Businesses of all types are now able to reopen again, but that doesn’t mean that daily operations will look similar to pre-COVID life. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has done a tremendous job of providing thoughtful and thorough reopening guidelines for a variety of businesses to reopen and operate their business with the mindset of helping to limit the spread. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also put out a reopening guidance article that shares = specific reopening guides for each state.
Once you have the information needed to reopen and operate your business successfully, putting those guidelines into effect will most likely be your next steps. Here at GoZone WiFi, are priority has always been to provide smart solutions for brick-and-mortar venues to help them improve customer engagement and grow their business. We still have that priority in mind, but we also want to make sure we’re doing in a safe and cautious manner. Below are some smart tools we found that can help a variety of brick-and-mortar stores feel confident in operating their business while keeping in line with CDC guidelines as well.
Cloth Masks for Employees and Customers
As stated by the CDC, “Cloth face coverings are meant to protect other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected but does not have symptoms.” It may take some getting used to, but it would be a wise choice to implement a mask policy for your entire staff to help limit the spread of COVID. You can provide your staff the appropriate guidelines on using, removing, and washing a cloth mask as provided by the CDC.
Smart Tip: Check with other local small businesses to see if anyone is selling homemade cloth masks. It may be tempting to hop online to purchase masks, but choosing to shop local first helps promote the mindset that small businesses are looking out for one another during these difficult times.
Laser Thermometers to Check for Fever
According to the WHO and CDC, a fever is considered one of the most common symptoms of someone potentially having contracted COVID-19. If you decide to reopen a percentage of your dine-in establishment to the public, consider investing in a laser thermometer. While these devices should NOT be considered the end-all-be-all device for screening customers for a fever due to COVID-19, they can provide some clarity on whether or not someone has a fever.
Smart Tip:Â If you decide on using a laser thermometer, make sure to purchase one that is meant to be used on people. Certain laser thermometers are meant for construction and industrial use. so make sure you read over the product carefully so you make the right purchase the first time.
Online Table Reservations to Prevent Congestion
If you own or operate a restaurant venue, then you most likely know about the 25% to 50% max capacity seating. Additionally, most states are enforcing a 6 feet apart rule for proper social distancing. Walk-in business is great, but too many folks congregating at your front door can quickly become a health hazard.
Consider moving to an online-only reservation system for the time being. There are many simple tools that allow guests to easily access online reservations, either when on-site or at home. By using a type of online tool, you can save valuable staff time by letting technology do the work.
Smart Tip: We understand that budgets for a lot of brick-and-mortar stores have changed over the past few months, so we wanted to let you know there’s an online reservation tool out here that is completely free to use. Shout out to Table Agent for providing business a completely free platform for restaurants who are just starting to place their feet on solid ground again.
Touchless Menus for Comfort and Cost Savings
This new and innovative tool was designed for restaurants and similar brick-and-mortar venues. Touchless Menu works by turning a customer’s mobile phone into a digital menu board. Using a Touchless Menu provides peace a mind to your guest by eliminating any need of touching anything else but their own phone to view your menu. Going digital with your menu is also cost effective as most restaurants now have to look towards having disposable menus printed on a continual basis.
Touchless Menu works by your digital menu via your WiFi network. Just have your guests to the WiFi and they’ll have your entire menu in the palm of your hands. An easy-to use drag-and-drop builder allows you to make updates and price changes to your menu items on the fly.
Touchless Menu was originally created with restaurants in mind, but its versatility allows other venues such as retailers, coffee shops, and also bar and clubs to take advantage of contactless menu distribution.
Smart Tip: Pair you Touchless Menu with a fully fleshed WiFi marketing platform, and you’ll have email marketing, social media engagement, and analytic features all packed into your guest WiFi network. As guests use your WiFi, you can send them on emails on the spot with important information and tips on how to stay safe during COVID-19.
QR Code Generator to Keep Guests Connected
If you currently don’t have a guest WiFi network, but want to encourage guests to use a digital menu, QR codes are a great alternative to printed menus. Guests can access specific online pages such as your website, online shop, reservation tool, and more, just by having them scan a QR code with their smartphone. By placing capabilities such as viewing a menu, ordering, and more on a guest’s smart phone, you have greatly limited the amount of physical touch points for customers.
QR codes are great for directing guests to web pages without the need for lengthy URLs or google searches. QR codes even work Touchless Menus, so guests can access your digital menu even if you don’t have a guest WiFi network.
Smart Tip:Â Place your QR codes on an easy to scan document that is placed strategically throughout your venue. When a guest needs to access a certain web page, you’ll want to make sure they can scan for it at a moment’s notice.
If you’re looking for new tools or even just some helpful tips to ensure your business is safely operating during COVID-19, our team is here to help. GoZone WiFi employs a variety of workers who have had successful past experiences in the restaurant, retail, and hospitality industry. We’ve taken those past experiences and applied them to our Smart WiFi suite, to offer you digital tools to help you reopen and operate your business safely and confidentially. Contact us today to learn or schedule a demo, we’re here to help.
