18 Technology Tools Businesses Should Use to Safely Reopen | Part 2
During this global pandemic, the normal rules of consumer behavior have been tossed out the window. Businesses have adopted new technologies in order to step forward in this brave new world. Below we discuss 10 additional ways to use technology to safely reopen your business during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In part 1, we saw how businesses have used technology in innovative ways to safely reopen and keep their doors open, including video walls, anti-bacterial hardware, and contactless access controls. Here are 10 more technologies that businesses should consider when stepping foot back into a post-COVID world.
9. Infrared Thermometers to Safely Reopen
Businesses increasingly need to be keeping a track of the symptoms of both customers and employees on their premises.
Infrared thermometers can quickly and easily take the temperature of anyone on your premises, making it easier to identify someone displaying symptoms of COVID-19.
Unsurprisingly, the Infrared Thermometer market is set to grow by 15% over the next five years.
10. Infrared Screening Systems
These are a step up from the traditional infrared thermometers. By using a combination of thermal imaging software and AU technology, Infrared Screening systems can detect high temperatures in a vast group of people.
If your business relies on controlling flows of people in densely populated spaces, then infrared screening systems will be an invaluable investment. Bear in mind that this sophisticated type of system can identify a person with a high temperature, but it can’t identify asymptomatic carriers.
11. Flow Control Systems
In the post-COVID era, businesses have to find ways of keeping track of numbers in a building. A flow control system can accurately track the number of people in a building through the use of counting and camera technology.
Flow control systems, combined with digital signage, can help ensure that your employees and customers do not come into too much contact with one another.
12. Voice activation
Post-COVID, our voices will most likely replace our hands when we interact with the world around us. Voice activation appliances can do away with the need to touch surfaces and catch nasty germs.
Technologies may include voice-activated requests in a lobby or reception, a voice-activated lift, or even a voice-activated vending machine. This is a great way to use technology to safely reopen as it avoid physical contact.
13. GPS Location Monitoring
These can be considered an upgrade to the flow control system. A GPS monitoring system can give you a holistic, overall view of every person in your building at any one time.
This information can be used to control the density of people in one area and inform your staff through the use of digital signage of where there might be a particular blockage or jam.
14. Ordering Applications
Another new normal taking hold of the hospitality sector is the use of ordering apps. These can be used by customers at a table to order food or drink, without having to come face-to-face with bar staff, and cut down the foot flow in busy areas.
This doesn’t just help to lower COVID transmission, but can also make for a smoother, more efficient experience for the customer.
15. Ultraviolet Cleaning Technology to Safely Reopen
Did you know that ultraviolet-C light can kill viruses and germs? One study shone some light on the matter. It showed that UVC lights are very effective at slowing the transmission of disease. In a trial of 21,000 patients, those who stayed in a UV-cleaned (in addition to normal cleaning methods) hospital room was less likely to catch drug-resistant diseases by 30%.
It’s partly so effective because it can get into the hard-to-reach corners that your scrubbers and sprays can’t. Although it hasn’t been proven to kill COVID-19, some businesses are using the hygienic effects of ultraviolet lights by using them on surfaces before opening and after closing.
16. Video Walls
Having video walls in meeting rooms is essential in an increasingly remote workforce. As face-to-face meetings are now being replaced by video calls, it’s critical for office meeting spaces to be able to easily dial in remote workers. However, a video wall has more benefits than simply being a video screen. It’s essential for remote employees to be able to stand and present as they would in real life.
One researcher predicted that roughly 55% of your communication is physical (in the forms of movements and gestures). This is why businesses should consider methods of making remote interaction as ‘real’ as possible. Video walls are another example of how technology combines the best features of office life with remote working.
17. Online Chat and Organization Applications
In the past, office workers would chat with their colleagues face-to-face if they need to ask a question or request a task. However, with face-to-face interactions becoming problematic in the COVID era, messaging apps and video conferencing software are essential for the opening of any office space.
In fact, I’m sure you’ve tried out Zoom for size already. Applications like Monday.com, fleep and Asana are making it increasingly easy to manage a team’s tasks and collaborate seamlessly.
18. QR Codes to Safely Reopen
Yes, QR codes have been around for many years before COVID set in. However, their usage has undoubtedly sky-rocketed since the pandemic. This is for the simple reason that they make the download of apps, the transfer of information, and the collection of data much easier.
So it goes without saying that QR codes will become a common feature of day-to-day business in the hospitality, retail, and commercial sectors due to their ease and efficiency.
The bottom line
Businesses have been forced to rethink the way they offer their services. And to weather the post-COVID world, you should consider using some of these tools, like digital signage, to stay in the game, weather the storm and step forward stronger than ever. Staying safe and reopening safely should be the priority during these new and challenging times.
