If you have made the decision to replace your current key system with a new card access system for your business, congratulations! There is no question that the technological benefits of a card access system outweigh a standard keying system, so you have made an excellent choice. If you have agreed on a price and set a card access installation date, then you might think that you are done and the rest is up to the installer. However, there are still steps you can take to be prepared for the day of installation which will help ensure that your access control system is up and running smoothly and exactly as it needs to be from day one. Keep in mind that the card access installer does not know your schedule or your company’s employees. He or she will make sure everything functions, but they are relying on you to give them detailed information in order to make the system work properly. By gathering this information prior to the card access installation, you will save yourself from having to scramble around on installation day and making costly mistakes.
4 Easy Steps to Prepare For Access Control System Installation
- Create Your List Of People Who Need Access – The first step in the preparation of having an access control system installed is to compose a list of all employees and other staff members who will be given access cards or codes. It’s important that you carefully consider your entire list of employees to ensure you’re including everyone from your day to day employees to your cleaning staff that will also need access to the building. If you realized that you’ve missed people once the card access installation is complete and the technician has left, you will end up paying for extra service calls to make any tweaks or additions for people or things you may have missed. This is why it is crucial to get a complete list prepared ahead of time that includes everyone who will need building access before the installation. The card access installer will make sure that all the appropriate people are given access and that your system is working properly.
- Organize Your List of Access Staff – In order to best configure your new access control system, The Flying Locksmiths recommends that you place your staff into designated “groups”. For example, if a large chunk of your workforce enters the building at 9:00 am and leaves at 5:00 pm, you can place all those employees into one group in order to simplify the card access system. These systems can handle multiple time zones, but having a different time zone for each employee will be extremely cumbersome and confusing when you need to make changes. Think of the system as a work schedule; group 1 will enter between 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, while group 2 is the late crew that works 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm and group 3 includes the big shots who have 24/7 access.
- Check Your Door Closers – It’s important that you check all of your door closers on your property to ensure they are securely closing. Otherwise, poorly functioning doors will defeat the purpose of installing an access card system. If a staff member uses their access card in the morning to enter the building, but the door doesn’t latch behind him, then everyone else is just coming and going without using their credentials. This means anyone can enter the building at any time and the lock is not keeping a record of who came in and, or at which time. The same goes for “propping” doors. Employees may not like having to tap an ID badge or fob every time they enter the building, but if you see them wedging the door open, you will have paid a lot of money for nothing. The doors must remain closed and securely locked at all times.
- Talk To Your Employees and Access Personnel – In addition to installing an access control system to improve your business’ security, it’s just as important that your employees and access personnel understand the system and how it works. For example, here at The Flying Locksmiths, we do a lot of work for day care centers who have card access systems. The parents are given a code, that allows them to enter the building in order to drop their children off in the mornings. The center director wanted that code to work from 7:30 am – 5:30 pm, so that is how we configured the system. However, the center director received several complaints from the parents who were unhappy with the time restraint. Many of the parents’ watches or phones would say 7:30 am, but according to the lock it was only 7:27 am. This resulted in the parents having to stand outside the door for three minutes until the access control system read 7:30 am. When you are a busy mother or father trying to get to work on time, waiting three minutes feels like an eternity.
When it comes to installing your new access control system, a little preparation will go a long way! Don’t scramble last minute to gather the necessary details needed to ensure your building’s safety. Instead, take a few minutes out of your day and sit down and think about how you want your system to work. You will be happy you did! If you don’t know where to start, call us at 1-800-649-5397 or contact The Flying Locksmiths today to get started with a building security risk assessment. Our professional locksmiths will provide you with a comprehensive list of recommendations to best secure your business and its assets. We proudly serve businesses throughout the United States!