In March 2022, Kadence added a visitor management system to its hybrid workplace platform. A visitor management system is software that handles how guests are invited, prepared for and checked in at an office. The release let employees invite guests in the same flow they used to book desks for themselves and their teammates, and it sent each guest a branded invitation, arrival instructions and a health check before the visit.
The release reflected its moment. Offices were refilling after the pandemic, and many companies asked visitors for health declarations or proof of vaccination. Some of those steps belong to that period. The underlying job, giving guests a good first impression while knowing who is on site, has not gone away. For what the product does today, see the Kadence visitor management system page.
What did the 2022 visitor management launch add?
The launch put guest invitations inside Kadence’s existing booking flow. Employees could book a space for themselves, for a teammate or for a visitor without switching tools. Guests were invited by email and received booking details, arrival instructions and a health check, all carrying the company’s own logo.
Before the release, many teams used a separate platform for visitors. That meant a second tool to learn and a second record of who was coming in. The launch removed that step for hosts and gave workplace teams one place to see desk bookings, meetings and guests.
How were guests invited on site?
A host started a new booking and chose one of two types. A desk booking reserved a place for the guest to work. An onsite booking covered a guest who came in for a meeting and did not need a desk. The host entered the guest’s name and email address, and Kadence sent the invitation and reminders.
Bookings could be all day, recurring or standard. Because the invitation, instructions and health check all came from one system, the guest received a consistent, on-brand set of messages instead of a mix of calendar invites and forwarded emails.
How did the release handle health and safety checks?
Admins could set up pre-arrival instructions that were sent to guests automatically. In 2022 these could include the company’s health check policy, a requirement to show proof of vaccination, directions to the building and where to park. Guests could self-certify before arrival that they had no COVID symptoms.
If there was an outbreak, admins could pull a list of everyone who had been on site for contact tracing. The COVID checks reflect workplace rules at the time. The general principle still applies to enterprise workplaces: a single record of employees and guests shows who was in the building on a given day, which matters for security, emergencies and compliance.
How did admins set it up?
Setup took four steps in the Kadence mobile app or desktop platform:
- Go to Settings > Visitor management.
- Turn on the Visitor management feature.
- Upload the company logo, so guest emails carry the company’s brand.
- Add guest arrival instructions and any entry requirements for the building.
What did a visit look like from invitation to check-in?
- The host started a new booking and chose “desk” or “onsite”.
- The host picked the date and time: all day, recurring or standard.
- The host entered the guest’s name and email address. For an onsite booking, this was the last step.
- For a desk booking, the host selected a desk and confirmed.
- The guest received an email invitation with the company’s health check policies to complete before arrival.
- A reminder went to the guest up to 24 hours before the visit.
- On the day, the guest received an email that let them check in up to 30 minutes before the booking. Checking in notified the host.
- If the booking was canceled, both the host and the guest received an email.
Frequently asked questions
What is a visitor management system?
A visitor management system is software that manages guests at a workplace: who is invited, what they need to know before arriving, and when they check in. Kadence’s March 2022 release built this into the same flow employees used to book desks, so hosts did not need a separate tool.
Could a visitor book a desk as well as attend a meeting?
Yes. At launch, hosts could make a desk booking to reserve a place for a guest to work, or an onsite booking for a guest who only needed to attend a meeting.
How did hosts know a guest had arrived?
On the day of the visit, the guest received an email that let them check in up to 30 minutes before the booking. Checking in sent a notification to the host.