It’s the 21st century. Why are some companies still using paper sign-up sheets to collect contact information from leads at events and conferences? Using paper and pen signup sheets are bound to cause problems. Whether it’s a pen that won’t work, illegible handwritten entries, or worst of all, having the sign-up sheet misplaced or thrown away, you run a huge risk of losing valuable information by utilizing a paper contact list. Not to mention the time it takes to manually input that information into a computer or database after the event. Talk about a negative return on investment!

Thankfully, technology has come to the rescue in many forms, including the almighty badge scanner. You may have heard of it—but oddly enough, not everyone uses it. This simple tool eliminates the need for paper files and manual entry of information into a database by instead scanning an attendee’s name badge. Simply engage with the potential lead, qualify them, and ask to scan his or her badge to obtain their contact info. Once the event ends, you are able to plug your badge scanner into your computer at the office and all files will be uploaded directly into a spreadsheet of your choosing. With this data, you can quickly insert your new leads into your marketing automation program and begin your post-event marketing campaign.

By using badge scanners, exhibitors have the ability to quickly and accurately obtain sales leads’ information in one easy movement. It only makes sense to utilize this technology. After all, every trade show attendee is given a badge with their information on it when they enter the event area. Why wouldn’t you want to grab that information as swiftly as possible? The less time you spend writing down lead information (or worse, asking the lead to write down his or her information for you), the more time you can spend engaging with that individual or moving on to another lead to obtain even more potential clients for your company.

In addition to being an extremely efficient tool, badge scanners are one-time expenses that do all the work for you. This means less time passes between obtaining a lead and being able to pass that information off to your phenomenal salespeople after the event. This is great news for everyone! Your interested and excited leads will be able to obtain the products and services they need more quickly and your business just saved time and money, all while growing and gaining respect.

Even though events are an old and familiar setting for many businesses, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t update your processes at the event. Join the ranks of those who are making technology work for them instead of the other way around!