We are living in unprecedented times.
COVID-19 has challenged companies all across the globe to rewrite their forecasts, rethink their budgets, and shift their mode of operations almost overnight.
The pandemic is a challenge due to its high infection rates and because it can spread through contaminated surfaces.
Businesses are facing a dilemma – ‟How can my business bounce back?‟, ‟Can I continue with my business?‟, and ‟What happens to my business post-COVID-19?‟
Businesses of all sizes, especially essential services and those in the healthcare and hospitality industry, are adopting various strategies to cope with the Coronavirus crisis – with contactless payment and contactless marketing being the main highlight.
Table of Contents
- Contactless delivery
- Contactless payment
- Contactless appointment
- Share information virtually
- Round-the-clock salesperson
- Contactless feedback
- Contactless visitor form
- Contactless solutions can help businesses flatten the curve
Contactless interactions are especially important during this pandemic since it eliminates the need to touch surfaces, thus promoting safety and curbing the spread of the virus.
Here’s how businesses can continue to function during this containment and lockdown period while keeping their employees and customers safe and engaged.
#1 Contactless delivery
Contactless delivery is the need of the hour.
No-contact delivery as declared by most health establishments is one of the vital aspects to curb the spread of the virus.
Several restaurants and delivery partners such as Zomato, Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Seamless have contactless delivery amidst the pandemic.
These companies deliver food packages by following the zero-contact policy, which essentially means they deliver the food on a clean surface and alert customers via a message or phone call.
Most are sending consumer communications at a much higher frequency by explaining the hygiene measures they are taking to limit the spread of the virus.
How to ensure a contactless delivery mechanism to curb the spread of COVID-19
Place QR Codes on product packaging. Attach the QR Code to a web page demonstrating the steps taken to cook the food and sanitize the package/place as instructed by WHO.
A feedback form can also be attached to rate the experience to level up the process accordingly.
#2 Contactless payment
Medical health professionals recommend using contactless payment methods to avoid spreading the virus further since surfaces can hold the virus up to 72 hours.
Contactless cards are especially relevant to the COVID-19 outbreak considering how safe, reliable, and quick they are.
Governments all across the globe in the UK, US, and Australia are increasing the limit for contactless transactions so that consumers do not have to interact with a cashier.
Include a QR Code or NFC-enabled POS at the check-out aisle for easy payment in retail stores, grocery stores, and even hospitals to avoid consumers from flocking the area to protect the staff and consumers from potential exposure to the virus.
#3 Book contactless appointments
Healthcare experts throughout the world have emphasized the importance of social distancing, self-quarantine, and flattening the curve with appropriate measures.
But, establishments such as hospitals, apartment security, and grocery stores cannot operate remotely during the coronavirus outbreak.
Even with safety protocols in place, these establishments pose a high risk of spreading the virus.
For such instances, booking contactless appointments and retrieving permission to enter/exit an establishment is absolutely necessary to avoid spreading the virus.
A Guwahati based start-up, Oxyfind’s uses QR Codes that enables patients to book contactless appointments with doctors and track the appointment in real-time with their two applications – QXYQR and OSS.
A personalized QR Code is provided to each partner clinic where patients can scan to book an appointment based on the clinic’s flexibility.
A similar approach can be taken by healthcare establishments, apartments, and essential workforce systems to avoid the spread of the virus.
- Allow patients to scan a QR Code at a safe space in a hospital to book an appointment and retrieve their previous health history virtually
- Place QR Codes outside COVID-19 ward to collect information about the patient and screen them before an appointment
#4 Share contact information virtually
Physical business cards pose a high threat ultimately promoting the spread of the virus much faster.
Replace physical business cards with vCard QR Codes.
Use these QR Codes on hospital walls, at business premises, grocery stores, and even apartment complexes to scan and contact the relevant person in charge to discuss any matter.
How to include QR Codes on business cards
#5 Round-the-clock salesperson
Retailers and grocery stores in the time of Coronavirus have reduced manpower to stop the virus from spreading.
However, essential businesses still need to have salespersons on site. This is where contactless marketing comes into the picture.
Paperscent is an automated fragrance and spirit testing solution that lets interested customers test the scent without coming in contact with any store executive.
Technologies such as QR Codes and NFC tags serve as an important tool to dispense no-contact information about any product to their customers round-the-clock.
- Place QR Codes or NFC tags on product packaging to offer information, coupons, and to even contact a salesperson remotely to gather more information
- QR Codes can be placed on aisles and in-store flyers to connect to the salesperson to avoid contact and enquire about the product virtually
Create QR Codes for product packages
#6 Receive contactless feedback
Feedbacks are usually collected at check-out aisles on digital screens or handed them over to customers.
Traditional methods of collecting feedback must be replaced with a QR or NFC powered contactless form.
Add QR Codes to feedback forms for collecting feedback remotely
#7 Contactless visitor forms
Visitor forms in most organizations either use a digital screen or the traditional pen and paper. This poses a high risk of spreading the virus especially for healthcare facilities, essential services, and residential complexes because Coronavirus can stay on a surface for up to 72 hours.
Beaconstac’s free contactless QR powered visitor form works out of the box and can be implemented in the hospitality and healthcare industry instantaneously.
The contactless forms can be used for self-declaration, risk assessment, filtering visitors, and even community-driven contact tracing.
These protocols put in place are in line with WHO. Businesses can grant or deny access, or suggest options to visitors based on their declared health status.
Contactless solutions can help businesses flatten the curve
Contactless payment and contactless marketing solutions are increasingly seeping into various industry verticals in a quest to flatten the curve.
According to Rajesh Mirjankar, CEO of InfrasoftTech, “In contactless payments, the use of tap and pay with NFC and QR Codes ensure that payees do not have to contact any other devices other than their own that ensures frictionless real-time payments.”
Contactless marketing will ensure clients and essential service providers maintain social distancing to quell the spread of the coronavirus, thus flattening the curve.
During this testing time, businesses and brands must listen to their customers by providing them with the best safety practices in line with their business.
The same protocols must be followed even after the pandemic ends as a measure to keep the virus in check.
In a new report by Edelman, based on interviews with 12,000 people in several countries, 71% of respondents said that if during this time, “They perceive that a brand is putting profit over people, they will lose trust in that brand forever” and 77% said, “They want brands only to speak about products in ways that show they are aware of the crisis and the impact on people’s lives.”
Beaconstac can help you make the switch to contactless marketing. You can implement invisible shopping, compensate for the reduced workforce, automate interactions and facilitate a safer environment for your employees and customers with our comprehensive solution.
Want to get started with contactless marketing? Contact our experts for more information.
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