Over the past several years, technology has progressed so rapidly that it's led to what some call the fourth industrial revolution. Digital transformation is one of the most important changes organizations can make to improve efficiency. Yet 70% of business leaders report that they spend as much as 40% of their time on mundane tasks not core to their job descriptions.
At many organizations, these mundane tasks include overseeing a manual key control process. If you haven't digitized your key control yet, it's time. Here are four benefits you'll experience with electronic key control.
Electronic key management eliminates the guesswork of who checked out a key, when they checked it out and if they returned it. With an electronic system, employees must enter a valid password, swipe a proximity card and/or scan their fingerprint to gain access to keys. The likelihood of human error is significantly reduced, as an audit trail is created when a key is removed. The digital record includes who removed the key, the date and time the key was taken, and when or if the key was returned.
It's a common misconception that electronic key control systems are complicated and take too long to operate. This assumption could not be more wrong. On average, an electronic system is about twice as fast (or faster) than a manual process. It would take anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes to locate and remove a key from a pegboard or lockbox and manually update a log sheet. Conversely, it would only take 15 to 60 seconds to perform the same transaction with an electronic system.
Added security is by far the biggest benefit of electronic key management. When using a manual key control method, there's no way to automatically verify if an employee has the authorization to check out certain keys. An electronic system, on the other hand, can assign different access levels. With this added level of security, users can only obtain keys for which they have authorization. In addition to preventing employees from accessing keys outside their access level, electronic key management systems can also notify you of missing or overdue keys by sending a text message or email.
An electronic key management system can also reduce your organization's liability. By creating automatic, accurate key control records, you'll decrease the likelihood of theft or more horrific crimes for which your business could be held liable.
Digitizing workflows leads to improved productivity, less human error, and greater security. Most importantly, it gives you more time to focus on your organization's priorities rather than on mundane tasks. Don't leave your key control in the dark ages.