A visitor management system is software that records every person who enters a building, and asks the right person to approve each entry. In an Indian housing society, it is the part of the society management app in which the guard logs each visitor, delivery and domestic worker, and the resident approves the entry on a phone. Offices use similar systems at reception, as part of desk booking and workplace management.
Visitors come in three kinds, and the system treats each kind differently. A one-time visitor, such as a delivery rider or an unexpected guest, needs approval each time. A pre-approved guest receives an entry code from the resident in advance. A daily helper, such as a cook, a driver or a housekeeper, is registered once, and then checks in and out every day.
Here is a typical case at a society in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow. At 8:40 pm, a food delivery rider arrives at the gate with an order for flat B-703. The guard opens the app on the gate's tablet, enters the rider's name and phone number, and takes his photo. The app sends a notification to both residents of B-703. One of them taps Approve after 20 seconds, and the guard lets the rider in. If no one had replied within a minute, the guard could have called the flat through the app. Earlier that day, the family's cook checked in at 7:05 am with her registered code, and checked out at 9:30 am. The residents can see both times in the app. That evening, guests for a birthday party each show a six-digit code at the gate, and the guard enters it instead of asking for approval.
Cameras now automate parts of this work. Computer vision software can recognise faces and read number plates. When a resident's car reaches the gate, a camera reads its number plate, which is called ANPR, and the boom barrier opens through physical access control. Some societies let registered domestic workers check in by face instead of with a code.
The same data raises questions of privacy. The system records who visits each flat and when, and keeps photographs of every delivery rider and domestic worker. Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the society and the app company must tell people what data they collect and why. They must collect only what they need, keep it safe, and delete it when it is no longer needed. A photograph or a face scan that identifies a person is personal data, so it needs this care too.