Across the hospitality realm, investing in staff safety technology is one of the most important investments you can make. Why? Because it’s an investment in a hotels’ most important asset: its staff. After all, an exceptional guest experience simply is not possible without the staff members who curate and deliver it, and, to this effect, establishing and maintaining a workplace culture that advocates for staff safety, well-being, and satisfaction should be a foremost priority for any hoteliers in 2022 and beyond.
Of course, hoteliers are familiar with the adage, “not all technology is created equal” and, surely, not all staff safety platforms are created equal. So, when vetting panic buttons for use amongst staff, what should hospitality leaders look for? How can hoteliers ensure they are making the best choice to protect their staff? Are there certain features which make one hotel safety platform superior to the next? With these questions in mind, we’ve put together a 5 key things to consider when selecting a workplace panic button.
1. Prioritize Ease of Use
When selecting a hotel safety platform, it’s important to keep the end user in mind. How will staff interact with the device? Will it require extensive training, or is it intuitive and user-friendly to ensure quick adoption? Is the device light and easy to carry on a lanyard or attached to master keys to make it readily accessible? More importantly, is the device easy to activate in an emergency scenario? Help should, quite literally, just be one click away and notified via a discrete alert system (unlike legacy noisemakers of the past which can antagonize dangerous situations).
2. Real-Time Location Data
Understandably, emergency scenarios are not always stagnant in nature. Moreover, within a large hotel, it may be difficult to pinpoint the exact location of an isolated staff member in need. With this in mind, hoteliers should seek out hotel panic button platforms that utilize a network of BLE/Wi-Fi hubs that continuously gather real-time data to triangulate and provide accurate location of those devices in a hotel. With real-time coordinates provided, hoteliers can ensure at-risk staff members are attended to quickly, which, in some cases, could save a life.
3. Simple Engineering, Seamless Integration
The crux of any new technology adoption is, often, integration with other platforms. As hoteliers build out their digital ecosystem of core platforms, it’s crucial to select hotel panic button technology that seamlessly integrates efficiently with a hotel’s existing back-of-the-house systems. Hoteliers should also seek out those platforms which offer multiple means of alerts, including SMS, push notifications, desktop alerts, and email.
4. More Than a Panic Button
As hotel safety technology continues to evolve, hospitality professionals are presented with solutions that are more than just a panic button. Many of the new-age safety platforms provide hoteliers with a robust suite of features that go beyond staff safety, including but not limited to: inventory, room tray, and vendor tracking.
5. Track and Protect
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of a staff safety platform is the reporting. Hotels should have access to detailed incident reports that allow staff members to record notes, pictures, and files right from the app. This helps to ensure hotels have access to all the information they need in the case of legal proceedings and also allows them to enhance on-property safety measures based on past incidents.
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