INCREASING SECURITY WITH APPROVAL WORKFLOWS

What is an approval workflow?

What are workflows and what are they used for?   

Workflows are a series of pre-defined and consecutive processes following each other automatically. The completion of one process step triggers the initiation of the subsequent step. Thus, a workflow ensures that process steps are implemented in the correct order and within defined timelines, and that no partial tasks go missing along the way.

 

Integration of workflows into approval processes

A special form of workflows is the so-called approval workflow. In this case, the pre-defined process steps are the confirmation or approval of processes. A common example is an automated request for leave where supervisors are automatically notified as soon as employees enter their chosen vacation days into a system. Each completed application is forwarded to the pre-defined manager whose reply is submitted automatically to the applicant and to the HR department without further communication being required. Therefore, the advantage of an approval workflow is the systemized, lean and facilitated communication.

How can approval workflows be integrated into visitor management?

Also for visitor management, granting approvals often plays an important role. Each external business partner, but also craftsmen or suppliers accessing the company premises must be invited in advance and registered at the reception.

Especially security-sensitive industries frequently require approval of one or more supervisors. This process, which results in more control when managing external persons, is often extremely complicated without digital visitor management, since forms must be completed, distributed and signed. Quite often, this results in unnecessary, time-consuming and extremely inefficient processes.

How does the VISIT approval workflow work?

With a digital visitor management system such as VISIT by ASTRUM IT, all steps of managing visitors, from scheduling and inviting visitors up to welcoming the visitors at the reception, can be automated and represented in a software application.

The approval workflow feature can be chosen as part of the VISIT Secure package and allows for a seamless integration of the approval process into the digital registration process.

Individual security levels with the respective approval processes can be set in advance for individual departments or different reasons for visiting. If an employee selects one of the visit intentions which requires special access rights, the software automatically sends approval requests to the relevant employees and tracks their processing. Only after all required approvals are stored in the system will the visitor be allowed to access the company premises, and the visit will thus be enabled.

Efficient visitor management thanks to workflow integration

The advantages of approval workflows are obvious. Employees do not have to care for access approvals and their granting when scheduling visits. The system autonomically checks whether an approval requirement is set, and if so, it automatically sends the required messages and approval requests. This ensures not only that no approval requests are forgotten, but also avoids floods of internal e-mails which otherwise are often required.

Workflow automation for increased security of visitor management

The VISIT workflow module allows you to integrate an additional security level into the registration process. The approval workflow is triggered automatically when a pre-registration for a visitor is created and a visit type requiring approval or a security-relevant access right is chosen.
Therefore, visitors can only access the premises when all persons or groups of persons requested to grant their approval have done so. The security of your company premises thus significantly improves, since it is ensured that all relevant decision makers know about the visit and grant their approval. Depending on the security need, the approval workflow can also include one or more steps, which is useful to provide additional protection for especially sensitive departments.
 

Uninterrupted documentation of the approval process

Another advantage of digital visitor management is the uninterrupted and forgery-proof documentation of the entire process, including all approvals granted. Thus, all steps can be reviewed and tracked also retrospectively. The company management can see at any time which employees authorize which visitors and what departments they will visit.

Who should use approval workflows?

Approval workflows for visitor management are generally suited for any company that has external visitors. However, there are two cases where they are particularly relevant.

Approval workflows in large companies

The larger the company, the more important efficient processes become. The more visitors are received, the more helpful digital systems are, because they enable you to keep track of all processes. Digital approval workflows are the means of choice to avoid excessive paperflows and floods of e-mails.

In addition to that, in large corporations it is often difficult to personally meet the managers required for approval within a given timeframe. The visitor management system facilitates the process of approval granting by combining visit scheduling and approval in one system.

Approval workflows in security-sensitive industries

Not only large companies and corporations need efficient approval workflows. The software module is important for smaller companies as well if they operate in security-sensitive industries.

Food, pharmaceutical, financial, chemical. The list of industries with an increased security need is long. If every visit on the premises must be strictly scheduled and documented, an efficient approval process should be implemented as well. The additional monitoring capacities for all visits reduce sources of error, and unauthorized people can be prevented from entering the premises.