Rec center front desk personnel are often busy greeting members, performing important administrative duties and acting as cashiers. These distractions make it easy for members and visitors to enter the facility unnoticed without having their membership card validated.
To improve entry point security, rec centers are increasingly choosing to integrate access control turnstiles with their membership management systems.
Improved security and throughput
When turnstiles are part of the entry process, access readers are integrated with turnstiles. Instead of presenting a credential to an attendant for validation, patrons present their credential to the turnstile reader. The membership system processes the presented credential. If valid, the turnstile opens (or unlocks depending on the type), allowing a single passage. If invalid, the turnstile remains closed and the attendant is notified.
The use of a locking barrier greatly minimizes the opportunity for unauthorized entries into the facility. It also speeds throughput because members are not required to wait for personnel to validate their credentials.
Other benefits
One important feature of a membership system is its ability to identify who is currently inside the facility, as well as historic member and guest-use patterns. Integrating turnstiles into the entry process improves the accuracy of membership system data by ensuring that users cannot bypass the system. This allows facilities to have the confidence that their system data is current and correct.
Finally, the use of entry turnstiles frees attendants to perform other tasks.
The integration process
Most modern turnstiles integrate with virtually any membership management system. In the past, traditional 3-arm turnstiles were commonly used. In recent years, however, a number of facilities are incorporating modern optical turnstiles to automate and control the entry process.
Whatever type, integrating turnstiles with your membership management system improves security, throughput, as well as the accuracy of system data.
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