Category: Blog
2 minutes read time
The new Help Center – the answers you need, when you need them
As Leonardo da Vinci said “Learning never exhausts the mind,” and our Help Center is no exception to this. Learning is an essential part of our lives, improving the brain’s overall cognitive functions, including memory, concentration, attention to detail, and problem-solving.
The Help Center offers an excellent place for you to start your education on the WhosOnLocation features and how they integrate, empowering you and your organization to gain the most from your subscription. As you enter the Help Center, not only are you able to answer all your questions, but additionally, you are exposed to the new features of the products enabling you as a user to improve your understanding of WhosOnLocation.
The new and improved Help Center
Our new Help Center is available right now – jump into the Help Center and check out the simplified design, faster search and refined structure yourself. It can also be accessed through the WhosOnLocation app, WolMobile, and the Contractor Portal, ensuring all users can benefit from the resources available. And if you don’t find what you are looking for or want to know more, just reach out using the “Contact support” button at the top of each article.
Help Center or Customer support?
Our Help Center provides the quickest response to all your queries. Just start typing your question and you’ll see search suggestions and popular answers appearing below. Articles within our Help Center also aim to be as comprehensive as possible, providing in-depth step-by-step guides in each article.
How can the Help Center help you?
The Help Center provides support to your organization to ensure every member stays across any product improvements or advancements through the new ‘Product Updates’ page.
Additionally, the Help Center offers over 500 articles covering our features, everyday tasks you may need help with, and common troubleshooting tips for ease of use. Our step-by-step structure which includes screenshots ensures the process is as easy and simple to follow along as possible. Whether you’re a location administrator, have contractors accessing the portal, or an employee of your organization registering visitors, we have articles tailored for your experience.
3 minutes read time
Top 4 technologies to help employees feel safe as they return to work
It is fair to say that lockdown in the UK has been a strange and testing time with over 35% of Brits doing some form of working from home. However, with lockdown restrictions easing since 19 July 2021 people are starting to return to their workplaces, but with this comes a big challenge that businesses face in adapting office environments to a different way of working.
But with over five million people fearing returning to work what will this look like? Without a doubt, there will be plenty of new safety protocols involving strict personal hygiene and physical distancing, but how do we make this transition as simple and as safe as possible?
As employers, we are all navigating a different territory. The workplace we left many months ago is unlikely to be the same when we return. We haven’t experienced anything like this before, most organizations don’t have plans in place on how to return to the workplace and if they do, they haven’t been tested and in these unprecedented times the reality is likely to be very different.
Using technology to keep your employees safe
Companies across the UK face so many challenges when it comes to opening their offices again, it can be hard to know the best way to ensure employee welfare is maintained. We’ve pulled together the top 4 features to look out for in any people presence software:
Employee and guest screening
Screening all employees and guests before they come on-site ensures only those that meet your on-site criteria are granted access. Giving you and your employees confidence that only those people who meet your organizations wellness criteria are able to gain access.
It’s also incredibly beneficial to get alerted when you encounter a person who does not meet your criteria so they can be added to a watchlist and automatically denied should they attempt to gain access.
Touchless sign in/out
The less surfaces we all touch in the workplace the better for slowing the spread of germs. Ensure your software has the option for employees and guests to enter and exit your location using a touchless kiosk, QR code poster, mobile app or via the front of house team. These systems reduce health risks, improve overall hygiene, and create peace of mind for anyone entering or exiting your organization.
On-site policy acknowledgement
To maintain the highest level of hygiene for your employees and guests. Having the ability to ask everyone entering your location to read and acknowledge your onsite policies. This could be as simple as asking them to agree that they will use hand sanitiser or keep 2 meters from another person. Ensure that any question not answered correctly someone in your team can be notified and access to denied.
Limit numbers on-site
Automatically set the number of people allowed to be on-site at any one time rather than leaving it up to an individual. This feature removes the responsibility on the front of house team or security team ensuring anyone attempting to gain access when on-site numbers are met are denied and one of your employees are notified. A great feature for managing on-site social distancing.
WhosOnLocation offers these and other features to help you keep your organization and those within it safe and secure. Click here to learn more.
3 minutes read time
A hybrid style of work is here to stay
More so than ever are we working remotely, with employers needing to rethink office space, collaboration, and requirements within the workplace. As the world population slowly becomes vaccinated, questions are arising as to what the future of the workplace will be. A hybrid style of work is attracting attention, with employees having the ability to work in multiple different spaces, including corporate offices, coworking spaces, public spaces, and most commonly, from home.
What is a hybrid style of work?
A hybrid workplace supports every style of work, with employees confirming that at the heart of this is their desire for flexibility. This offers employees a seamless experience and gives them a greater sense of control and freedom with how they work.
Flexible work is here to stay, so it is essential that employers harness this knowledge and create a workspace that aids collaboration and suits the new style of work employees are demanding. Another significant consideration is an increased focus on employee wellbeing, improving inclusion within the workplace, whether a worker is remote or full-time back in the workplace.
What does this mean for your business?
Warren Buffet acknowledged that “the supply and demand for office space has changed significantly … and when change happens in the world, you adjust to it”. Employers that fail to harness this new style of working will fall behind, with this creating an opportunity for companies to validate employees’ concerns and provide an environment where each individual can succeed.
How can WhosOnLocation help?
WhosOnLocation can help to ensure a safe environment for employees choosing to work collaboratively and come into their workplace. We can provide up-to-date information with how many individuals are onsite at once, ensuring that there is a limit to the number of employees within the workplace, guaranteeing that physical distancing occurs.
Health screening questions can also be included for all individuals coming on-site, including custom questions such as ‘Have you experienced flu-like symptoms in the past 14 days?”.
Top 5 benefits of a hybrid workplace
- Working from home allows employees to complete uninterrupted work, avoiding distractions that would usually occur within an office. On average, remote workers are 20-25% more effective when working at home, emphasizing the success of spending a few days a week at home.
- Employers have more time to spend on their own mental health and wellbeing after avoiding commutes to and from work each day, greatly increasing their spare recreational time with family and friends.
- Flexible work hours, as employees have the ability to choose the hours they work whilst still ensuring they complete their dedicated 8 hours.
- Office spaces can be transformed into more collaborative areas for when employees come into the office, helping to provide the sense of ‘team’ when they are all together.
- An increased emphasis on productivity rather than efficiency. Management has switched its focus to supporting team members with the resources they need to complete a project rather than viewing it as simply hours inputted equalling to work output
- Increased savings for employers as office space is required less, therefore decreasing the amount spent on rental costs. Additionally, employees are also saving as they are now spending less time and money on a commute to work
New to WhosOnLocation?
Get started with a FREE 30-day trial today. No credit card required.
4 minutes read time
Use WhosOnLocation to meet government and organizational sign-in and contact tracing needs.
Most businesses globally are required to display a government-issued QR code which those entering their workplace need to scan. But asking your visitors to sign in to both WhosOnLocation and then a separate process for the government-issued QR code could be viewed as a cumbersome process and poor visitor experience.
Good news, using existing tools available in your WhosOnLocation visitor sign in process you can now combine your standard WhosOnLocation sign in experience with your government-issued QR code.
Government-issued QR code
Governments globally are mandating the use of QR code posters to help with contact tracing. All visitors and employees are required to scan the government-issued QR code with their smartphones before entering a business. In the unfortunate event that a case of COVID-19 is reported, the government can use this data to trace the scope of the community and workplace outbreak and reach out to any close contacts to reduce the likelihood of further transmission.
Complementary protection
By combining the government-issued QR code system with your WhosOnLocation subscription you are adding an additional tool to your risk management strategy. Allowing you to:
- Screen those coming on-site and identify anyone that may pose a risk to those people in your duty of care; your employees and other guests.
- Deliver a seamless sign-in experience for your guests.
- Meet your compliance obligations regarding government-mandated contact tracing without having to choose between the government QR code and your people presence system.
- Support social distancing guidelines by setting occupancy limits within your WhosOnLocation account. These will then alert you when total occupancy is nearing or has breached, these limits.
- Easily access comprehensive people presence reporting in the unfortunate event of an alert that your workplace might have been exposed to a person of risk.
How do the two systems work together?
You can choose from three options to combine the two systems depending on the experience you want to offer your employees and guests.
Option 1 – Add the government QR code to your kiosk sign-in process
When employees and guests arrive on-site they:
- Follow the normal kiosk sign in process.
- Scan the government-issued QR code when presented with the question on the kiosk.
- Complete the sign in process.
Option 2 – Add the government QR code to your touchless sign-in process
When employees and guests arrive on-site they:
- Scan the QR code on your kiosk/poster to start the touchless sign-in process.
- Follow the normal sign in process, at the end direct users to scan the government QR code poster.
Tip: As a back up we recommend having your government QR code poster displayed in your reception and at all entry points for those who can’t sign in using a smartphone.
Option 3 – QR code poster
If you don’t want to make changes to your kiosk sign in process or only use our QR code posters, we have a poster option available. When an employee or guest arrives on-site they will need to follow the steps on the poster:
- Scan the government QR code.
- Scan the WhosOnLocation QR code and enter their details, answering any questions required to complete your normal sign-in process.
To add your unique QR codes and branding to the poster we have created a design file you can edit.
Commonly asked questions
What if I already use a visitor management system can’t I provide a report from this? Unfortunately, the new rules require organizations to use government-issued QR code. Remember, the government contact tracing systems are not visitor management systems. They do not ask visitors to select a host, they do not capture other information like vehicle parking details, or ask the visitor to sign waivers or NDA’s or any of the other common visitor management workflows.
Your visitor management system will give you detailed information of who came on-site and who they met with, it’s important to remember the government does not want to have to look through every organization’s visitor management reporting, which will differ from customer to customer.
Do any people presence systems integrate with the government-issued QR codes? Not with the government-mandated QR code systems, we are aware of.
Will WhosOnLocation be integrated with the government-issued QR code systems? No, the government-mandated QR codes are intended for government contact tracing only. This is to help officials easily track and contain an outbreak from a single system. However, you can use the government-issued QR code service alongside WhosOnLocation.
Need help getting set up or have additional questions?
Please reach out to our friendly Support Team.
2 minutes read time
Working from home, and the desire for social interaction
A vast majority of employees surveyed voiced opinions of their desire to regain daily interaction with colleagues, along with wanting to maintain relationships with clients and stakeholders. However, to return safely to the workplace, protective measures will need to be considered to ensure that each worker feels safe and comfortable in their office environment. How can Whosonlocation help?
Daily contract tracing
Contract tracing is a core disease control measure, helping to prevent further transmission of the virus by quickly identifying and notifying people who may be infected and contagious.
Whosonlocation has the ability to track all individuals who have entered the building in one day, and therefore the employer can notify any individual who came in contact with an infected person in their building.
Limiting number of people on site
39% of respondents indicated that limiting the number of individuals onsite would also ease concerns of returning to the workplace, ensuring that social distancing occurred. With Whosonlocation, employers can set a maximum occupancy to limit the number of people that are permitted on-site, and once the limit is reached any further attempts to sign in will fail.
With features like contract tracing and limiting the number of occupants in a workplace, employees can return with confidence that they will remain safe throughout this continuing pandemic. This enables collaboration and connection between workers to resume, with CEO of Apple expressing that working from home is “not like being together physically… I can’t wait for everybody to be able to come back into the office.”
Touchless entry/exit
Touchless entry and exit reduces the spread of germs by eliminating the risk of transmission through high-touch surfaces, with Whosonocation offering touchless entry for employees, contractors, and visitors. 30% of respondents indicated that touch-free sign-in and out would be highly valued, helping to minimize the risk of spreading the virus, and reducing wait times. Visitors will have the ability to sign in using our WolMobile app or scan a QR code and sign in from their smartphone’s browser. No app download required.
Part three of this series focuses on a hybrid workplace, follow along to hear how Whosonlocation can help your company
New to WhosOnLocation?
Get started with a FREE 30 day trial today. No credit card required.
2 minutes read time
Inclusive Technology: WhosOnLocation accessibility kiosk
In the past two decades, rapidly changing digital technology has become an integral part of our life. The tools, systems, and devices allow us to manage our day-to-day life efficiently. Workplaces rely on technology to make communication quicker, drive productivity, and improve on-site safety. Therefore, it is critical for employers to ensure that digital tools are accessible and straightforward to use for their employees, contractors, and visitors rather than becoming a barrier for those with disabilities.
Accessibility, in relation to technology, refers to digital content that can be successfully used by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities. More companies are committing to developing digital products that consider everyone’s needs. In practice, accessible technology offers built-in customizable features, for example, screen contrast and text size choice or screen reader capabilities.
Modern: a new theme for the sign-in kiosk
We are pleased to introduce modern, a new default theme for our kiosk that is accessible and easier to navigate for all users, including those with disabilities.
Why are we making the improvements?
WhosOnLocation believes that technology should be inclusive and consider everyone’s needs. We are committed to improving our product to ensure it’s easy to navigate for all users and meets global accessibility standards. We are proud that our modern theme makes the sign-in/out kiosk fully compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
What is the kiosk’s modern theme?
A kiosk using the modern theme offers a simplified design, increased font size, and enhanced color contrast. Also, the interactive elements are designed in a more prominent and visible way. These improvements allow easier and more straightforward navigation through the sign-in process, also for people who are visually impaired, color blind, or contrast impaired. The modern theme is compatible with screen readers and allows keyboard-only navigation.
Ready to get started?
New to WhosOnLocation?
Switch your kiosk theme to modern and improve your organization’s sign-in/out experience. It’s easy: visit our Help Center for step-by-step instructions on getting started.
Get started with a FREE 30 day trial today. No credit card required.
3 minutes read time
Tighten up your on-site security with WolScan
WolScan adds a further layer of security to your on-site visitor management. Our recent user interface update makes the scanning process simple and quick. Learn more about how to make your visitors’ registrations more efficient by using WolScan.
What is WolScan?
WolScan is an iPhone/iPad app that allows you to quickly and securely capture and register your visitor’s identity by scanning their photo ID. The information is automatically uploaded to your WhosOnLocation account, to either sign in as a new visitor or update an existing/pre-registered profile. There is no need to enter the details manually which speeds up the process for your front-of-house team.
Why use it?
For any organization that is security conscious, it is critical to ensure that only those with permission have gained on-site access.
By scanning your visitor’s photo ID you validate their identity and reduce the risk of unauthorized entry, making sure that your company property, information, and employees are protected.
Imagine a scenario where a file with sensitive information went missing or intentional damage was discovered on site. WolScan allows you to keep a verified record of who has had access to your premises. It is also an excellent way to reassure your auditors and insurance providers that you have a valid visitor management process in place and you have done all that is necessary to mitigate risks.
How does it work?
To verify and register visitors simply scan their photo ID using the WolScan app on your iPhone or iPad with iOS 10 or higher. Once ready, the information is automatically uploaded and saved to your WhosOnLocation account. Simple, fast, and secure!
Which documents are compatible?
WolScan allows you to automatically upload the information from all passports. It also supports driver’s licenses from the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
You can also scan generic photo IDs. The photo will be stored in your WhosOnLocation account, and you have the option to enter any other details from the photo ID that need to be retained.
How do I know the data is securely stored?
We take data privacy and security seriously. We are ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant. When using WolScan, the visitor information, including captured images, is sent directly to the WhosOnLocation server. No data is processed by a third party. You can also decide how long the visitor’s information is retained and set an automatic data deletion after a set period of time.
Ready to get started?
WolScan is available to enable in your account today and is priced per device. Visit our Help Center for step-by-step instructions on getting started.
New to WhosOnLocation?
Get started with a FREE 30 day trial today. No credit card required.
3 minutes read time
Media Release: MRI Software Acquires WhosOnLocation, adding global workplace safety and security offering
PropTech category founder bolsters its workplace management capabilities with addition of integrated set of employee, visitor and contractor management applications
Solon, Ohio – March 4, 2021 – MRI Software, a global leader in real estate software, announces that it has acquired New Zealand-based WhosOnLocation, which provides an integrated solution that empowers organizations to address workplace safety and security needs. An enterprise-class, cloud-based platform with employee, visitor, contractor and emergency management applications, WhosOnLocation extends MRI’s workplace management offering to cover anyone who might have a physical presence on a commercial property, including industries such as manufacturing, services, and education.
“We are excited to welcome WhosOnLocation to the MRI family at a time when ensuring wellbeing and safety in the workplace is more critical than ever,” says Patrick Ghilani, Chief Executive Officer of MRI Software. “The acquisition enhances the comprehensive capabilities of our integrated workplace management solutions to enable the increased business agility organizations need to reimagine their workplaces. WhosOnLocation boosts our ability to support health and security measures, covering both landlords and tenants, as well as the wider community that engages with a property – reducing risk for everyone.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic leading to an increased need for agile workplaces, WhosOnLocation enables organizations to manage presence by tracking who is onsite at a property – or across multiple locations – at any time. The solution brings additional automation and efficiency to workplace safety and security management with arrival notifications, access permissions, emergency and evacuation management, and more. WhosOnLocation’s global client base will benefit from the added resources and innovation that come with being part of a well-established industry leader.
Darren Whittaker-Barnett, WhosOnLocation’s Chief Executive Officer, notes: “MRI offers the scale and global reach we need to accelerate the growth of our business in both our existing markets and new territories. Becoming part of MRI also offers our customers the opportunity to tap into its broad range of innovative workplace management solutions, which enable organizations of all types to more effectively manage their real estate portfolios and meet today’s unique business challenges.”
Used by facilities management teams, property managers and others involved in building operations to manage visitor, employee and service provider presence, WhosOnLocation manages nearly 5,000 facilities for 1,600 customers across 46 countries. Headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, the company also operates in Australia, the UK, Europe, Canada and the US. MRI will continue to support WhosOnLocation users without interruption.
GrowthPoint Technology Partners, a Silicon Valley-based investment bank, acted as the exclusive financial advisor to WhosOnLocation.
About MRI Software
MRI Software is a leading provider of real estate software solutions that transform the way communities live, work and play. MRI’s comprehensive, flexible, open and connected platform empowers owners, operators and occupiers in commercial and residential property organisations to innovate in rapidly changing markets. MRI has been a trailblazer in the PropTech industry for over five decades, serving more than two million users worldwide. Through leading solutions and a rich partner ecosystem, MRI gives real estate companies the freedom to elevate their business and gain a competitive edge. For more information, please visit mrisoftware.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Platform Communications for MRI
Hugh Filman (+44 7905 044850)
or Zoe Mumba (+44 7725 832393)
(US for MRI)
Rachel Antman rachel@saygency.com
+1 212-362-5837
4 minutes read time
Learnings from Facilities Integrate
Just before the Christmas break, our sales executive James attended Facilities Integrate in Auckland, New Zealand. With most trade shows across the world canceled or postponed in 2020, we felt incredibly lucky to have an opportunity to attend a non-virtual event.
It was fantastic to meet with customers (both existing and prospective) in person, and catch up on the impact such a turbulent year has had on your businesses.
We noticed a few common themes in the conversations we were having with attendees. In the midst of a pandemic, processes have had to change. We caught up with James to hear what his key takeaways from the event were.
Facilities Integrate
James, first off, can you tell us a little more about Facilities Integrate?
Facilities Integrate is a trade event specifically for facilities managers. It’s a great opportunity to network with peers in the same industry, try out the latest equipment and technologies, source the best suppliers and generally keep on top of what’s happening in the facilities space. I feel very lucky to have been able to talk to our customers in person again!
I’ll bet. When talking to the attendees, what did you notice was the biggest challenge facing facilities managers during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Contact tracing came up a lot. More specifically, facilities managers were looking for flexible solutions to make signing in as easy as possible for everyone.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of our customers understood the importance of signing in visitors. However, it was generally the high security or hazardous sites that were concerned with signing in employees and contractors, too. With the COVID-19 pandemic, that’s all changed.
Now, every workplace has a responsibility to protect the health of those working in its duty of care. One of the most crucial ways to do this is through contact tracing. This means signing everyone in each day is more important than ever. Lots of the facilities managers were looking for easy ways to turn signing in and out into a habit for employees.
How can WhosOnLocation help with that?
WhosOnLocation offers an incredibly flexible platform with 12 different ways to sign in – so there’s something for every workplace, and every employee. We often find our customers will use a few different methods at one site, to make it as easy as possible for employees to remember to sign in.
Which methods are the most popular?
Some employees prefer to download the WolMobile app on their smartphone and use the auto sign in/out feature. This is the most foolproof way of ensuring everyone on-site is accounted for. It uses geofencing technology to update on-site status. Employees and contractors don’t even need to lift a finger.
Others might prefer to sign in using a touch screen kiosk in reception. Or scan a card to sign in with one simple step. Or even just provide their name to the front of house staff.
Offering a variety of methods makes it easier to sign everyone in. So you can be safe in the knowledge your contact tracing processes are as robust as possible.
Is there a method that’s preferred by customers?
The kiosk (using an iPad or tablet) is the most common way to sign in. This is especially the case now we have released our touchless kiosk feature. By setting your kiosk to touchless mode, you can now present a QR code on the screen. Guests scan the code to sign in from their own smartphone.
Employees, contractors and visitors simply scan the code to see the entire kiosk experience replicated in their browser. It’s been a game-changer during COVID, as customers looked for a more hygienic, hands-free alternative to the sign-in kiosk.
Did QR code posters come up in conversation at the event at all?
Great question – it was really exciting to demo QR code posters for the first time at the event. These posters are an easy, low-cost way to deploy WhosOnLocation, as no expensive kiosk hardware is required.
They’re also a great way to make your sign-in process more robust. If you have multiple doors, you can use posters at each access point. This helps to capture any employees or contractors who use side entrances to enter or leave.
New to WhosOnLocation?
All features mentioned are available in a single subscription cost. Start your free trial today – no credit card required.
1 minute read time
Global recognition & celebration
We are very pleased to announce that our CEO and founder Darren Whitaker-Barnett, has been recognized in the CEO Today magazine’s global CEO awards for 2021.
The awards recognize the achievements of CEOs honoring the most respected executives leading the global stage. A key component of the awards is to identify the most successful, innovative, and forward-thinking CEOs in business today.
No matter where the winners are located in the world, all were challenged during 2020 to bring their most innovative and forward-thinking leadership to guide their organizations through the global pandemic.
Under the leadership of Darren, WhosOnLocation has successfully continued to grow and deliver a set of features to our customers to navigate the global pandemic and keep those in their duty of care safe and secure.
We’d like to congratulate Darren and all the other global leaders. To read the full list of winners and Darren’s article click here.
3 minutes read time
New WhosOnLocation Website
We are very proud to announce the launch of our redesigned WhosOnLocation website.
Considering the lifespan of a website is 2 years 7 months on average – it was certainly time to rethink, and refresh.
How we decided it was time to refresh
We started with taking an inward look and asked ourselves if:
- Our messaging had evolved (by gosh it had).
- Had our content strategy changed (yes, got to keep evolving).
- Had the industry evolved (sure has and gosh it’s exciting).
- Were we keeping up with design trends (did someone say dark ages?).
- Was the site mobile responsive and did it look great on these devices (it certainly didn’t).
It was a resounding yes from the whole team to redesign the site!
Our path to a new site
We followed a simple 7 step process (design might challenge me on the use of the word “simple”).
- User testing. Before we even started talking about design we user-tested our old site. Deep diving into where customers and prospects struggled, what they loved, and what they thought we could do better.
- Wireframes. The feedback from the user testing informed our design and our first set of wireframes.
- Internal testing. We shared the wireframes with our internal team to rip apart, challenge our thinking and offer new suggestions.
- Revision, revision, revision. Using the feedback from our internal testing we did several rounds of revision until we had our slick new design.
- External testing. We invited a group of external testers to review the new site. Asking them to tell us what they didn’t understand, what was awesome, and where we could make improvements.
- Deep in the code. Our design team got deep into the code. Building the new site. Normally a chatty bunch, we had months of barely a peep out of them. (Don’t worry they are back to their normal selves:)).
- With the help of our DevOps team, we pushed the site live!
What we’ve learned
As with any project, it’s great to look back and see what we have learned to take to our next website refresh. Learnings are gold.
- As much as you plan, unexpected challenges will crop up, and deadlines will be pushed.
- What seems like a simple design, generally isn’t.
- Things take way longer than anticipated.
- Keeping the current site and building a new one internally at the same time is challenging.
- Design and development don’t always match.
Take a look and tell us what you think
We hope you love the new site as much as we do. As always we welcome your feedback, if you have feedback to share good or bad please click here.
4 minutes read time
Listening to your feedback with touchless sign in
COVID-19 has thrown the entire world a curveball. As everything from travel plans to major global events have been cancelled or put on hold, individuals and businesses all over the world have received a masterclass in flexibility.
Like the majority of businesses, at WhosOnLocation we’ve had to pivot our thinking, re-work our plans and become more reactive to the changing needs of our customers. That’s where our touchless solution comes in.
How can WhosOnLocation help in a pandemic?
We’ve been asked this question a lot in recent months. As experts in people presence software, it’s our mission to help customers mitigate risks to their visitors, employees and service providers through constant innovation.
Before COVID-19 hit the news, WhosOnLocation already had a robust feature set that could help customers reduce the risk of spreading a virus within their facilities, including:
- Pandemic screening and alerts when an at-risk person signs in
- Contact tracing with a digital record of everyone on-site / in contact with an affected individual
- Maximum occupancy rules to adhere to social distancing
- ‘Zoning’ to assign workers an area and minimise exposure
- Acknowledgment notices to communicate your entry policy
However, more was required. A global pandemic like COVID-19 puts every single customer at risk, and ensuring we had ways to mitigate these risks became our top priority.
Having your say
When the world went into lockdown earlier this year, we started reaching out to our customers from all sectors to ask about their business needs, and how WhosOnLocation could help.
From picking up the phone and having a good old chat, we identified a few key areas that needed addressing. These included:
- A way to keep track of teams who were working remotely and from home.
- A touchless solution to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when signing in at a kiosk.
Working remotely
First off, we got straight into a working remotely solution in response to businesses closing their physical facilities throughout the world.
Released back in April, working remotely allows employees and service providers to sign in for work from their homes (or anywhere!). In doing so, our customers have a clear record of everyone who is working in their duty of care at any one time, regardless of where they are.
This feature really comes into its own when used in the WolMobile application. Those who are signed in for work remotely will be able to view important safety notices in-app, receive instant messages from their employer and send their location to a nominated safety operator in the event of an emergency.
Touchless sign in
Before we’d even heard the word COVID-19, WhosOnLocation already accommodated a number of ways to sign in hands free, including:
- Scanning a token
- WolMobile app
- Brivo integration using Onair app
- With the sign-in/out manager
- For pre-registered visitors using WolPass
However, from our conversations with customers, we realised a more seamless solution is required during a pandemic, and beyond.
To get a deeper understanding of your needs, we carried out an in-depth survey.
Touchless – The results are in
So when it comes to a touchless solution, what was the verdict?
We drilled deep asking a number of questions to help guide our solution. Here are the headlines:
77% of those surveyed* said they’d rather use a touchless, self service kiosk than sign visitors in with their front of house team.
76% would rather keep things digital, using a touchless kiosk to display a QR code, rather than a printable poster.
64% would rather tailor the sign in questions they ask for visitors, than for employees or service providers.
69% didn’t require a touchless solution for deliveries.
*Of a survey of 240 customers with varying role types.
So what’s next?
Our brand new, touchless solution will be released in the coming weeks, offering you a way to sign in all visitor types, and integrate with all the best parts of WhosOnLocation.
Our touchless solution will allow visitors, employees and service providers to register themselves as on-site using their own devices, for a simple, safer, sign-in experience.
More information to come very soon, watch this space!
New to WhosOnLocation?
Take a free 30 day trial today.