When pubs, restaurants and cafes all opened their doors earlier this month, one of the key issues around reopening was the challenge of collecting and storing customers’ data to enable track and trace.
 
Business in England is grappling with a dilemma that could pose a real challenge to getting customers back to their premises, ranging from breaching GDPR rules to privacy concerns and whether casual staff may have access to their personal contact information. 
 
Luckily, technology is at hand. 
 
One forward-thinking British software company, Zing Dev Limited, designed and produced an SMS app within 24 hours of hearing the news that the lockdown was being eased. It is a simple, lightweight solution requiring no complicated setup for the venue, as well as no download of any application for the customer. 
 
Here’s their solution to the problem: Customers drinking at the pub simply text “I want a drink” to a dedicated (establishment unique) mobile number to register their attendance and provide their name. After this simple text dialogue customers receive a “Safe 2 Serve” badge, which they can show to their server to confirm they have left their details. 
And if they don’t have a mobile signal, there is a backup alternative by accessing a simple QR code via the pub's free WiFi. Once the contact data is captured, date/time stamped via a secure cloud-based solution; it is stored using the secure Twilio communications platform with data automatically deleted after 21 days. 
  
The app was tested at a pub in Dorset over the weekend and proved successful – it is a simple solution that could scale up to provide a tool for all sorts of businesses who rely on drop-in custom rather than visits booked in advance. Most importantly, it is quick and easy to use and meets both the Business and customer’s new compliance obligations. 
 
This is the developer website https://zing.dev/

1. THE FONTMELL PUB
2. SIGN BY THE FRONT DOOR ABOUT THE APP
3. CUSTOMER SCANNING QR CODE ON THE SIGN AND WALKS IN
4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JULIAN HUCKER, ZING DEV SOFTWARE COMPANY SAYING:
“It’s a very simple way for people coming to a walk-in establishment like a pub to register their contact details and their name in line with the governments track and trace requirements.”
5. A WOMEN SCANS ‘QR’ CODE OUTSIDE AND WALKS IN
6. TYPING TEXT MESSAGE ‘I WANT A DRINK’ ON SMARTPHONE
. WOMAN SENDING ‘I WANT A DRINK’ TEXT MESSAGE AND GETTING BADGE IN RESPONSE
7. SHIELD BADGE
8. A WOMAN APPROACHES THE BAR AND IS ASKED TO SHOW THE BADGE
9.(SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN CROMPTON, PROPRIETOR THE FONTMELL PUB SAYING:
“So they simply take their phone out, if they don’t have a mobile signal they connect via a QR code which then sends them a message. They then put a message in saying ‘I want a drink’. They then get a shield badge back saying ‘Safe2Serve’. They show that to our barman or whoever is serving and then we know that they’ve done what we need them to do.”
6. A WOMEN SCANS ‘QR’ CODE OUTSIDE AND WALKS IN
7. TYPING TEXT MESSAGE ‘I WANT A DRINK’ ON SMARTPHONE
8. WOMAN SENDING ‘I WANT A DRINK’ TEXT MESSAGE AND GETTING BADGE IN RESPONSE
9. SHIELD BADGE
10. A WOMAN APPROACHES THE BAR AND IS ASKED TO SHOW THE BADGE
11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN CROMPTON, PROPRIETOR THE FONTMELL PUB SAYING:
“It gives people an understanding of what the requirements are, I think long term they will embrace it and because it will probably become pretty much normal that you are going to have to give your details when you go into any sort of establishment, whether it is a hotel, pub, shop or what have you. I think most people will be OK with it because we are all very conscious of the impact it’s had on everybody, so I think it is a very positive thing.”
12. A YOUNG COUPLE ARRIVE TO REGISTER DETAILS
13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JULIAN HUCKER, ZING DEV SOFTWARE COMPANY SAYING:
“So we store the data on Twilio’s secure platform, so it’s safe, it’s in the cloud and it’s only accessible by the managers of the establishment.”
14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CUSTOMER IN THE FONTMELL PUB GARDEN SAYING:
“Its quite nice to know that you are quite safe and secure if somebody else here has got that, they can track you and let you know straight away, its good and confident to know.”
15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JULIAN HUCKER, ZING DEV SOFTWARE COMPANY SAYING:
“The focus has inevitably been on pubs and restaurants so far, but this applies to any walk-in establishment, it could be a beachside café, a tea shop anywhere where people can come in without a prior reservation.”
16. CUSTOMER IN THE PUB GARDEN DRINKING HIS BEER