A guestbook also referred to as visitor log, visitors’ book, or visitors’ album, is a paper or electronic means for visitors to acknowledge a visit to a site, physical or web-based, and leave details such as their name, electronic or postal address and any other comments. Guest books are commonly used in churches, weddings, funerals, museums, institutions, schools, and other private facilities that are open to the public.
When you are visiting a business establishment, you will, in most cases, be required to sign a guest book. This may not be a big deal to you, but it certainly has its benefits to the owner of the business or the establishment. Some of the benefits include:
Fire Safety
In the event of a fire outbreak, it is important to ensure that all the employees and any visitors on the premise are safe. The best and the most efficient way to do this is by having a guest book.
If a fire goes off and you must evacuate the building, a guest book will help you take the roll call and locate everyone who is in the building. By having the visitors sign in and out, you can be able to see who should and shouldn’t be there.
Keeping track of equipment
A guest book can be helpful in keeping track of your equipment. If someone visits your business and they borrow a piece of equipment either to use onsite or offsite, as it is human nature to forget, a guest book can help you keep a record of who borrowed what when. After they are done with the equipment, and they return it, then you can have them tick it off the list. This ensures that all your tools are accounted for.
Leaving Company Reviews
In most businesses, you will always find a guest book on their front desk or a coffee table so that you can leave your review of their products and services. This is usually meant to ensure that the employees offer the best services to the customers as they know they will be held accountable in case of a negative review.
Having a guest book is also a great way of getting feedback from customers, and if the reviews are positive, when other visitors read them, they might feel comfortable seeking your services.
Better Security
Irrespective of the size of your business, having a guest book is an excellent way of improving security at your workplace. Having a record of everyone who visits the premise can help you quickly identify if someone is there and shouldn’t be. This is, however, more of an advantage in larger business setups where it isn’t automatically obvious is someone is an employee or a visitor.
Planning and Reference
Having your visitors sign in and out when they visit your business provides you a better reference for whom you saw and when. This can prove useful when planning future meetings or when you are reporting on whom you spoke to, whether regarding a job interview, customer meeting, or just about anything else.
Components of a Guest Book
Visitors Name
One of the most significant elements of a guest book is the name column. You must make sure that everyone visiting the premise writes down their names correctly, as you might need to refer to this in case of anything.
Time – in
Have a section on your guest list to have the visitors log in the exact time they visit the premise. This information helps determine how many people are in the building at a given time
Time – out
Your guest book should have a time-out column for the visitors to log when they exited the premise. A visitor is assumed to still be on the premise unless they sign out. In case a crime is reported, and they have not signed out, the guestbook may be considered as an exhibit. Also, in case of an emergency evacuation, the logs will be a great way of identifying who should be in the building.
Whom to see
The visitors should indicate the person they have an appointment with or whom they are visiting. This helps when directing the visitor and knowing where they are always supposed to be.
Visitors contact information
Provide a section for the visitors to fill in their contact information. This helps when you would like to contact them after they have exited the premise.
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