Food and Beverage

5 steps to a safe hospitality Track & Trace

Following the Government’s new guidance on how to reopen hospitality businesses post-lockdown, there has been a large debate over the new Track & Trace requirements. Between managing the numbers of guests, heightened hygiene and social distance policing, restaurants, pubs, bars and cafés have a lot on their plate. The last thing they need is to worry about abiding by the data-protection legislation they might not be familiar with. Luckily, we’re here to help. Read on to find our 5 steps to a safe hospitality Track & Trace.

1. Get organised

First things first, if you don’t have a booking system in place you will need to develop a plan for crowd management. Will customers form a line? Where can they stand? Will there be a member of staff managing the queue? Once you’ve answered all these questions, don’t forget to fully inform and train your staff as they will be the one acting on the behalf of your business on the day.

2. Go digital

Forget a pen and paper, we’re not even going to list the number of issues such a process would create in today's digital, data privacy sensitive, mid-pandemic world. Instead, find a digital solution to recording customers’ details. Get a tablet that will be easy to use and consider getting a stand (or a standing table) to ease the customer registration. Think practically - it might be better to get a backup for when the tablet runs out of charge or anything else goes wrong. Finally, don’t forget to make it simple for your staff to use, that means no complicated passwords!

3. Don’t forget hygiene

If you let your visitors input their data on their own, you want to prevent the worst case scenario - virus transmission. Have an antibacterial gel dispenser ready for your visitors to use before they give you their details. It’s likely you will have an antibacterial solution already in place so just be mindful to place it right.

4. Get a ready made solution

Did you know that White Label Loyalty has created a simple solution that will do the job for you? Our Hospitality Covid-19 Track & Trace System works on a web app that you can open on any device and let guests arriving to your venue simply input their contact details. Alternatively, one of your staff can record the details of your customers upon entry. What’s the best part? Not only is it fast to implement and easy to run, you also don’t have to worry about privacy breaches or being GDPR compliant as our data is securely stored and handled.

5. Keep customers informed

It’s likely your customers won’t understand why they need to give you their personal contact details. You might even experience some resistance to comply. The best way to approach this is to include handling such a situation into your staff training so that there is a process in place. Prepare a friendly explanation in layman terms and instruct your staff on what to do if things get escalated. We all hope it will never get to that but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

BONUS:

Whilst you’re already collecting data on your customers, why not consider using it? You can give your visitors the choice to opt into marketing communications. This way, you get to keep their contact details for future reference and start building loyalty through offers and rewards. Rebuilding rapport with our customers and profit from an increased customer retention, we hear you say? Yes, it’s possible! Get in touch with us today to discuss details.

by Kristyna Kroblova