Information Services Group Launches Project to Replace Visitor Registration System

The University’s Information Services Group (ISG) looks to support replacement of the Visitor Registration System (VRS) with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform.

The University’s current Visitor Registration System (VRS), managed by ISG’s Service Management team, is reaching end of life and operating on outdated technology. In response, ISG recently initiated a project to deliver a replacement system for the functionality and dashboard in the current VRS.

The VRS is an administrative system used across the University community to record the presence of visitors on University property and provide them with access to a wide range of resources and services. For example, one of its many functionalities includes supporting the University Library with visitor management. The project is prioritizing engagement with a wide array of stakeholders in the user community to ensure their opinions and concerns are addressed throughout the project lifecycle.

In autumn 2020, ISG started researching the feasibility of utilising a CRM platform to support the replacement of the current VRS system. The team mapped the functionality of the current system to future options considering inputs such as webform, visitor record, service list/catalogue, approvals, workflows, alerts and notifications. The analysis concluded that “out of the box” CRM functionality and configurability, is able to cover a large amount of the requirements and reduce any gaps in the VRS system. Research is ongoing to ensure any possible gaps, issues and costs are fully considered in replacing the system.

The VRS is closely integrated with other existing systems such as Identity Management (IDM). As such, the replacement system will need work closely with the IDM User Community. Overall, the project aims to ensure the replacement system can interact with current IDM functions, manage visitor relationships through tasks and workflow, enable support tasks and information lookup and ensure the user community is consulted and informed throughout.

The project plans to complete business analysis in early 2021 to address questions that arose during the recent CRM analysis. Throughout its lifecycle, the project will take an iterative approach to purchase license, configure and develop towards delivery. To learn more about ISG and stay up to date on their latest projects, follow @UoE_ISApps on Twitter and visit the ISG website.