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Voice Recognition Credits Individual Employee Performance
Thanks to COVID, restaurants are rushing to automate all things related to customer and employee health. This is accelerating the installation of “no-touch” technologies from smart soap/sanitizer dispensers to self-powered electronic faucets:
This situation has opened the door for software to verify employee handwash compliance:
Handwashing retains its CDC designated title as the #1 intervention to break the chain of pathogen transmission in restaurant settings. Attempts to electronically verify and report handwashing have been seen in restaurants over the last 20 years but continued usage has been stymied by technology shortcomings combined with the restaurants’ record of high employee turnover. All these systems exhibited the same flaw of requiring a personal ID badge and that resulted in the need for an accompanying badge-management system to keep smart badges charged, assigned and available for periodic downloading. The employee turnover rate exacerbated the issue and ended most trials.
This trend is summarized by this statement appearing in Restaurant News: By Joe Guszkowski on Sep. 24, 2020
I think any way that they can automate and take the guessing out of things and have a way to track and then make sure you have compliance … that’s critical.”
Laurie Schalow, Chipotle Mexican Grill
This advice is shared by Chris LaRocca, founder of the Crushed Red chain that has adopted voice recognition to motivate and validate handwash compliance, even in restrooms where viruses thrive:
Crushed Red is using the transparency of their handwashing system to motivate diners, especially Millennials and Xers who highly value verified cleanliness. Handwashing is now a customer loyalty factor.
