Technology such as key control and management systems is most valuable when it’s used not just to strengthen security, but also to make employee management easier and more meaningful. Generally, the more flexible, user-friendly, and integrated the system is, the greater the benefits for both management and employees themselves.

Here are a few ways in which key control and management systems can improve employee management in key control and beyond.

Ongoing reporting on staff activity

Today’s leading key control systems track key usage automatically. As a result, authorized employees can simply go about their daily business without having to log their key usage. Meanwhile, management doesn’t have to worry about tracking when staff access certain keys, and can instead focus their efforts on more urgent tasks. As needed, the supervisor can generate customizable on-demand reports on staff activity (showing the keys staff accessed, when they’re due, etc.), or the system can automatically create and email reports at regular intervals.

Instant updates and alerts on key usage

While it’s important to monitor when important keys go missing or overdue, very few managers want to spend excess time tracking down who had the key last (particularly in the case of larger businesses). With today’s key control systems, management can easily look up the status and transaction history of any key in the system from their mobile device; better yet, many key control systems can instantly inform management by email or text message when a key is missing or overdue.

Ensuring business compliance

Many businesses must abide by a variety of government or other security regulations that relate to key control. To that end, key control systems can help ensure that corresponding data is being captured and monitored. But the system can also use rule-based behavior to ensure that staff are complying with regulations – for example, the system can prevent users from taking out keys to two authorized areas at the same time. These efforts can be even more effective when the key control system is integrated with other systems, e.g., access control. For example, if an employee attempts to leave the office with a restricted key, the access control system can deny egress until the key has been returned.

Integrate employee data with records from other business systems

Integrating key control with other siloed systems can be a powerful way to streamline staff management. Rather than keep track of multiple records for each employee, businesses can manage employees’ key control, facility-access and other credentials through a single system – with changes made in one system syncing to the all the others. Aside from helping to save time and reduce the likelihood of data entry error, management can get a more complete picture of staff activity, as well as of any contractors’ and visitors in the system.

Some integrations are provided by the key control or other system provider, and in other instances users can work with the provider to create a custom integration. Today key control systems are integrated with a variety of systems, ranging from access control to IP video surveillance, intrusion and fire alarm systems, and more.

By streamlining how keys are used and tracked, businesses can help strengthen security, improve efficiency and save time both for employees and the staff who manage them.

For more information on understanding key control systems and best practices, download our free whitepaper.