold a dinner party, house guests or even travelers in their home, like Airbnb. The fact is, whenever an employee has someone come to see them at work, that employee is serving as a host. For however long the visitor is at your organization, that employee is the face of your organization. It is their responsibility to leave a good impression.Here are some basic reception etiquette tasks a host can do prior to a guest’s arrival to make sure their visitor has a good experience:Provide crucial information to a visitor, like their name or their department.Communicate vital contact information, like telephone number, email and office number.Inform the guest of which entrance to use and any sign-in requirements your organization has.If possible, determine a meeting spot with the guest in advance and be there prior to the appointed meeting time.If appropriate, preregister the guest with either your human receptionist or visitor registrationThe Mechanics of Connecting Visitors to HostsHow you connect your visitors to your hosts will largely depend on how your reception area is staffed and what the practices of your organization are, but the mechanics are basic. One of the following things has to happen:Reception notifications via a phone call, text, email or instant message - or several of those - is sent to the host, who comes and meets the guest.The visitor is given directions for how to find the host, either by another person or a posted directory and finds the host themselves. This method can have several unfortunate consequences ranging from lost and frustrated guests to unwanted visitors unfettered access to your place of work.The visitor is escorted by another person to their host.Who Makes the Call and Why it’s ImportantWhile the mechanics are simple, there are multiple consequences that could interfere with how work gets done and the impression guests get from your organization. The pros and cons hinge on whose responsibility it is to contact the host:The Receptionist: If you have an obvious reception desk, then the receptionist handles making phone calls, answering questions, giving directions and escorting guests. While this has the benefit of being great customer service, it also requires a very knowledgeable and personable staff member – and it’s expensive. In a busy office, the receptionist might be overwhelmed by people who don’t follow rules or too many people at once. This could leave your desk without staff, and keep guests waiting. It also prevents the receptionist from accomplishing other work, if necessary.The unlucky person by the door: If you are in a modern office or coworking situation, you likely don’t have a designated receptionist. The unfortunate soul who sits near the door may find themselves constantly interrupted by deliveries, salespeople, prospective candidates and more. They then have to stop what they are doing to use a phone, shout across the room (we hope not!) or guide the guest to the person in question, wasting work productivity in the process.A Digital Receptionist: Having a digital visitor check-in kiosk with a visitor management system can be a simple solution for visitors. It can automatically inform the host of a guest’s arrival via the host’s preferred method. A digital system can be set to contact hosts using email, text, phone, Slack or all of the above. This is especially helpful in the case of unexpected guests, like the flower delivery person sent to bring a surprise bouquet. They simply enter the name of the recipient into the system, and the person is contacted – wherever they are – that they have a delivery. One drawback of a digital receptionist is that it can be quite easy for a visitor to walk right past a kioskPerhaps the most fail-safe method of ensuring that guests and hosts get connected is to have a combination of a visitor check-in app supported by live staff for extenuating circumstances.Conclusion – Get Them TogetherReal-time reception notifications connecting visitors with the appropriate host is vital to getting business done. You want your visitors to feel welcomed, and to leave with the impression that your office has its act together. Contacting their host quickly and efficiently allows everyone to get on with the important job of accomplishing the purpose of their visit.Visitor Management Step 5: Checking OutYour visitor has arrived, been greeted, signed in and has been connected with the appropriate host. When their business at your workplace is complete, what happens? Does your guest just walk out the door? Or is your visitor required to check out?Throughout this series, we’ve been exploring the various steps to a good visitor management system and explaining why some easily overlooked steps and processes can important. Perhaps the most overlooked step of visitor management is visitor checkout. Unless you run a medical office or are in the hotel business, most organizations don’t focus on guests checking out; guests just leave. However, there is one very compelling reason to have guests check out: security.Your Secure WorkplaceSecurity means protecting your people, physical assets and your data. When it comes to securing your workplace from the dangers of onsite visitors, you can’t know if a guest has left your premises unless the guest is required to check out. There are multiple security reasons for a visitor to actively check out of the location.Access: If a guest is given any sort of physical access capability (a key, key card or identification) it must be returned at the time of checkout. If the visitor gives it to the host and just leaves the site, then the host is responsible for returning it, and it is more likely to get lost. If the guest has been given electronic key card access, even if they don’t return the card or item, your system should register that they have left and deactivate access connected to the unreturned key card (like that pile of hotel keys you have).Accurate records: Knowing who was in your facility on which days at which times and for how long can be incredibly important if it is ever necessary to investigate a crime. (We’ll discuss in detail why it is important to keep these records in our final installment in this series.)Visual record: If all visitors are required to check out at the same location (a security best practice), it is easy to station a staff person or a security camera to watch for anything unusual. Strange behavior, unusual bulges in pockets and other visual cues can alert staff to theft or other crimes. If the use of a camera is engaged, it can also provide the physical appearance of a person for identification in connection with a crime – whether that person is a suspect or a victim – and can provide a record of their movements and what they were wearing.Visitor Safety: Imagine if a visitor completed their meeting, accidentally wandered into an unused area and either got locked in or had an accident of some sort. If the visitor isn’t required to check out, how would anyone know to look for them? At the end of the day or at shift changes, it is good practice to review a visitor log and see if anyone is still in the building or has stayed far longer than is normal. (A good host will also make sure to walk a visitor who is unfamiliar with the facility to the exit!)Methods for Checking OutHow your visitors check out will largely depend upon how they check in. If a guest is writing their name on a paper visitor logbook upon checking in, then they might be required to write the time at which they check out next to their initial signature. If you have a large volume of guests checking in and out, this may require flipping through a number of pages and isn’t very efficient. Not to mention that every guest can see everyone else that has visited.If you have a staffed reception desk, the receptionist or security guard may check the visitor out, taking any physical objects, like keys or key cards, at that time. The staff person might be required to update the paper or electronic log, or to ask the visitor to do so.Pointing visitors to an iPad receptionist for checkout is probably one of the most efficient ways to have them check out. This maintains easy-to-search electronic records of the visit. It also gives visitors some active role in the check-out process. It is a signal that their business is complete and they can transition to their next task accordingly.Summary – Checking Out Completes the CircleLast time you went to an amazing restaurant, did you save room for dessert? Never underestimate the value of a great last impression.Checking out of your facility is quite simply the final step a visitor ought to take before leaving your facility. With the stress of business complete, and all parties mentally recapping the visit or moving onto their next activities, it is easy to skip. Yet this important step in the visitor management process gives your organization a measure of security nearly impossible to achieve without it.Visitor Management Part 6: Keeping a Visitor LogWe all love visitors! It’s a chance to move your business or projects forward, to showcase your work or even to take a respite from those!When putting a process to your visitor management system, when a visitor to your organization has signed in, accomplished something amazing - or maybe just had lunch - with one of your staff, and then signed out... Do you keep the visitor log?Over the course of this series, we’ve discussed all the important steps of having a visitor management process. The final piece of an efficient process occurs almost completely outside the visitor’s experience. While the visitor is aware of signing in and signing out, whether or not you keep a record of visitors is completely at the discretion of your organization. There are definite benefits to keeping a visitor log.Why keep a visitor log?There are some distinct advantages to keeping a visitor log. You never know when you might need to reference the information. Here are some possible reasons and scenarios.Visitor Recall: Some employees meet with LOTS of people: salespeople, job candidates in a low unemployment market, vendors crucial to delivering a great product, potential and current clients, maintenance workers and even key staff from other sites. If they had an unfamiliar walk-in visitor and did not get the name or contact information of that person – or misplaced it – a visitor log can fill in the gap. Categorizing every visitors correctly in your CRM database and following up can be crucial for sales and relationship building.Following Up with Visitors: Perhaps you wish to send a message to certain visitors. For example, if you run a service organization, you might wish to send a survey after visitor departs your facility. The insights and data they provide will allow for continuous improvement. Or, perhaps you hosted a grand opening party or Meetup event. You might wish to recap the event to reinforce the good feelings or cause. With a properly built and maintained visitor log you can automate these tasks.Crime Investigation: If you know exactly when a visitor checked in and out of your facility, it can greatly assist with the investigation of a crime. If even the pizza delivery person must sign in and out, but for some reason spent an hour in your facility on the same day property was stolen, that is suspicious. The crime need not even be committed at your organization. If law enforcement is tracking the movements of a suspect or a victim, as in this case, the information of whether they entered your premises could be vital.Digital vs. PaperMost visitor logs are going to be in one of two forms: a paper log that people sign in and out of, or a digital record.In our increasingly digital world, it is hard to believe that paper logbooks still exist. There are a number of drawbacks to paper visitor records.Bad handwriting can make it impossible to read.Unless closely monitored, it is easier for a person to fake entries, in particular, the check-in and check-out times. It is also easy to bypass altogether.They take up a lot of space.They can’t be sorted by name or otherwise easily searched.Digital visitor logs, especially cloud-based, have several distinct advantages over paper logs.They can be sorted by any field, including name, date, time of check-in or check-out, their host’s name or more. All of the visitor’s info is easy to read.They can be searched quickly and efficiently by computer.They take up only a small amount of digital storage space.They can store other records with the log, like non-disclosure agreements and waivers.The time is logged automatically by the electronic device, and therefore the time cannot be falsified.How Long Should You Store Visitor Log Records?When it comes to keeping organizational records, we often fall into two camps.Throw Everything Out: It frees up a lot of physical and mental space. (There is a reason Marie Kondo is so popular.) However, if you throw out records prematurely, you could find yourself needing them for reference; financial audits are the perfect example.Keeping Everything Forever: This can be beneficial when you need to reference information, assuming the records are kept in an organized system. If, however, you keep everything indefinitely AND your system is disorganized, you might as well just take a bulldozer to your files.As is usually the case, the best scenario is somewhere in the middle: you may have reason to go back in the records two, five or ten years, depending on your organization’s needs.If you are keeping paper records, it is likely they will either be thrown out long before this or filed away in a manner that it is unlikely to be retrieved. Digital records can be automatically archived or deleted after a certain length of time. Even if you choose never to delete the records, they take up so little space that keeping them will be no hassle at all.Wrapping it all upKeeping a visitor log, preferably in digital form, is the final step in a comprehensive visitor management process. A guest is greeted, identified, signs in, meets up with the host and signs out. Then, the log of these visits is filed away to the benefit of all the different parties who might have need of them. It is the final link in the chain of a successful visit and an efficient process.You made it! You are now officially one of the world's foremost experts on visitor management techniques!Originally posted by Greetly visitor management system at www.greetly.com/blog/visitor-management-techniques-steps. Reposted with permission.

Visitor Management Techniques and StepsEvery business and organization has visitors. Some just get a few package and food deliveries. Others have customers, vendors and interview candidates streaming in and out all day. How offices manage visitors can be as varied as the organizations themselves. For some, the process of visitor check-in is regimented and formal. For others, handling guests is a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants affair.Regardless of the visitor management system, there are certain aspects to the process of handling guests that are common across the board. Most are done so quickly that sometimes very little thought goes into the process at all. Each step, however, is important to the functioning of your organization, the safety of your employees and data, the comfort of the guest and -- most importantly -- the overall efficiency of time spent.In this six-part article about the visitor management process, we’ll break down each step of the process, explain why it is important, and give examples of different methods for effectively accomplishing the end goal - great first impressions, productivity and safety.Visitor Management Step 1: Recognizing Visitors and Making Them ComfortableHave you ever walked into a restaurant or other place of business, looked around and had no idea what you were supposed to do next? No one said hello. No sign directed you to “Order at the Window” or “Please seat yourself.” No directory on the wall pointed you to a visitor desk. Most guests in that situation will do one of three things: 1) they’ll wander around awkwardly and watch what other people do; 2) they’ll ask someone for help; or 3) they’ll turn around and leave.This is an obvious failure of the organization to accomplish the first technique of a strong visitor management process: recognizing that visitors will come to your organization and they will need tools to make the initial moments of that visit comfortable and pleasant. We all know it is easier to remember negative experiences. Visitors who feel confused, lost or unwelcome may never want to return, and even worse, may tell others about their treatment.People have an inherent need to be recognized. The first step of recognizing visitors can be easy as saying, “hello”, having a sign that reads “Welcome Visitors” or a welcome screen that informs visitors of their next step. Not every location needs to roll out the red carpet for visitors, but every location needs to acknowledge the visitors who do walk through the door.Every organization has different ways of recognizing guests, and they range from very hands-on and labor intensive, to reception automation. Some methods can be combined for maximum impact.Using People to Recognize GuestsHistorically, the most common method used by organizations to make guests feel recognized was to use people. There are really three types of personnel employed to greet visitors.Dedicated receptionist: The dedicated receptionist’s primary job is to welcome visitors and perhaps answer incoming phone calls. They often have minimal responsibilities outside of assisting guests. The greeter at Wal-Mart has minimal duties beyond saying hello and checking the occasional receipt. In some locations where security is a concern, the dedicated person might be a security guard or a door-person.Semi-dedicated receptionist: The difference between a dedicated and a semi-dedicated receptionist is one of responsibilities. A semi-dedicated receptionist is stationed near the door and expected to greet guests as part of the job description (or, maybe they forgot to mention that part), but also has other responsibilities. Most administrative assistants fall into this category. They are expected to greet walk-in guests, answer phones, and perform other tasks, like write letters, manage calendars, set up meetings, and sometimes accomplish large projects. It is surprisingly hard to resume these other responsibilities after interruptions.Informal/unrecognized receptionist: This is perhaps the least considered visitor welcome method, but is, unfortunately, a very common one. The unrecognized receptionist is often a junior employee with a functional role - human resources, accounting, office management - a person who has their own list of priorities. But in today’s modern office happens to sit in a desk by the door. Depending on the number of walk-ins every day, unrecognized receptionists find themselves interrupting important tasks to help guests find their way. Whether they tell you or not, the unrecognized receptionist HATES IT. They resent the guests and the interruptions and prefer to just get their own work done.Using people to greet guests has the advantage of bringing a personal touch to the welcome process. A warm smile, and a “how may I help you?” can provide the start to a truly positive experience.On the other hand, using people is expensive. You have the direct cost of a dedicated receptionist who is paid primarily to greet guests. Or, if you prefer, you have the high cost of productivity lost for semi-dedicated and informal receptionists. And in the case where you have a less-than-effective receptionist – one who greets people gruffly because they are tired of being interrupted – the cost could be greater in terms of negative attitudes toward your organization.Un-staffed Ways to Recognize VisitorsVisitors don’t always want or need to talk to a person to feel welcome. Organizations can spare employee time and save money by making effective use of the following methods for greeting guests.Automated receptionists: More and more locations are taking advantage of automation in order to greet and assist guests. It is common to see airport check-in kiosks, visitor registration kiosks, informational kiosks in visitor centers and libraries, self-ordering stations at fast-food restaurants. Even just an automated announcement connected to your door - “Welcome, please turn right and proceed to the counter” - tells visitors they are expected and what they are supposed to do. Modern offices are rapidly adopting visitor check-in apps to create strong impressions and improve efficiency.Signage: Prominent signs bridge important gaps for visitors. Posted directories, plaques that identify visitor check-in locations or information desks, and directional signs all help visitors to feel comfortable.Automated receptionists and signage have the advantage of being relatively permanent, tireless, and available 24 hours a day. The cost is far less than paying a dedicated person. Also, as crazy as it sounds, people don’t always like talking to people. Being able to use a kiosk or signage is often preferable to having to ask someone for directions. Signs and kiosks may not be able to deliver the warmth of a smile, but they can direct visitors to the person most likely to give them that smile.Conclusion: The Best WayYou guessed it, there is no single "best way". Rather, the best option to greet guests varies by organization, but all of the most effective methods ensure that the guest is acknowledged, either by a sign or a smile. Visitors should feel welcome, and confident that they can accomplish what they came to do. Using forethought and planning, you can ensure your organization recognizes visitors as part of your visitor management process.Visitor Management Step 2: Identifying VisitorsWhen visitors arrive in your place of work, how do you find out who they are and what their business is? Identifying visitors is an important step in the visitor management process. Once you have this valuable piece of information you can create a great visitor experience. Not having it though could cause you to steer a guest the wrong direction, or allow someone onto the premise who should not be there.In Part One of this series, we described how important it is to simply greet guests and make them feel comfortable. Once this is accomplished, the next step in the process is to determine who they are, what type of guest they are, and how best to meet their needs.Visitors VaryOrganizations have varying levels for how they need or want to greet guests, and it often depends on the type of business that person has come to accomplish. You might be thinking, “My organization doesn’t have any visitors,” but you’d be wrong. Even the most insular of organizations will have people from outside show up from time to time. Consider the following types of visitors:Task-oriented visitors: These include postal workers and delivery personnel, maintenance workers, building and code inspectors. These are people who arrive with a set task that must be done at your location (e.g. dropping off a pizza, painting an office, checking the smoke detectors). They are often paid (or tipped) per task so they will leave quickly once it is complete.Important guests: Prospective and current clients or donors, prospective and current vendors, management visiting from the head office, contacts from a related firm, etc., are all important guests. Anyone who your organization wants to have an ongoing, positive relationship with needs to have special care taken to ensure they feel welcome and are treated accordingly.Casual visitors: These are visitors who don’t plan to stay long do business, but need to know how to get where they are going. Consider hospitals, who have people stop in to visit patients all the time. Colleges have family visiting students on campus. Friends and family of employees also fall into this category; the manager’s spouse might show up to take her out to lunch.Visitor-visitors: This might seem like a no-brainer, but places like museums, hotels, tourist attractions, restaurants, and retail are designed to draw people in and welcome those who may only ever be there once.Starting the ConversationOnce a visitor walks in the door, how do you find out what they need?If you are employing a full-time receptionist to greet people, the logical next step is to ask the person who they are, and what they are there to accomplish. With a person at the door, a simple, “How may I help you?” will start the conversation, though other questions may be needed. Depending upon the security needs of your organization, you might require a guest to show an I.D., fill out forms, create a and explain their business.What happens if the receptionist is busy on the phone when a guest arrives? Or if you don’t have a dedicated receptionist, and the person nearest the door is engaged in other tasks?People aren’t the only way to ask guests what they need. More and more offices are using iPad receptionists to allow visitors to check in themselves, whether they employ a receptionist or not. If the receptionist is tied up on the phone but can pause long enough to point a guest to an automated reception kiosk, the guest can continue the visitor registration process instead of waiting around. Guests of all kinds don’t like to wait and appreciate the ability to be proactive instead of inactive.A reception application might ask the following questions:Your NameThe name of the person you are meeting, if applicableThe purpose for your visitOnce the information is obtained, the receptionist or the kiosk can either direct the guest to the appropriate location, or contact the appropriate person to come meet the guest.Conclusion: This is Mission-Critical InformationUnless they are lost and only walked in to get directions to somewhere else, every visitor who enters your organization is there for a specific purpose. However the person is greeted, finding out the reason for their visit is mission-critical to successfully moving them along on their journey. Your method for identifying them, whether a person or a digital visitor management system, needs to have the necessary skills to politely and effectively gather this key information. Then, they must be intelligent enough to guide the visitor to their next step.Only after you have successfully identified the visitor and their purpose can both your visitor and your organization continue the tasks that keep you in business.Visitor Management Step 3: Signing InDoes your organization require visitors to sign in upon arrival? Every organization, and even individual offices within, has different guidelinessurrounding guests and whether or not signing guests in is part of their visitor management system.In Parts of this series detailing the visitor management process, we described different ways to greet and identify your guests. Once you’ve identified which type of person or group is standing in your lobby, it is time to determine how much of the check-in process they are required to complete.Whether or not you have visitors sign a paper or digital visitor logbook will depend largely on the rules or customs of your organization, but there are definite benefits to requiring visitors to check in.Security FirstIn today’s modern world, office security is a higher priority than ever before. Schools, government buildings, large firms and factories all have reasons for knowing who is inside their facilities. And while businesses might like to maintain an open-campus type policy when it comes to visitors, that also makes them less secure.Visitors are wild cards. Security best practices require visitors to sign in, which adds a first layer of protection from would-be criminals – people who would harm people or steal data – by causing them to have to think twice about leaving a trail of evidence.Many organizations require employees to wear or carry identification that doubles as electronic access keys for buildings. Visitors might also need visitor badges in order to access areas, or simply for identification.A good, secure sign-in process will require, at a minimum, the following information from guests:First and last nameBusiness or organization they represent (if applicable)Purpose for visitingName of the employee, host or contact person they are visitingTo go above and beyond, some organizations might also require:A visitor photograph taken on site.Signed, or electronically signed non-disclosure agreements or waiversMaking Visitors WelcomeIt might seem slightly counter-intuitive, but having visitors sign in can actually help them feel more welcome. While some visitors may be frustrated by having to jump through hoops, this technique is also a signal that your organization has taken visitors into consideration, and it gives guests the knowledge that they’ve come to the right place. When a guest signs in, they know you are aware of their presence and therefore they are less likely to be left wandering around.Also, if visitor badges are part of the sign-in process, you can train your employees to keep an eye out for those visitors who might need a little extra help. Guests often find themselves lost in an unfamiliar location, especially if your building has a lot of twists, turns and levels. Visitor badges give employees the immediate knowledge that the people wearing them are supposed to be in the building, but may not be familiar with the layout.Who signs in?Not every organization is super-sensitive to security, and maybe not every visitor who comes in will be required to sign in. When thinking about your organization and its security needs, you’ll want to think about what your goals are, and what happens in your visitor management process. In Step Six of this article , we will discuss the benefits of keeping a visitor registration log that includes all guests, but here are some possible questions to consider.Do delivery personnel need to sign in? Will they go beyond the lobby? If not, then signing in may not be necessary. Or, you may require less information for delivery people.How much access will the person have? Could they see or hear sensitive information or encounter semi-dangerous manufacturing equipment? If so, they might need to sign a non-disclosure agreement or a waiver. Such documents can be handled during the sign-in process with an e-signature app.Does your organization want or need to know who is in the building at all times? If yes, then having every person sign in is important. Some organization may not; perhaps you don’t need to know about the visit from an employee’s spouse or the pizza delivery person.Do you have a skilled dedicated receptionist to help visitors find their way? If the answer is no, then an electronic check-in kiosk has the benefit of both signing in visitors and helping to move them along in the process. Otherwise, they may very well be lost from the start.Conclusion – Efficient Sign-In for Happy GuestsWhatever process you choose for signing in guests, visitors will appreciate any steps you take to make the experience easy. Take the time to plan ahead to determine your security needs and how best to make guests feel welcome. An efficient visitor sign-in process shows your guests that they are not just an afterthought, but rather an integrated part of a well-functioning workplace.Visitor Management Step 4: Contacting the HostWhen any visitor arrives at your workplace, they are there to connect with a person. It might be their host for a meeting, one of the people who receives food or package deliveries or someone they need to consult with. Helping the guest and their host connect is a crucial step in any visitor management process. There is nothing worse than walking into a building and talking to ten different people before you find someone who can actually help you. So how can you make this step seamless?First, of course, you have to ensure you are first greeting guests, if necessary. Upon knowing their purpose, you can determine who they came to see; it may be a specific person, a group of people, a department or even security if they are not wanted at your site.What is a host employee’s job? And what are the mechanics of making sure the host knows their guest has arrived in a timely manner?The Responsibilities of a HostWhen we think of a host, we often think of those who hold a dinner party, house guests or even travelers in their home, like Airbnb. The fact is, whenever an employee has someone come to see them at work, that employee is serving as a host. For however long the visitor is at your organization, that employee is the face of your organization. It is their responsibility to leave a good impression.Here are some basic reception etiquette tasks a host can do prior to a guest’s arrival to make sure their visitor has a good experience:Provide crucial information to a visitor, like their name or their department.Communicate vital contact information, like telephone number, email and office number.Inform the guest of which entrance to use and any sign-in requirements your organization has.If possible, determine a meeting spot with the guest in advance and be there prior to the appointed meeting time.If appropriate, preregister the guest with either your human receptionist or visitor registrationThe Mechanics of Connecting Visitors to HostsHow you connect your visitors to your hosts will largely depend on how your reception area is staffed and what the practices of your organization are, but the mechanics are basic. One of the following things has to happen:Reception notifications via a phone call, text, email or instant message - or several of those - is sent to the host, who comes and meets the guest.The visitor is given directions for how to find the host, either by another person or a posted directory and finds the host themselves. This method can have several unfortunate consequences ranging from lost and frustrated guests to unwanted visitors unfettered access to your place of work.The visitor is escorted by another person to their host.Who Makes the Call and Why it’s ImportantWhile the mechanics are simple, there are multiple consequences that could interfere with how work gets done and the impression guests get from your organization. The pros and cons hinge on whose responsibility it is to contact the host:The Receptionist: If you have an obvious reception desk, then the receptionist handles making phone calls, answering questions, giving directions and escorting guests. While this has the benefit of being great customer service, it also requires a very knowledgeable and personable staff member – and it’s expensive. In a busy office, the receptionist might be overwhelmed by people who don’t follow rules or too many people at once. This could leave your desk without staff, and keep guests waiting. It also prevents the receptionist from accomplishing other work, if necessary.The unlucky person by the door: If you are in a modern office or coworking situation, you likely don’t have a designated receptionist. The unfortunate soul who sits near the door may find themselves constantly interrupted by deliveries, salespeople, prospective candidates and more. They then have to stop what they are doing to use a phone, shout across the room (we hope not!) or guide the guest to the person in question, wasting work productivity in the process.A Digital Receptionist: Having a digital visitor check-in kiosk with a visitor management system can be a simple solution for visitors. It can automatically inform the host of a guest’s arrival via the host’s preferred method. A digital system can be set to contact hosts using email, text, phone, Slack or all of the above. This is especially helpful in the case of unexpected guests, like the flower delivery person sent to bring a surprise bouquet. They simply enter the name of the recipient into the system, and the person is contacted – wherever they are – that they have a delivery. One drawback of a digital receptionist is that it can be quite easy for a visitor to walk right past a kioskPerhaps the most fail-safe method of ensuring that guests and hosts get connected is to have a combination of a visitor check-in app supported by live staff for extenuating circumstances.Conclusion – Get Them TogetherReal-time reception notifications connecting visitors with the appropriate host is vital to getting business done. You want your visitors to feel welcomed, and to leave with the impression that your office has its act together. Contacting their host quickly and efficiently allows everyone to get on with the important job of accomplishing the purpose of their visit.Visitor Management Step 5: Checking OutYour visitor has arrived, been greeted, signed in and has been connected with the appropriate host. When their business at your workplace is complete, what happens? Does your guest just walk out the door? Or is your visitor required to check out?Throughout this series, we’ve been exploring the various steps to a good visitor management system and explaining why some easily overlooked steps and processes can important. Perhaps the most overlooked step of visitor management is visitor checkout. Unless you run a medical office or are in the hotel business, most organizations don’t focus on guests checking out; guests just leave. However, there is one very compelling reason to have guests check out: security.Your Secure WorkplaceSecurity means protecting your people, physical assets and your data. When it comes to securing your workplace from the dangers of onsite visitors, you can’t know if a guest has left your premises unless the guest is required to check out. There are multiple security reasons for a visitor to actively check out of the location.Access: If a guest is given any sort of physical access capability (a key, key card or identification) it must be returned at the time of checkout. If the visitor gives it to the host and just leaves the site, then the host is responsible for returning it, and it is more likely to get lost. If the guest has been given electronic key card access, even if they don’t return the card or item, your system should register that they have left and deactivate access connected to the unreturned key card (like that pile of hotel keys you have).Accurate records: Knowing who was in your facility on which days at which times and for how long can be incredibly important if it is ever necessary to investigate a crime. (We’ll discuss in detail why it is important to keep these records in our final installment in this series.)Visual record: If all visitors are required to check out at the same location (a security best practice), it is easy to station a staff person or a security camera to watch for anything unusual. Strange behavior, unusual bulges in pockets and other visual cues can alert staff to theft or other crimes. If the use of a camera is engaged, it can also provide the physical appearance of a person for identification in connection with a crime – whether that person is a suspect or a victim – and can provide a record of their movements and what they were wearing.Visitor Safety: Imagine if a visitor completed their meeting, accidentally wandered into an unused area and either got locked in or had an accident of some sort. If the visitor isn’t required to check out, how would anyone know to look for them? At the end of the day or at shift changes, it is good practice to review a visitor log and see if anyone is still in the building or has stayed far longer than is normal. (A good host will also make sure to walk a visitor who is unfamiliar with the facility to the exit!)Methods for Checking OutHow your visitors check out will largely depend upon how they check in. If a guest is writing their name on a paper visitor logbook upon checking in, then they might be required to write the time at which they check out next to their initial signature. If you have a large volume of guests checking in and out, this may require flipping through a number of pages and isn’t very efficient. Not to mention that every guest can see everyone else that has visited.If you have a staffed reception desk, the receptionist or security guard may check the visitor out, taking any physical objects, like keys or key cards, at that time. The staff person might be required to update the paper or electronic log, or to ask the visitor to do so.Pointing visitors to an iPad receptionist for checkout is probably one of the most efficient ways to have them check out. This maintains easy-to-search electronic records of the visit. It also gives visitors some active role in the check-out process. It is a signal that their business is complete and they can transition to their next task accordingly.See Greetly LiveSummary – Checking Out Completes the CircleLast time you went to an amazing restaurant, did you save room for dessert? Never underestimate the value of a great last impression.Checking out of your facility is quite simply the final step a visitor ought to take before leaving your facility. With the stress of business complete, and all parties mentally recapping the visit or moving onto their next activities, it is easy to skip. Yet this important step in the visitor management process gives your organization a measure of security nearly impossible to achieve without it.Visitor Management Part 6: Keeping a Visitor LogWe all love visitors! It’s a chance to move your business or projects forward, to showcase your work or even to take a respite from those!When putting a process to your visitor management system, when a visitor to your organization has signed in, accomplished something amazing - or maybe just had lunch - with one of your staff, and then signed out... Do you keep the visitor log?Over the course of this series, we’ve discussed all the important steps of having a visitor management process. The final piece of an efficient process occurs almost completely outside the visitor’s experience. While the visitor is aware of signing in and signing out, whether or not you keep a record of visitors is completely at the discretion of your organization. There are definite benefits to keeping a visitor log.Why keep a visitor log?There are some distinct advantages to keeping a visitor log. You never know when you might need to reference the information. Here are some possible reasons and scenarios.Visitor Recall: Some employees meet with LOTS of people: salespeople, job candidates in a low unemployment market, vendors crucial to delivering a great product, potential and current clients, maintenance workers and even key staff from other sites. If they had an unfamiliar walk-in visitor and did not get the name or contact information of that person – or misplaced it – a visitor log can fill in the gap. Categorizing every visitors correctly in your CRM database and following up can be crucial for sales and relationship building.Following Up with Visitors: Perhaps you wish to send a message to certain visitors. For example, if you run a service organization, you might wish to send a survey after visitor departs your facility. The insights and data they provide will allow for continuous improvement. Or, perhaps you hosted a grand opening party or Meetup event. You might wish to recap the event to reinforce the good feelings or cause. With a properly built and maintained visitor log you can automate these tasks.Crime Investigation: If you know exactly when a visitor checked in and out of your facility, it can greatly assist with the investigation of a crime. If even the pizza delivery person must sign in and out, but for some reason spent an hour in your facility on the same day property was stolen, that is suspicious. The crime need not even be committed at your organization. If law enforcement is tracking the movements of a suspect or a victim, as in this case, the information of whether they entered your premises could be vital.Digital vs. PaperMost visitor logs are going to be in one of two forms: a paper log that people sign in and out of, or a digital record.In our increasingly digital world, it is hard to believe that paper logbooks still exist. There are a number of drawbacks to paper visitor records.Bad handwriting can make them impossible to read.Unless closely monitored, it is easier for a person to fake entries, in particular, the check-in and check-out times. It is also easy to bypass altogether.They take up a lot of space.They can’t be sorted by name or otherwise easily searched.Digital visitor logs, especially cloud-based, have several distinct advantages over paper logs.They can be sorted by any field, including name, date, time of check-in or check-out, host name or more. All of the visitor’s info is easy to read.They can be searched quickly and efficiently by computer.They take up only a small amount of digital storage space.They can store other records with the log, like non-disclosure agreements and waivers.The time is logged automatically by the electronic device, and therefore the time cannot be falsified.How Long Should You Store Visitor Log Records?When it comes to keeping organizational records, we often fall into two camps.Throw Everything Out: It frees up a lot of physical and mental space. (There is a reason Marie Kondo is so popular.) However, if you throw out records prematurely, you could find yourself needing them for reference; financial audits are the perfect example.Keeping Everything Forever: This can be beneficial when you need to reference information, assuming the records are kept in an organized system. If, however, you keep everything indefinitely AND your system is disorganized, you might as well just take a bulldozer to your files.As is usually the case, the best scenario is somewhere in the middle: you may have reason to go back in the records two, five or ten years, depending on your organization’s needs.If you are keeping paper records, it is likely they will either be thrown out long before this or filed away in a manner that it is unlikely to be retrieved. Digital records can be automatically archived or deleted after a certain length of time. Even if you choose never to delete the records, they take up so little space that keeping them will be no hassle at all.Wrapping it all upKeeping a visitor log, preferably in digital form, is the final step in a comprehensive visitor management process. A guest is greeted, identified, signs in, meets up with the host and signs out. Then, the log of these visits is filed away to the benefit of all the different parties who might have need of them. It is the final link in the chain of a successful visit and an efficient process.Originally posted by Greetly at What are Visitor Management Techniques and Steps?. Re-posted with permission.

Many companies have used Haskell for a range of projects, including:ABN AMRO Amsterdam, The NetherlandsABN AMRO is an international bank headquartered in Amsterdam. For its investment banking activities it needs to measure the counterparty risk on portfolios of financial derivatives.ABN AMRO's CUFP talk.Aetion Technologies LLC, Columbus, OhioAetion was a defense contractor in operation from 1999 to 2011, whose applications use artificial intelligence. Rapidly changing priorities make it important to minimize the code impact of changes, which suits Haskell well. Aetion developed three main projects in Haskell, all successful. Haskell's concise code was perhaps most important for rewriting: it made it practicable to throw away old code occasionally. DSELs allowed the AI to be specified very declaratively.Aetion's CUFP talk.Alcatel-LucentA consortium of groups, including Alcatel-Lucent, have used Haskell to prototype narrowband software radio systems, running in (soft) real-time.Alcatel-Lucent's CUFP talkAllston TradingHeadquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Allston Trading, LLC is a premier high frequency market maker in over 40 financial exchanges, in 20 countries, and in nearly every conceivable product class. Allston makes some use of Haskell for their trading infrastructure.Alpha Heavy IndustriesAlpha Heavy Industries is an alternative asset manager dedicated to producing superior returns through quantitative methods. They use Haskell as their primary implementation language.Amgen Thousand Oaks, CaliforniaAmgen is a human therapeutics company in the biotechnology industry. Amgen pioneered the development of novel products based on advances in recombinant DNA and molecular biology and launched the biotechnology industry’s first blockbuster medicines. Amgen uses Haskell;To rapidly build software to implement mathematical models and other complex, mathematically oriented applicationsProvide a more mathematically rigorous validation of softwareTo break developers out of their software development rut by giving them a new way to think about software.Amgen's CUFP talk.Ansemond LLC"Find It! Keep It! is a Mac Web Browser that lets you keep the pages you visit in a database. A list of these pages is shown in the 'database view'. "Antiope Fair Haven, New JerseyAntiope Associates provides custom solutions for wireless communication and networking problems. Our team has expertise in all aspects of wireless system design, from the physical and protocol layers to complex networked applications. Antiope Associates relies on a number of advanced techniques to ensure that the communication systems we design are reliable and free from error. We use custom simulation tools developed in Haskell, to model our hardware designs..Antiope's CUFP talk.AT&THaskell is being used in the Network Security division to automate processing of internet abuse complaints. Haskell has allowed us to easily meet very tight deadlines with reliable results.Bank of America Merril LynchHaskell is being used for backend data transformation and loading.Barclays Capital Quantitative Analytics GroupBarclays Capital's Quantitative Analytics group is using Haskell to develop an embedded domain-specific functional language (called FPF) which is used to specify exotic equity derivatives. These derivatives, which are naturally best described in terms of mathematical functions, and constructed compositionally, map well to being expressed in an embedded functional language. This language is now regularly being used by people who had no previous functional language experience.Simon Frankau et al's JFP paper on their use of HaskellRead their 2013 job advertisementBAE SystemsAs part of the SAFE project, BAE has built a collection of compilers, interpreters, simulators, and EDSLs almost entirely in Haskell.CUFP 2013 talkBazQux ReaderBazQux Reader is a commercial RSS reader. Its feeds and comments crawler and a part of web-server are implemented in Haskell.BetterBetter, formerly known as Erudify, is a learning company built around the mission of making people better. We are an unusual mix of a software company, a consulting firm, and a creative agency. This tight integration enables us to deliver innovative, high-quality courses to our customers. Founded in 2012, Better is based in Zurich, Switzerland and New York, USA. Better is fully invested in Haskell; Most parts of our back-end system (web-servers and learning logic) are written in Haskell. Haskell is also used in most parts of our front-end system.bCODE Pty Ltd Sydney AustraliabCode Pty Ltd is a small venture capital-funded startup using Ocaml and a bit of Haskell in Sydney Australia.Bdellium Hawaii, United StatesBdellium develops software systems that enable companies in the financial industry to deliver new customer services that grow their business. Bdellium uses Haskell for heavy lifting analysis in back end infrastructure.Bluespec, Inc. Waltham, MassachusettsDeveloping a modern integrated circuit (ASIC or FPGA) is an enormously expensive process involving specification, modeling (to choose and fix the architecture), design (to describe what will become silicon) and verification (to ensure that it meets the specs), all before actually committing anything to silicon (where the cost of a failure can be tens of millions of dollars). Bluespec, Inc. is a three year-old company that provides language facilities, methodologies, and tools for this purpose, within the framework of the IEEE standard languages SystemVerilog and SystemC, but borrowing ideas heavily from Term Rewriting Systems and functional programming languages like Haskell. In this talk, after a brief technical overview to set the context, we will describe our tactics and strategies, and the challenges we face, in introducing declarative programming ideas into this field, both externally (convincing customers about the value of these ideas) and internally (using Haskell for our tool implementation).Bluespec's CUFP talk.BumpBump use a Haskell-based server, Angel, for process supervisor for all their backend systems, and for other infrastructure tasks.Haskell at BumpCapital IQWe have been using functional programming here at S&P Capital IQ in Scala, Haskell, and our homegrown reporting language Ermine, since 2008 for financial analytics.Capital IQ's CUFP 2013 talkChordifyChordify is a free online music service that transforms music, from YouTube, Deezer, SoundCloud or uploaded files, into chords. There's an ICFP experience report explaining how Haskell is used for this: José Pedro Magalhães and W. Bas de Haas. Functional Modelling of Musical Harmony: an Experience Report. In Proceedings of the 16th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Functional Programming (ICFP'11), pp. 156–162, ACM, 2011.Circos Brand Karma SingaporeBrand Karma provides services to brand owners to measure online sentiments towards their brands. Haskell is used in building parts of the product, specifically for back-end job scheduling and brand matching.CircuitHubCircuitHub aims to be the AWS for manufacturing, enabling hardware companies and makers to instantly quote designs and scale from prototype to production. We are also proud to host a large collection of open hardware designs. CircuitHub uses Haskell for our core services and algorithms.Credit Suisse Global Modeling and Analytics Group London, UK; New York City, New YorkGMAG, the quantitative modeling group at Credit Suisse, has been using Haskell for various projects since the beginning of 2006, with the twin aims of improving the productivity of modelers and making it easier for other people within the bank to use GMAG models. Current projects include: Further work on tools for checking, manipulating and transforming spreadsheets; a domain-specific language embedded in Haskell for implementing reusable components that can be compiled into various target forms (see the video presentation: Paradise, a DSEL for Derivatives Pricing).Credit Suisse's CUFP talk.DetexifyDetexify is an online handwriting recognition system, whose backend is written in Haskell.FynderFynder is an online booking platform. We use Haskell and clojurescript, all stitched together with nixosSee more in their original job posting.Deutsche Bank Equity Proprietary Trading, Directional Credit TradingThe Directional Credit Trading group uses Haskell as the primary implementation language for all its software infrastructure.Deutsche Bank's CUFP talk.Eaton Cleveland, OhioDesign and verification of hydraulic hybrid vehicle systemsEaton's CUFP talkEaton's experiences using a Haskell DSL[Ericsson AB]Ericsson uses Haskell for the implementation of Feldspar, an EDSL for digital signal processing algorithms.Ericsson's Feldspar compilerextensiblNew Zealand-based company. Provides a variety of software development, consulting, operational support services worldwide. Both Haskell and Ur/Web are actively used for commercial projects.FacebookFacebook uses some Haskell internally for tools. lex-pass is a tool for programmatically manipulating a PHP code base via Haskell.Facebook's CUFP talkFacebook's HaXL system is open sourceFactis ResearchFactis research, located in Freiburg, Germany, develops reliable and user-friendly mobile solutions. Our client software runs under J2ME, Symbian, iPhone OS, Android, and Blackberry. The server components are implemented in Python and Haskell. We are actively using Haskell for a number of projects, most of which are released under an open-source license.Factis' HCAR submissionfortytools gmbhLocated in Hamburg, Germany, we are developing web-based productivity tools for invoicing, customer management, resource scheduling and time tracking. While using Javascript for building rich frontend application in the browser, we use Haskell to implement the REST backends. Additionally, we do occasional project/client work as well.Oh, and of course we develop and maintain Hayoo! :)Functor AB, Stockholm, SwedenFunctor AB offers new tools for ground-breaking static analysis with pre-test case generation of programs to eliminate defects and bugs in software very early in development. Functor collaborates with the JET fusion reactor run by EFDA CCFE. JET is currently the largest reactor in the world of its kind. At Functor, almost all development is done in Haskell but also to some extent also C and Scala.See more in the Functor AB job advertisementFunktionale Programmierung Dr. Heinrich Hördegen, Munich, GermanyWe develop software prototypes according to the Pareto principle: After spending only 20 percent of budget, we aim to provide already 80 percent of the software's functionality. We can realize this by constructing a 2080-software-prototype that we can further develop into a full-fledged solution...Galois, Inc Portland, OregonGalois designs and develops high confidence software for critical applications. Our innovative approach to software development provides high levels of assurance, yet its scalability enables us to address the most complex problems. We have successfully engineered projects under contract for corporations and government clients in the demanding application areas of security, information assurance and cryptography.Galois' 2007 CUFP talkGalois' 2011 CUFP talkGalois' retrospective on 10 years of industrial Haskell useGoogleHaskell is used on a small number of internal projects in Google, for internal IT infrastructure support, and the open-source Ganeti project. Ganeti is a tool for managing clusters of virtual servers built on top of Xen and KVM.Google's ICFP 2010 experience report on HaskellVideo from ICFP Project Ganeti at GoogleGlydeGlyde uses OCaml and Haskell for a few projects. Glyde uses Haskell for our client-side template source-to-source translator, which converts HAML-like view templates into JS code.Group CommerceGroup Commerce uses Haskell to drive the main component of their advertising infrastructure: a Snap Framework based web server. Haskell enabled quicker development, higher reliability, and better maintainability than other languages, without having to sacrifice performance.HasuraHasura is a BaaS/PaaS focussed on keeping things DRY and letting you write custom code with the tools you love. We're building a micro-service platform christened Instant APIs for web & mobile apps (alpha release scheduled in summer 2015), and we used Haskell as the core programming language to build it.Humane SoftwareWe develop enterprise systems with de-coupled, asynchronous Haskell backends and Javascript UIs.For our current customer, an Internet connectivity provider, we wrote a solution for monitoring multiple remote machines and analyzing gigabytes of traffic samples. Haskell proved an excellent tool for the job. We were able to replace legacy systems in a granular, piece-by-piece manner, while delivering new features.Hustler Turf Equipment Hesston, KansasDesigns, builds, and sells lawn mowers. We use quite a bit of Haskell, especially as a "glue language" for tying together data from different manufacturing-related systems. We also use it for some web apps that are deployed to our dealer network. There are also some uses for it doing sysadmin automation, such as adding/removing people from LDAP servers and the likeiba Consulting Gesellschaft - Intelligent business architecture for you. Leipzig, Germanyiba CG develops software for large companies:risk analysis and reporting solution for power supply company;contract management, assert management, booking and budgeting software for one of the worldwide leading accounting firm.IMVU, IncIMVU, Inc. is a social entertainment company connecting users through 3D avatar-based experiences. See the blog article What it's like to use HaskellInformatik Consulting Systems AGICS AG developed a simulation and testing tool which based on a DSL (Domain Specific Language). The DSL is used for the description of architecture and behavior of distributed system components (event/message based, reactive). The compiler was written in Haskell (with target language Ada). The test system is used in some industrial projects.IntelIntel has developed a Haskell compiler as part of their research on multicore parallelism at scale.Read the Intel Research paper on compilerIVU Traffic Technologies AGThe rostering group at IVU Traffic Technologies AG has been using Haskell to check rosters for compliance with EC regulations. Our implementation is based on an embedded DSL to combine the regulation’s single rules into a solver that not only decides on instances but, in the case of a faulty roster, finds an interpretation of the roster that is “favorable” in the sense that the error messages it entails are “helpful” in leading the dispatcher to the resolution of the issue at hand. The solver is both reliable (due to strong static typing and referential transparency — we have not experienced a failure in three years) and efficient (due to constraint propagation, a custom search strategy, and lazy evaluation). Our EC 561/2006 component is part of the IVU.crew software suite and as such is in wide-spread use all over Europe, both in planning and dispatch. So the next time you enter a regional bus, chances are that the driver’s roster was checked by Haskell.JanRainJanRain uses Haskell for network and web software. Read more about Haskell at JanRain and in theirtech talk at Galois. JanRain's "Capture" user API product is built on Haskell's Snap webframework.See Janrain's technical talk about their use of SnapJoyride LaboratoriesJoyride Laboratories is an independent game development studio, founded in 2009 by Florian Hofer and Sönke Hahn. Their first game, "Nikki and the Robots" was released in 2011.Keera StudiosKeera Studios Ltd is a European game development studio that develops mobile, desktop and web apps.Games: The Android game Magic Cookies! was written in Haskell and released in 2015. Other games include Haskanoid, now being developed for Android, and a multi-platform Graphic Adventure library and engine with Android support and an IDE.Reactive Programming and GUIs: Keera Studios is also the maintainer of Keera Hails, an Open-Source reactive rapid application development framework, which has been used in Gale IDE and other desktop applications. Backends exist for Gtk+, Qt, Wx, Android's native GUI toolkit and Web DOM via GHCJS. Keera Posture is an open-source posture monitor written in Haskell using Keera Hails and Gtk+.Web: Keera Studios also develops web applications in Yesod.See the Facebook page for details on Android games and ongoing development.LinkqloLinkqlo Inc is a Palo Alto-based technology startup that is building a pioneering mobile community to connect people with better fitting clothes. We’re solving an industry-wide pain point for both consumers and fashion brands in retail shopping, sizing and fitting, just like Paypal took on the online payment challenge in 1999. We started deploying Haskell as the backend language recently in August 2015, in an effort to eventually replace all PHP endpoint APIs with Haskell ones.Linkqlo's iOS app from App StoreLinspireLinspire, Inc. has used functional programming since its inception in 2001, beginning with extensive use of O'Caml, with a steady shift to Haskell as its implementations and libraries have matured. Hardware detection, software packaging and CGI web page generation are all areas where we have used functional programming extensively. Haskell's feature set lets us replace much of our use of little languages (e.g., bash or awk) and two-level languages (C or C++ bound to an interpreted language), allowing for faster development, better code sharing and ultimately faster implementations. Above all, we value static type checking for minimizing runtime errors in applications that run in unknown environments and for wrapping legacy programs in strongly typed functions to ensure that we pass valid arguments.Linspire's CUFP talkLinspire's experience report on using functional programming to manage a Linux distributionLumiGuideLumiGuide is an innovative software company which specialises in smart parking and guidance systems for both bicycles and cars. LumiGuide developed and installed the P-route Bicycle system for the City of Utrecht in 2015. This system guides cyclists via digital, street-level displays to available parking space in a number of parking facilities in the city centre. Utrecht is the first city in the world that has a system like this. The detection technology is based on optical sensors which are independent of the bicycle stands. The sensors are mounted to the ceiling in indoor facilities and mounted to poles in outdoor facilities. Every minute, one sensor detects 40 to 60 parking places at the same time in either single- or two-tier bicycle stands as well as (stand-less) free parking places. Bicycles that exceed the maximum parking duration ('orphaned' bicycles) are also detected and the system will automatically keep a log of pictures of the orphaned bicycle which can be used as evidence when the orphaned bicycle is removed by a facility operator. The usage of the facility can be monitored with web-based control software. LumiGuide also develops the indoor and outdoor digital displays which can be controlled using the web-based control software. We are extensively using Haskell and NixOS.MicrosoftMicrosoft uses Haskell for its production serialization system, Bond. Bond is broadly used at Microsoft in high scale services. Microsoft Research has, separately, been a key sponsor of Haskell development since the late 1990s.MITREMITRE uses Haskell for, amongst other things, the analysis of cryptographic protocols.The New York TimesA team at the New York Times used Haskell's parallel array library to process images from 2013 New York Fashion Week. Haskell was chosen based on its fast numerical arrays packages, and ease of parallelization.Model analysisHaskell in the NewsroomNICTANICTA has used Haskell as part of a project to verify the L4 microkernel.Read the Dr. Dobbs article on using Haskell and formal methods to verify a kernelNRAONRAO has used Haskell to implement the core science algorithms for the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) Dynamic Scheduling System (DSS).Source code available on GitHub.NS Solutions(NSSOL) Tokyo, JapanNS Solutions has employed Haskell since 2008 to develop its software packages including "BancMeasure", a mark-to-market accounting software package for financial institutions, "BancMeasure for IFRS" and "Mamecif", a data analysis package. "BancMeasure" and "Mamecif" are registered trademarks of NS Solutions Corporation in JAPAN.NVIDIAAt NVIDIA, we have a handful of in-house tools that are written in HaskellOpenomyOpenomy's API v2.0 is developed in Haskell, using the HAppS web platform.OblomovOblomov Systems is a one-person software company based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Founded in 2009, Oblomov has since then been working on a number of Haskell-related projects. The main focus lies on web-applications and (web-based) editors. Haskell has turned out to be extremely useful for implementing web servers that communicate with JavaScript clients or iPhone apps.Oblomov's HCAR submission.Patch-Tag: hosting for DarcsNeed somewhere to put your Darcs code? Try us. Patch-Tag is built with happstack, the continuation of the project formerly known as HAppS.Peerium, Inc Cambridge, MassachusettsAt Peerium, we're striving to bring a new level of quality and efficiency to online communication and collaboration within virtual communities, social networks, and business environments. We believe that a new environment that supports the effortless sharing of both information and software will enable a level of online cooperation far beyond current Web-based technologies -- modern programming techniques will enable the creation of more robust and more powerful programs within these environments. To this end, we're building a new software platform for direct, real-time communication and collaboration within graphically rich environments. Peerium is located in the heart of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.PlanIt9PlanIt9 is a Yesod-based web application for defining, planning, scheduling and tracking tasks. It's designed to be fast, simple, collaborative and cost effective. We're currently signing up users for our beta program.PlumlifePlum is replacing light switches with Lightpads; a capacitive touch dimmer that is internet connected, clusters with other Lightpads in the home for group control... Haskell composes our cloud services and Erlang is used for the embedded software in the Lightpads (hot-code reloading, easy node clustering, etc...). ... We use Haskell extensively for all of our cloud services software at Plumlife ... Amazing language and ecosystem.Qualcomm, IncQualcomm uses Haskell to generate Lua bindings to the BREW platformSQreamAt SQream, we use Haskell for a large part of our code. We use Haskell for the compiler, which takes SQL statements and turns them into low level instructions for the high performance CUDA runtime. We also use Haskell for rapid prototyping and for many auxiliary utilities.Parallel Scientific, Boulder, Colorado.We are using Haskell to develop an ultra-scalable high-availability resource management system for big clusters (millions of nodes). A key element of the design is to provide scalable and reliable mechanisms for communicating failures and coordinating recovery transitions.See Parallel Scientific's CUFP talkRenaissaince Computing Institute, Chapel Hill, North CarolinaThe Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), a multi-institutional organization, brings together multidisciplinary experts and advanced technological capabilities to address pressing research issues and to find solutions to complex problems that affect the quality of life in North Carolina, our nation and the world. Research scientists at RENCI have used Haskell for a number of projects, including The Big Board.RENCI's CUFP talk.SamplecountSamplecount develops mobile, location-aware sound and music applications. They are currently using Haskell for prototyping their server-side soundscape streaming components and as a cross-platform build tool for their mobile applications and frameworks.Sankel Software Albuquerque, New MexicoSankel Software has been using Haskell since 2002 for both prototyping and deployment for technologies ranging from CAD/CAM to gaming and computer animation. We specialize in the development of user-friendly, large, long-term applications that solve difficult and conceptually intricate problems.ScriveScrive is a service for e-signing tenders, contracts, and other documents. We help our clients close deals faster, decrease their administrative burden, and improve their customers’ experience.Siemens Convergence Creators GmbH AustriaSiemens CVC uses Haskell since a few years in the space domain. Starting with small tools like data conversion and automation of scripting tasks over installers we use Haskell currently for Space Protocol Proxies to allow connect different space systems (e.g. Cortex to NCTRS or SLE to NCTRS with COP-1 handling). The main use is currently a Simulator implemented in Haskell which handles parts of NCTRS (or SSB), the ground station and parts of the satellite to be able to make closed-loop tests for the SCOS-2000 based Mission Control System. It is in use for testing and debugging of the Mission Control System and for checking implementation of new features. It has served for various, currently active missions and also is in use for some missions to come.Signali Portland, OregonSignali Corp is a new custom hardware design company. Our chief products are custom IP cores targeted for embedded DSP and cryptographic applications. Our specialty is the design and implementation of computationally intensive, complex algorithms. The interfaces to each core are modular and can be very efficiently modified for your specific application. System-level integration and validation is crucial and is the majority of investment in a product.Soostone New York, NYSoostone is an advanced analytics technology provider specializing in algorithmic optimization opportunities in marketing, pricing, advertising, sales and product management. As the preferred language, Haskell is used intensively at Soostone in numerous applications including customized machine learning algorithms, models/simulations, real-time decision-making engines, DSL/EDSLs, web applications and high volume APIs.Standard CharteredStandard Chartered has a large group using Haskell for all aspects of its wholesale banking business.Starling Software Tokyo, JapanStarling Software are developing a commercial automated options trading system in Haskell, and are migrating other parts of their software suite to Haskell.Starling Software's experience building real time trading systems in HaskellSensor Sense Nijmegen, The NetherlandsSensor Sense is offering high technology systems for gas measurements in the ppbv down to pptvrange. We use Haskell for the embedded control software of our trace gas detectors.For more information see Senor Sense's position advertisementSilk Amsterdam, The NetherlandsSilk investigates and develops new ways of creating and consuming online content. Their Silkapplication makes it easy to filter and visualize large amounts of information.Silk's blog on why they use HaskellA review of SilkSkedge Meskedge.me is an online scheduling platform that allows businesses to completely automate the process of making appointments, such as customer visits, job interviews, and tutoring sessions.See more in their CUFP talkSee their 2014 job advertisementSuite SolutionsSuite Solutions provides products and solutions in support of large sets of technical documentation based on DITA for general technical documentation, and other more specialized XML and SGML formats for specific industries such as the aerospace industry. Many of Suite Solutions' products and solutions, such as the featured products SuiteHelp and SuiteShare, are written in Haskell.SumAll New York, New YorkSumAll aggregates various public streams of data such as various social network data into useful analytics, reports and insights. We are in process of rewriting our entire data-processing backend in Haskell. What attracted us to the language is its disciplined and uncompromising approach to solving hard problems and managing complexity. We truly believe that the language and ecosystem is ready for prime time and will give us competitive advantage in the industry.Tabula.comTabula is a privately held fabless semiconductor company developing 3-D Programmable Logic Devices. Haskell is used for internal compiler toolchains related to hardware design.Tsuru Capital Tokyo, JapanTsuru Capital is operating an automated options trading system written in Haskell.Tsuru Capital's HCAR submissionTupil Utrecht, The NetherlandsTupil is a Dutch company that built software for clients, written in Haskell. Tupil used Haskell for the speed in development and resulting software quality. The company is founded by Chris Eidhof and Eelco Lempsink. Currently they build iPhone/iPad applications in Objective-C.Tupil's experience building commercial web apps in HaskellWagon San Francisco, CaliforniaWagon is a modern SQL editor: a better way for analysts and engineers to write queries, visualize results, and share data & charts.We’re a team of functional programmers writing apps and services in Haskell (and Javascript). We love to teach and learn functional programming; our team is humble, hard working, and fun. Read our engineering blog to learn more about our stack, how we combine Haskell, React, and Electron, and what it’s like working at a Haskell-powered startup.We're hiring Haskell engineers based in San Francisco, learn more about the roles and our team!WeedreporterPage on weedreporter.com is a news site in the up and coming cannabis industry, featuring news stories from around the world and USA. This includes news stories about legalization and medical Marijuana. The site is built using Haskell and Postgres. Haskell has allowed us to build a site with fast load times.