Imagine you are entering a highly secure premise in the early 2000s. After reaching the gate, you will have to go through multiple checkpoints in order to verify who you are and what you are there for. This includes identity verification, cross-checking with the employee or the person who you are there to meet, asking for your approval letter or invitation, baggage scan, body scan, and several rounds of questions. This was a long process and it took anywhere from an hour to several hours, according to how secure the building is.
Fast forward to today, buildings are more secure than ever, they are more efficient than ever, and the security processes that they use are the most advanced than ever. Even though most buildings don’t need this much security, it is important that every building admin must know who is coming there and who they are coming to visit. This became extremely important during COVID and since then the demand for visitor management solutions has increased quite a bit.
There are multiple ways of managing visitors. One such popular way to identify and manage a visitor is through gate passes. Like in the example earlier, the gate pass process was done through paper in a manual way which took a lot of time to issue, maybe days or weeks for the visitor to get it via postal service, and it was always a hurdle to get security approvals after being there in person.
Entry2Exit has been building and optimizing visitor management solutions for over a decade now, and one of the most inquired products we have is the gate pass management system. Instead of using paper-based manual gate passes, our system can issue digital gate passes with an unmatched level of customization and optimization capabilities. Digital gate passes offer a far higher level of visitor satisfaction as well as improved data accuracy for the facility managers as well.
What is a Digital Gate Pass?
Digital gate passes are passes that provide all the details necessary for gaining access to a facility. These details include the name and other identification details of a person, who they are there to meet, the purpose of visit, date and time of the allocated visit, and what type of a visitor they are. This can be employee, contractor, appointment, visitor, etc. This also includes a QR code and location details as well as other contact information of the host.
The digital gate passes are often sent to the visitor via email or SMS. In some digital passes, there can be expiry dates or a start and end date in order to let the visitor use the pass only during the allocated period. Some gate passes may expire with one use, while some gate passes can be allowed to use over multiple times in cases of employees, contractors, etc.
Why Digital Gate Passes are Better Than Paper-Based Gate Passes
The traditional way of issuing gate passes through writing on paper has a lot of risks associated with it. First of all, these manual gate passes can be forged easily by people with malicious intent. The second security risk is the chance for stolen data or data being misused. There was also the risk of human errors while writing the details. Manual gate passes are also prone to damage, getting lost, and they lacked tracking and reporting as well. The process of issuing manual gate passes and using them to get access was a slow and tiring process. For high footfall areas where thousands of visitors have to be given access, this became a huge problem.
Digital gate passes resolve all these issues plus more. Digital gate passes can’t be forged since the gate pass has to come from the official domain of the company that is issuing the pass, the official number, or an approved source. The second thing is the QR code capability. The security guards will scan the QR to ensure the gate pass is valid, which can’t be forged otherwise.
Human errors are close to zero on digital gate passes, as often times, the host will use the visitor’s identity card to fetch the information for the gate pass. Digital gate passes also include tracking and reporting capabilities for both the host and the visitor. Digital gate passes can be easily issued within seconds or minutes. Also, it is super fast when scanning the gate pass for entry. All these aspects make digital gate passes a superior choice over the traditional paper-based gate passes.
Try our Gate Pass Form Template Generator
How Does a Digital Gate Pass System Work?
A digital gate pass system works in a very systematic way compared to the manual systems. The visitor can either apply for a digital gate pass online or the host can invite the visitor directly.
If the visitor chooses to go with an online application, the visitor has to fill in their details, including optionally their identity, national ID card details, the purpose of visit, the host name, the date, and the time. The admins have the ability to include more fields if required. Once these details are entered, the host will get a notification for approving the gate pass. If the host approves, the visitor will get an email and SMS notification with the gate pass details, including a QR code and location details along with the date and time.
If the host is issuing the gate pass, the host can request the ID card details of the visitor if the host wants to automatically fetch it. Or the host can manually enter their visitor details on the system and issue the gate pass. This will also drop directly to the inbox of the visitor on email and SMS with all the relevant details required.
Once they receive the QR code digital gate pass, they can go to the gate and scan it for entry.
Read: Difference between spot & pre-registration
HSE Induction for Specialized Environments
In some special cases, there might be an additional layer of security or examination to be passed in order for the gate pass to be generated. This is called HSE induction. In special areas like food manufacturing factories, oil and gas plants, etc., the workers and visitors may need to pass an HSE induction program before gaining access to the gate pass.
This works as following: when the host invites the visitor or the visitor registers for a gate pass, the visitor will receive an email with the HSE induction program link first. Once they visit this link, they can complete the examination online. If they get the required marks that are needed to issue the gate pass, they will get a second email with the issued gate pass.
If they do not pass on the first attempt, they can attempt again by starting the process all over. This process ensures that all the visitors who are arriving at these specialized environments are fully aware of the standards they need to keep.
Visitor Entry and Exit Tracking
Once a visitor enters into a facility by scanning a gate pass, their details are instantly logged into the system along with their gate pass details, their visitor identification details, and the date and time of the entry. During the exit, the details are once again logged to the system along with exit time and date.
This provides a detailed log of each and every visitor who has accessed the facility. These reports can be easily downloaded and printed by navigating to the report section in the dashboard.
Different gate pass types
The different gate pass types include visitor gate pass, employee gate pass, vehicle gate pass, vendor or contractor gate pass, material gate pass, etc. All these gate pass types can be easily created using the Entry2Exit gate pass management system.
Each category of the gate pass has its own use case. For example, the visitor gate pass may require only the visitor details, ID card, visit purpose, date and time, etc. But an employee gate pass will require their employment ID, department, official email, etc. as well.
While these are straightforward, a vehicle gate pass will require the number plate of the car. In order for the security to grant access to the premises, by integrating the gate pass system with our parking management system, the arrived vehicles can be easily identified and automatically granted access through ANPR or automatic number plate recognition cameras, along with automatic barrier gates. This ensures a faster and smoother entry when they arrive at the facility.
Another category of gate passes are the vendor or contractor gate passes. These passes usually last for a day to several weeks according to the complexity of the service that they are required to do. These types of gate passes usually will also have an HSE induction program that needs to be passed for the workers under the contractor.
Another type of gate passes are the material gate passes where instead of people, items are granted the access or exit from a facility. The material gate passes can be classified into returnable and non-returnable items based on their nature. These details are verified by the security staff at the gates before giving access to enter the facility or to exit the facility.
Multi-Level Approvals for Gate Passes
When it comes to gate pass management, approvals are a key factor. Entry2Exit offers multiple levels of approvals for different gate pass types. This can come in handy when you require to have multiple approvals from different departments in order for a gate pass to be issued.
All this can happen in one click and an email is then sent to the respective department heads or the people who are allocated to provide approvals. They can check the details and approve from their side. Once all the levels of approvals are finished, the visitor or the person who is intended to be given the gate pass will get the gate pass on their inbox.
This is a unique feature that Entry2Exit provides and is often a very long and resource-requiring process when done in a traditional way.
Get Started with Entry2Exit Gate Pass System
If you are looking for a gate pass system, look no further. Entry2Exit is the one-stop solution for everything gate pass. We have ready-made modules, custom integrations, and we offer custom solutioning to meet your goals of successful visitor management. Contact our sales or book a demo to get more details and quotes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a gate pass and why is it important?
A gate pass is a document or a digital pass that provides all the details necessary for a visitor to gain access to a facility. It includes the visitor’s name, identification details, purpose of visit, who they are meeting, and the date and time of the visit.
Gate passes are important because they help building admins keep track of who is entering and exiting the premises, which is critical for security and compliance purposes.
How does a digital gate pass work?
A digital gate pass works by either having the visitor apply online or the host inviting the visitor directly through the system. Once the details are filled in and the host approves, the visitor receives the gate pass via email or SMS with a QR code.
When the visitor arrives at the facility, they scan the QR code at the gate for entry. Their entry and exit times are automatically logged into the system.
What are the different types of gate passes?
The main types of gate passes include visitor gate passes, employee gate passes, vehicle gate passes, vendor or contractor gate passes, and material gate passes. Each type serves a different purpose and requires different sets of information.
For example, a vehicle gate pass requires the number plate details, while a material gate pass tracks items entering or leaving a facility and can be classified as returnable or non-returnable.
What is an HSE induction and when is it required for a gate pass?
An HSE induction is a health, safety, and environment examination that visitors or workers may need to pass before a gate pass is issued. This is typically required in specialized environments like food manufacturing factories, oil and gas plants, and similar high-risk areas.
The visitor receives the induction program link via email, completes the examination online, and only receives the gate pass after achieving the required marks.
Can a gate pass system handle multiple levels of approvals?
Yes, a gate pass system like Entry2Exit supports multiple levels of approvals for different gate pass types. This means different department heads or authorized personnel can be assigned to approve a gate pass before it is issued.
Each approver receives an email notification, reviews the details, and approves from their end. The gate pass is only issued to the visitor once all required approval levels are completed.
