e x pert a dv i c e
WHY VISITOR MANAGEMENT IN FRANCHISES IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
The past 18 months have been challenging for people and businesses across Australia and New Zealand, and globally, as everyone adapts to the ongoing effects of the pandemic. However, as the world continues to settle into a pandemic-changed life, organisations must continue to adopt processes that facilitate business continuity despite the constantly evolving market landscape. This is particularly true for franchisees as ongoing lockdowns, changing restrictions, and social distancing guidelines continue to create significant challenges for franchise businesses to overcome, particularly in terms of the number of visitors permitted in different establishments. COVID-19 has heightened the need for a simple yet secure way of managing visitors and contractors in franchise businesses, especially when these visitors and contractors are over and above their regular customer foot traffic. Tracking these visitors is critical for franchise businesses to comply with government pandemic regulations, and visitor and contractor management will continue to be high on the agenda into the future. It’s essential that franchisees invest in modern technology solutions, including digital visitor management systems, that let them more efficiently track visitors to their sites without increasing costs exponentially. Digital visitor management systems let franchisees elevate
“While the pandemic continues, it remains essential for all business owners to ensure the health and safety of their staff and visitors and help reduce the potential spread of coronavirus.” Stephen Darracott | Country Manager Pitney Bowes Japan Australia and New Zealand
safety and compliance across their sites while simultaneously reducing their overheads and administrative costs.
functionality, to help ensure the ongoing safety and security of workers and visitors to businesses.
New Zealand’s changing alert levels in response to COVID-19 significantly affected traffic to franchise businesses, such as cafes and restaurants, creating challenges for franchisees in terms of monitoring the fluctuating number of visitors and workers onsite. Similarly, Australian businesses were required to use state-based COVID-tracking apps, in addition to the country’s COVIDSafe app, to support the government’s contact tracing efforts, helping to register all visitors to local businesses and franchises.
While digital visitor management systems can provide a rapid overview of who is onsite at any given time, which is essential for COVID-19 contact tracing, they can also be leveraged into the future to help improve the ongoing security of franchise businesses. The latest digital management systems capture and record relevant information on visitors, storing it in a secure database in real time. This guarantees that businesses have access to the most up-to-date information possible about people on-site at any given time. Additionally, it’s also possible for some digital systems to incorporate information on safety and security procedures to help protect on-site visitors.
While it’s essential that franchise businesses continue to support the government’s efforts with these tools and remain compliant with regulations, investing in digital visitor management systems gives franchisees an added layer of support in keeping their visitors and staff safe on-site. Modern visitor management systems also incorporate additional features, such as QR code
For service franchises like hotels, for example, using digital visitor management systems during the check-in process can help ensure all guests undertake safety and security inductions when they arrive. This helps to better ensure guest safety and security in the event of an emergency by guaranteeing all guests are given this information upon checkin.
Keeping franchises safe and secure
64 Business Franchise Australia and New Zealand
