Listen to this blog (5 mins)
Keeping unwanted entrants out is your first line of defense for a safer school. Custody issues also present schools with huge security concerns, not to mention the issue of releasing a student to a non-custodial parent or guardian. Now, the invisible threat of COVID-19 is another danger that looms over students and staff. The most powerful visitor management systems can help protect your school community from all these threats.
Whether you are implementing visitor management for the first time or looking to replace a current system, you need to evaluate how the software aligns with your needs and how the software provider will ensure your long-term success. Asking the questions below can help you make the most informed decision.
Top 6 Questions
- Is the solution designed for K-12?
Each district—and sometimes even each school within the district—has different visitor management challenges and needs. When you choose a vendor who is built for K-12, you not only receive software that is tailored to these needs, but a partner who can help you build the best visitor management processes for your school. - Can the system grow as your needs grow?
When your visitor management system is designed to be adaptable and the vendor is in line with the ever-changing needs of school safety, you can be confident the system can fit your needs now and for years to come. For example, COVID-19 required schools to quickly adjust their policies and implement things like health screening and contact tracing. The strongest providers quickly and intelligently updated their software to meet these latest demands. Also consider if the solution provides flexible configurations, like staff-assisted options or contactless kiosks, that can be adjusted as your needs change.
- Can the system integrate with an all-in-one school safety suite?
A fully integrated suite simply makes everything easier. You can be confident your data is shared across the entire suite and that everything seamlessly works together. An integrated visitor and emergency management system also enables you to account for everyone—including students, staff, visitors, contractors, volunteers, and guardians—in an emergency. - Does the solution provider have experience working with districts of all sizes?
Each K-12 client presents its own unique considerations and challenges depending on their size, location, and resources. A valuable partner has experience with various clients—from the nation’s largest school districts to single-school districts and every size in between—and can anticipate and guide clients through any challenge. - Does the solution provider have adequate resources to support you and maintain utmost security?
The right vendor has the resources necessary to invest in the IT security requirements that are crucial to the success of any project, but in particular projects that involve sensitive K-12 data. Your partner should provide uninterrupted service, regular software updates, data that’s been secured in-use and thoroughly backed up, and data recovery that’s been tested pre- and post-deployment. - Does the solution provider put customer success first?
In an environment that encounters frequent changes to staff, protocols, and industry best practices, schools need ongoing resources for continued success, like 24/7 live technical support, weekly live learning and development sessions, quarterly data analysis and business reviews, as well as exclusive roundtable events and webinar series.
The Raptor Difference
Raptor Visitor Management is used by over 35,000 K-12 schools—more schools than all other providers combined—and is part of a fully integrated safety suite that is built just for K-12. The most important distinction between Raptor Visitor Management and all the others is something no one else can offer: the Raptor partnership. To learn more, contact us today to set up a personalized demo.
