Part of being an office technology provider is keeping up with the needs of your customer and making sure that you can source what they need.
In the last couple of months, this has been a moving target.
We have been approached to sell everything from hand sanitizer to face masks. We declined as there were resources that had a far better business model to facilitate these types of transactions.
Then came temperature taking solutions. Early on we looked at simple thermometers. These products are, well, simple. They don’t require programming, have no built-in intelligence, and still require you to ask that question... “May I take your temperature?”
The great state of MN is famous for lakes and MN Nice. There are many people that are too nice to ask a visitor to allow someone to take their temperature. Then you have the added question of, who does it, not to mention confidentiality? Can I get a volunteer to enter someone’s “social distance zone” and run a thermometer across someone’s forehead? We have a solution.
As part of vetting out a beneficial technology that our customers have asked us for is making sure the technology has legs beyond the current state of affairs. I'll address that in a minute.
As a result of the needs of our customers, Coordinated Business Systems is now providing and supporting facial recognition, temperature-taking kiosks. This equipment can be used as a time clock, to access a building, and to make sure that your employees are protected from someone entering with a fever. The days of the sick person sneezing and coughing at their desk being labeled a hero are gone. That person won’t be too popular. And have you ever fallen ill halfway through the day? I wonder if you had a fever when you came in? Back to MN Nice, who is going to say “wow, you don’t look so good, can I take your temperature?”
Exposing your coworkers to illness is in no way heroic and costs employers thousands of productive people hours every year and did so way before COVID-19.
Some important things to know about this. First, it is legal for you to take temperatures.
Second, this technology serves purposes beyond just the temperature piece. The time clock keeps employees from clocking each other in and out and the building access piece is far more secure than a key fob. Can’t drop your face in the parking lot and then have someone use it to access the building!
We are getting new questions every day around legality, morality, longevity, necessity, resources, budgets, and on and on.
We are happy to answer your questions and help you determine if this technology has long-term play in your company. We think it will.