Meeting the new responsibility to store customer contact details for NHS Track & Trace, while still protecting customer data privacy, is one of the biggest challenges facing operators as the hospitality industry prepares for reopening next week, warns sector technology specialist Airship.
The government’s guidance asks businesses to assist with NHS Track & Trace by keeping a temporary record of customers for 21 days. While many hospitality businesses already capture customer data through wifi, table reservations and other platforms, this does not reach every customer who visits. Additionally, current privacy policies don’t cover the need to delete customer data after 21 days.
In response, Airship is launching a new Visitor Registration & Check-in solution for operators to make sure they are able to meet government advice, provide reassurance to customers and seize the opportunity to capture new customer data. It automatically cleans data after 21 days, while also giving customers several opportunities to sign up to the outlet’s database when they first register.
According to recent UKHospitality/CGA research, 68% of customers want to feel safe when they return to pubs and restaurants, and Airship CEO Dan Brookman believes Visitor Registration & Check-in can help create a reassuring environment.
“People are desperate to get back to pubs & restaurants, but at the same time many are worried about the risk of Covid-19 transmission and keen to ‘do the right thing’ to prevent further outbreaks.
“Having a visible Visitor Registration & Check-in system in place can help to reassure customers that they are in safe hands, in the same way that screens and hand sanitiser are also now expected. These measures may seem alien now, but they are going to be part and parcel of ‘normal life’ for many months or longer, and getting the right Visitor Registration & Check-in system in place from the outset is important.”
The need to capture customer data also presents hospitality businesses with an opportunity to expand their database – a function that is handled seamlessly through Airship’s solution.
Brookman added: “The hospitality industry has been decimated by four months of lockdown, and now faces reopening in extremely challenging conditions. The need to collect customer details to help NHS Track & Trace is a rare silver lining in the Covid-19 cloud and all operators should be embracing it as they look to reboot their business over the coming months.”
Airship’s Visitor Registration & Check-in solution is charged on a ‘one off’ basis at between £30 and £50 per location depending on estate size. The SMS confirmation codes cost 5p each and can be purchased in blocks of 1,000. Airship has also committed not to send any invoices during July, to give businesses a chance to reopen before needing to make payment.
For further information, visit www.airship.co.uk
How Visitor Registration & Check-in works
- On their first visit to a venue, customers can quickly register their details, which are authenticated through a reply SMS and unique code.
- If customers revisit within 21 days, they simply scan the QR code displayed in venue and are logged in with a fresh date and timestamp.
- If customers revisit more than 21 days later, they will need to register their details again.
