Visitor Management Best Practices with J. O’Brien

Ally Smyczek, Product Marketing Manager for HID Visitor Management Solutions, and Mike Piana, VP of Sales and Marketing at J. O’Brien, HID’s Partner, the best practices on managing visitor traffic and its impact in workplace security.

Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):

Powering trusted identities of the world's people, places, and things every day. Millions of people in more than 100 countries use our products and services to securely access physical and digital Places over 2 billion things that need to be identified, verified, and tracked are connected through HID Global Technology.

Speaker 2 (00:23):

Hi everyone. My name is Ally Smyczek. I am our product marketing manager here at HID or our Visitor Management Solutions. And I'm here with Mike Piana, with the J O'Brien company, who is here to tell us a bit about what he does and educate us a little bit on visitor management policies. Mike, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me today.

Speaker 3 (00:47):

Of course. Thanks, Ally. Really appreciate the opportunity to talk about the solutions, talk about policy, talk a little bit about Jay O'Brien and myself.

Speaker 2 (00:57):

Awesome. So, Mike, with that, let's go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you? What do you do?

Speaker 3 (01:03):

Sure, yeah. My name is Mike Piano. I'm the vice President of sales and marketing here at the J O'Brien Company. So I oversee everything forward facing to the customer. I report directly to the owner, Charma O'Brien. And I oversee my staff as they deploy solutions mainly around security facilities out into the marketplace. So it's really my purview. I oversee our website, our content, everything regarding our blog and advertisements. So I have, I wear many hats, <laugh>, but with any small organization, you know, that's, that's critical.

Speaker 2 (01:40):

Awesome. And just to give the audience a clear perspective on what J O'Brien does and provides, do you sell only solutions or do you also sell the hardware that goes along with those solutions?

Speaker 3 (01:55):

Sure, yeah. I mean, we're, we really pride ourselves in being a one-stop shop for our customers. So not only being a wholesaler of hardware and products, but also incorporating those into the relevant solutions. So a big example in what we're here to discuss today is visitor management. So not only do we partner with companies like HID which is our major partner for the visitor management segment of our business but we also provide all of the hardware the driver's license scanners, the printers, the barcode scanners to check in, check out. These are all critical components that we try to offer as a one stop shop to the customer.

Speaker 2 (02:35):

Awesome. Awesome. Great, Mike. Well to get started here, I guess I will ask you the most basic question, which will be, how do you describe visitor management? What does that mean to you?

Speaker 3 (02:46):

Sure. I mean, how I describe it and how the customer may describe it would be maybe different, but it's gonna have the, you know, pretty much the same commonalities visitor management is how to manage visitors when they come to your facility or organization. So visitor management is critical to upholding standards and in some industries being compliant with legislation. So dependent upon the customer and what industry they're involved in and what legislation they're subject to visitor management could be a critical component to being compliant. So it really varies dependent upon the customer and industry, but they're, like I said before, they're definitely commonalities in terms of what they're looking to do with visitor management. And it's all really about limiting liability, keeping facilities safe and making sure that there is a good flow in terms of visitors when they come on site and that they have a good experience.

Speaker 2 (03:43):

Right, right. Great. So, Mike, now when it comes to visitors it is my understanding that an employee could even be a visitor. Is that, is that true? Is that the case?

Speaker 3 (03:55):

Absolutely. I mean, in some instances organizations will utilize their visitor management procedures for any employee that may have forgot their badge that day. So they're treated as a visitor, they're given a visitor badge. In those cases, they may even be given a temporary access card so that they can enter the facility as an employee. But I've seen that time and time again where they'll have overflow or anyone who, you know, missed bringing their card that day. They'll be treated as a visitor just to identify them. You know, it's super important to identify everyone in your facility. So if an employee forgets their badge, that's an instance where, you know, they may utilize the visitor system to identify that person that day.

Speaker 2 (04:36):

Right, right. And we've, we never forget anything, right, Mike? We are, we have our badges every day Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (04:42):

To

Speaker 2 (04:42):

Click clips, car belt loops. Right. <laugh>

Speaker 3 (04:44):

Always. Yeah. It's just human nature, you know, things happen and it's nice to have a system in place that can address those instances.

Speaker 2 (04:51):

Definitely. So Mike, how did you get started in this industry?

Speaker 3 (05:05):

Well, I actually started as a technician here at J O'Brien. It'll be 10 years in July that I've been with the company. Wow.

Speaker 2 (05:12):

Congratulations.

Speaker 3 (05:13):

Thank you. I appreciate that. I, I've held several different roles here. I actually started as a technician fixing ID card printers right outta college. So I didn't, you know, expect to get into this industry. Just so happens that I had experience I owned a small appliance repair shop while I was going to college, so I just so happened to kind of enter into a technician role here. But I went to school for sales and marketing, so I always knew I wanted to get into those fields. Thankfully, with J O'Brien there was opportunity over time to take on bigger roles and get into the field that I went to school for. But you know, starting as a technician gave me kind of an intricate understanding of how the systems that we sold or the equipment that we sold operated. So it really gave me, I believe, an advantage in terms of talking about the solutions to customers when I eventually got into sales.

Speaker 2 (06:07):

Wow, that's, that's interesting. I didn't know that about you. Very interesting that you are someone with a, a passion for sales and marketing, right? But also you have that technical side to you. Do you feel that that is something that contributes to your success in your current role? I,

Speaker 3 (06:22):

Yeah, I mean, I think it's critical. I think technicians make the, the best sales folks because, you know, at the end of the day, they know the product better than than anyone. And the clients they know with experience, you know, enough on their own to tell if you understand the solution that you're selling. So it really helps in being authentic to the customer because they know that you've seen it you know, in its simplest form or in its most complex form and how it operates out in the field down to a technician level, it really just garners trust with that customer. So oftentimes, you know, I'm not selling a solution. It's really our professional service department. It's our technicians out in the field, they're guiding the customer rather than selling them. And that's our whole approach is to just be a trusted advisor. We're not about, you know, one time sale. We're about that ongoing relationship. So usually let the technicians and the professional service folks integrate with the customer, especially when we're providing a more complex solution outside of, you know, just product.

Speaker 2 (07:23):

Right, right. And I must say, Mike, I do, I admire the authenticity of J O'Brien Company and the experiences that I've had working with you guys, so

Speaker 3 (07:33):

Well, I appreciate that. I mean, I think that's really our competitive advantage over the years and what drew me to stay with the company for, you know, 10 plus years. It's just that reputation. So the company was, you know, founded in 86 has been around for quite some time and has seen the industry change over the years. But one thing that's really always stayed the same in what I've admired about our company is just the integrity and the trust that we've built with longtime customers. I think that's you know, a huge advantage and something that I look to keep going here.

Speaker 2 (08:04):

Definitely, definitely, Mike, especially as we, you know, you and I both know that we are in an era where technology is changing supposedly faster and more in rapidly, more rapid than ever before, ever, than it will in the future. And at the end of the day, we're still people, right? We're not, we're not humans. And it is critical to have that human interaction and that mutual trust and establishing credibility during that implementation process. So, could agree more. I can tell you, it's, I can tell you it's very appreciated by customers that I've spoken with. They say they have great things to say about you and your team, so thank you. We

Speaker 3 (08:43):

Appreciate the opportunity to work with, with our customers and partner with them. It's truly something that we enjoy. You know, implementing complex systems like visitor management, it's, it's really a, a longer term partnership. It's not a set it and forget it, in my opinion. If you kind of take that approach it really sets you yourself up for failure. It's something that should be continuously monitored and by an organization that's kind of centered around that philosophy. So it's, it's really important to, to offer that service an ongoing basis and continue to adapt, like you mentioned, things are changing so quickly. So just being flexible, being willing, willing to adapt, always educating our customers on changes or, you know, maybe they're educating us on, on policy changes that they need to make, and then we're helping them implement it within, you know, a visitor management system such as workforce ID or Easy Lobby or safe. You know, these are applications that help us do our job.

Speaker 2 (09:40):

Right. So, Mike, earlier you had mentioned that you worked directly with the CEO of the company. Do you feel that that culture is something that started by the CEO and kind of STEM and I guess has a waterfall effect going down into the geo brand company to its other employees such as yourself?

Speaker 3 (09:59):

Oh, absolutely. I mean, that partnership with with ownership here is everything. You know, her and I really work together day in and day out. She's very hands on. It's super important that, you know, we have messaging down to all of our employees direct from ownership. We're, we're a smaller group. We're only about 15 employees. But you know, ownership has made the decision to invest in, you know, higher end infrastructure probably for organizations larger than us, but it really allows us to adapt to our customer base to serve a larger customer base. So oftentimes we operate, you know, a lot larger than we actually are <laugh>. So you know, that partnership with ownership is critical and in pushing new initiatives and being able to adapt to what's going on in the market, it's huge.

Speaker 2 (10:50):

Great, great. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate you giving me some, some of the insights on J O'Brien as a company, you know, as a whole. Going back to our, to our visitor management policies Mike, why do you think that visitor management policies are important? You know, why, if someone is using pen and paper, which a lot of people are why do you, what's, what's one of the main reasons or suggestions that you have for why they might want to explore the opportunity of Im implementing a 21st century visitor management solution?

Speaker 3 (11:30):

Well, I think it comes down to meeting the business needs. So identifying, you know, visitor operations as a whole and then asking the right questions. That's really the, the approach that we take with our customers. So say they're using pen and paper today and they wanna get to a more modern solution, or maybe they don't know the benefits of going to a more modern solution. We try to just have a conversation like we're having here today, sit them down. We have a comprehensive questionnaire, <laugh>, we call it, but it really just guides them through the questions that they should be asking themselves. Cuz at the end of the day, it's their facility. We're there just to guide them in how to secure it. So asking the right questions like, you know, time, when are you going to have visitors come on site?

Speaker 3 (12:16):

You know, is it Monday, Monday through Friday, nine through five? Is it 24 7, 365 days a year? You know, these are critical basic questions that really shape how the system is put into place and how it operates. So we just kind of take our customers through those questions, you know, where, where are you gonna have visitors check in. Okay, we're gonna have it at the front desk in this lobby here. All right, great. Is that lobby big enough to handle the flow of visitors that you expect? Are you seeing long lines with your pen and paper now? These are critical pain points that we help to identify to then say, all right, well this is how you're doing it today. We can do it much better in this way or that way. So we kind of guide them through what the system is capable of. But really our goal is to help them identify those policies that need to be in place and act as the foundation before we roll out anything. So, you know, asking those questions again, is, is really the start of, of where we begin with our customers, but we continuously ask those questions and, and try to improve the policy as things change, things change internally.

Speaker 2 (13:26):

Right, right. So I know you had mentioned, you know, kind of with the pen and paper, sometimes there are long lines that will kind of cluster and maybe clog up the lobby. Is that one of the main reasons that clients come to you? Where they actually, where they're initiating, you know, the, the search for a solution? Is that a common trigger? Oh, absolutely. So maybe they're sensing their customers might be their customers or visitors are dissatisfied, you know, with where they're, they're waiting around, right. The waiting room is maybe busier than it should be. 

Speaker 3 (14:03):

Yeah, that, that's definitely a contributing factor. The other thing is privacy. I mean, having a paper logbook out front anyone who comes up to that desk can see who has visited, who has been there. That leads to several privacy concerns. Right. You know, the ability to report is a big thing that you don't really have within the book. <Laugh>, your ability to report is as quick as someone can kind of thumb through the book, and hopefully that information is accurate and someone didn't just write, you know, Mickey Mouse as their name, <laugh> you know, having a software system in place, it, it really gives you that foundation again on how to accept visitors, how to collect information on those visitors. And then being able to act upon that information after it's collected is, is critical. So yeah, time to process visitors is definitely something that is a common question. How quickly can I have someone checked in? And then, you know, onto the next visitor is really kind of where the discussion typically starts. They wanna know how quick we can do that because it's critical. I mean, you look at the reason why that's important, it's really around the experience that visitor has when they enter. So it's their first impression of an organization. So if that experience is bad or poor and they're sitting in line, no one enjoys that <laugh>. So, right. I think that's definitely something that, that comes up very often.

Speaker 2 (15:19):

Well, Mike, thank you so much for joining me here today. I do have one final question for you. So if someone in the audience, maybe they're interested in learning more, maybe they want to upgrade from pen and paper, making the trans, ah, maybe they want to upgrade from pen and paper and make that transition over to a, a modern visitor management solution, how would they start looking into that and researching that?

Speaker 3 (15:39):

Yeah, I mean, there's a, a ton of content out there. We try to, to put out information on our channels as well. So I would say they would, they should reach out to industry professionals. You know, I welcome even non-customers to contact me to discuss what's available in the market. I know HID does a tremendous job of putting out information on how their systems work, but I think it's just about having conversations with those who are experienced. So I open the door to, to anyone who wanted to discuss, you know, visitor operations. We provide customers demos of the product we'll walk them through the right questions they should be asking and how to deploy policy. So I think it's, it's a partnership. And then also they should discuss it internally in a lot of cases, security partners with legal or guest services dependent upon the industry, those stakeholders may change. So involving those roles and, and professionals from the onset is critical because then you have joint buy-in from multiple departments. Sometimes it can kind of muddy the waters and maybe drag out the discussion, but you may find that you forget about certain aspects of the organization that are important when it comes to visitor management.

Speaker 2 (16:57):

Right, right. Awesome. Well, Mike, thank you so much for your time today.

Speaker 3 (17:05):

Absolutely. Yeah, I'm happy to do it. Just getting out there and being able to work with you is a great pleasure. And again, you know, welcome anyone to really reach out to us to help devise these policies. That's one of the most rewarding parts of my job is, is helping organizations secure not only their employees, but their visitors when they're on site.

Speaker 2 (17:25):

And Mike, final question for you. I lied earlier..

Speaker 2 (19:29):

Is there such thing as a dumb question when it comes to reaching out and asking about different visitor management policies?

Speaker 3 (19:38):

Not at all. I mean, we, we work with organizations of all sizes. So I I, I've worked with organizations who have it down really well because they've just done it for so long and want to do it differently. I've also worked with organizations that have no visitor management in place unfortunately may have had an incident. So, I mean, asking questions is, is the start, that's the, the basis of where this all kicks off and allows us to kind of qualify that customer into the correct product. So, not at all. I mean, I welcome that and we have the staff here to support it. So we, we never turn a customer away and, and the questions are welcomed.

Speaker 2 (18:15):

Fantastic. All right. Thank you, Mike. Have a great rest of your day.

Speaker 3 (18:19):

Absolutely. You too. Thanks so much. All right.