Since COVID-19 was discovered in late 2019, it has spread to 213 countries and territories around the world,1 and has infected over 9 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As cases persist around the world, governments and organizations are focused on determining how to safely go on with our normal everyday activities.  

This is certainly true at colleges and universities, with the fall semester fast approaching. Decisions have to be made quickly about the best course of action. Some are opting for another remote semester, some are attempting to physically reopen, while others are going with hybrid methods. Reopening colleges and universities during the pandemic poses a special challenge, as younger people are accounting for an increasing number of cases.2 Still, it is critical for schools to find ways to provide suitable learning environments without leading to any resurgence of infection among the students and staff. 

The abrupt transition to remote learning earlier in the year made for a rocky first attempt at educating amidst the pandemic. With a better understanding of the virus and how it spreads, as well as more time to develop and implement helpful solutions, schools are in a much better position to get back on track this semester. While social distancing rules, mask guidelines, temperature checks, and increased sanitization will continue to play a big role in keeping students safe, there has also been a rush of technological innovation to develop solutions (or repurpose resources) that can promote on-campus health and safety. Here are some new technologies and smart solutions that can help universities provide a safer environment while also adding new conveniences and cost saving opportunities.
 

Limit physical contact with Intelligent Lockers  

One of the most important ways to slow the virus’s spread is by limiting physical contact. While much of the focus has been on how to achieve this in a classroom or lecture hall setting, typical campus life also includes opportunities for interaction in places like dorm buildings, libraries, and student centers. Smart locker systems like Exela’s Intelligent Lockers provide a versatile solution for reducing face-to-face contact in a variety of ways. 

Contactless package delivery has become an enduringly popular option during the pandemic, and will likely remain so even after this is all over. Intelligent Lockers enable contactless delivery by offering a secure dropoff and pickup location where deliveries will be safe from would-be “porch pirates,” and retrievable via touchless access options like RFID chips in student and faculty IDs or QR codes sent to users’ smartphones. Similarly, they can facilitate the safe handoff of library books or distribution of required class materials. Plus, their 24-hour access adds convenience for students while potentially reducing staffing costs for campuses facing new budget constraints. 

Smart lobby and visitor management

Universities hoping to limit person-to-person contact can also benefit from automated check-in systems and virtual lobby support and various key points around campus. Libraries, administrative buildings, and student centers equipped with automated guest services technology like Exela’s Intelligent Kiosks can empower social distancing while still providing quality service and helpful information.

Smart technologies address issues and offer versatile solutions that can be used to digitize reception services at colleges and universities. Guests can check in, self-register, get directions, and print their guest badge with zero human interaction at reception.

Health scanners and apps

Technology has and is constantly evolving. With the pandemic crisis, many tech giants with the help of the government are developing applications that can track people's travel and medical history. Innovative solutions for quick and convenient temperature checks, like the use of thermal imaging cameras, can help keep school buildings safe and promote responsible distancing. Universities could also invest in contact tracing apps which would help track spread amongst students and contain potential outbreaks. 

The pandemic has enforced new rules that are likely to stick around and we must adapt ourselves to live cautiously. In a post-COVID world, the need for convenient and secure contactless services and solutions is only going to rise. If your organization faces these and similar challenges, but you are not yet discussing how to meet them, now is the time to start.

You can learn more about Exela's Intelligent Lockers that can provide a better experience for students and faculty on college campuses, check out what Exela did for George Washington University.

1. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/countries-where-coronavirus-has-spread/
2. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/us/coronavirus-cases-young-people.html

When COVID-19 hit, suddenly many of us had to adjust to an entirely new work atmosphere. Social distancing became crucial to slowing the spread, and within weeks, remote working arrangements became the norm for more half of the country. Now, even with many businesses around the country reopening, many people have mixed feelings about returning to the office. As of mid-May, 7 in 10 American workers were still working remotely all or part of the time, and just 1 in 4 say that they would return to the office if it was up to them.¹

As they look to reopen, businesses may need to find innovative solutions that will reassure their workers that they are taking serious precautions to protect employee health. 

Masks and temperature checks may become more common in the workplace, at least for a while. But the increased desire to maintain social distancing, and the potential for future temporary regional lockdowns to prevent a second wave, may help fuel some bigger changes and modernizations in many offices. Here are some of the new technologies and services that can help businesses provide a safe working environment while also adding new conveniences and cost saving opportunities.

Contactless Lobbies

Protecting against a virus that can easily spread through common interactions will mean limiting as much face-to-face communication as possible. That person-to-person contact often begins with a greeting in the reception area, but that no longer needs to be the case. Exela’s Intelligent Kiosks enable guests to check in with zero human interaction. Greet guests with a pre-recorded message rather than a living, breathing, potentially contagious human, and allow them to self-register, confirm their arrival, get directions, and print their guest badge. The kiosk will even send an automated notification to the host so that they know exactly where the guest is and when they arrived.

Of course, sometimes it’s nice to be able to interact with an actual human rather than a software system, despite the threat of transferable illnesses. If a guest requires assistance with the check-in process, the Intelligent Kiosk allows them to summon a Virtual Lobby Ambassador at any time via text, audio, or video chat. A Virtual Lobby Ambassador will assist your guests with their needs or answer any questions they may have.

Mobile Facility Passes

The fact that we all carry devices capable of receiving emails and image files without physical contact can make it much easier to continue to follow social distancing guidelines, even as offices reopen. For example, a Mobile Facility Pass, stored on a visitor’s smartphone, allows both employees and guests a contactless solution for displaying security clearance. It can also be used to share useful information like maps of the building or WiFi login information, all without the need for face-to-face interaction. 

Intelligent Lockers

As we all adjust to the constraints of social distancing, contactless delivery has become a popular option for those hoping to make purchases and support businesses without risking the trip to potentially crowded shopping centers or stores. Smart lockers enable contactless delivery in a number of ways, while also providing a convenient storage option for employees.

Exela’s Intelligent Lockers can be accessed through the built-in touchscreen interface, but they can just as well be integrated with RFID, QR code, or biometric recognition technologies for a fully touchless experience. Intelligent Lockers offer flexible layouts and designs, improved access controls, anytime availability, and complete chain-of-custody tracking. They provide an excellent contactless means of exchanging, shipping, receiving, or storing goods.

Digital Mailrooms

Intelligent Lockers are great at limiting face-to-face interactions in the delivery process, but a fully integrated Digital Mailroom can take it even one step further. With Digital Mailroom, your physical mail is rerouted to a secure processing facility where it can be scanned and digitized with advanced ICR and OCR technology for completely electronic delivery. This not only helps keep your workers safe, but also centralizes your communications, and enables remote workers to access important business mail from wherever they happen to be.

Exela Smart Office solutions like these make it easier for workers to return to the office with confidence. The convenience and security these solutions provide will help keep people safe, put minds at ease, and help everyone adjust to the next normal.

COVID-19 is impacting more than just the way businesses operate their physical offices. Learn more about how the pandemic is speeding up companies’ digital transformation.

1. https://news.gallup.com/poll/311375/reviewing-remote-work-covid.aspx

Even as attempts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have sent the global workforce home in droves, many individuals the world over continue to work on-site each day to support essential businesses and business continuity in general.  Citizens of the world have taken notice. Here are just two examples:

• Every evening at 7 p.m. New York City residents break into applause to thank first responders and healthcare workers putting their lives at risk to do so.
• McDonald’s is offering free “Thank You Meals” for first responders and healthcare workers between April 22 and May 5.

While we applaud these displays of gratitude, they also beg the question: how are we (and by “we,” we mean everyone everywhere) showing our gratitude toward those members of the workforce who can’t necessarily be called “first responders” but who have continued to work on-site throughout the pandemic? It’s something to think about, right? In the meantime, we can offer the following  insight into how we at Exela are supporting our on-site workforce in supporting our business continuity and the business continuity of our customers:

Staggering work shifts

We have and continue to rejigger work shifts for those employees whose jobs require them to be in the office. Implementing several shifts, as opposed to requiring everyone to be on-site at the same time, supports on-site employees in maintaining greater physical distance from one another by making office spaces less populated.

Providing cleaning products for on-site employees

Providing cleaning products for on-site employees supports those employees in sanitizing their workspaces and keeping their hands free from germs.

Implementing daily cleaning of office space

Cleanliness has never been so important, which is strict daily cleaning of office spaces is critical wherever employees are working on-site.

Providing protective gear

We are providing cloth face coverings for our employees who are on-site in an effort to protect employees from the respiratory droplets of other employees and our customers, where applicable. When our employees must visit viral hot zones such as New York City or medical facilities anywhere (for example, for our healthcare industry customers), we do our best to provide N95 masks (also known as respirators), which are a step above cloth face masks (learn the difference in the COVID-19 Glossary). We also provide protective gloves for all of our on-site employees.

Offering safety training

A mask and gloves won’t help if they become cross-contamination vectors. Therefore, it’s important for on-site employees to be trained in how to apply and remove their protective gear without risking cross-contamination. Training can be provided off-site using tools like Exela’s automated training and certification tools.

Offering non-invasive health monitoring

Wherever our employees are on-site, we have put into place a temperature-monitoring program whereby employees can assess their temperatures (and whether they have a fever). Ideally, this is done via scanner (which doesn’t require skin contact), but disposable thermometer strips are also useful. If anyone logs a temperature of 99F or higher, they should be asked not to enter the site and to instead seek immediate medical attention until a medical fit-for-duty certificate can be obtained.  

Maintaining an agile response plan

At Exela, in the event an employee becomes a “Confirmed Case” (see definition, as well as a full COVID-19 pandemic glossary, here) we have put into place a rapid reporting mechanism whereby all employees are notified and sent home for the day while a nationally reputable cleaning firm disinfects the site before the next workday. We also have a team of experts on hand to collect and analyze all related data using state-of-the-art analytic tool, and business continuity team members, including members of Human Resources and Security leadership, stay on top of such data and related reports to provide continuing real-time guidance on workplace protocols.

“Over”-communicating

The more you communicate with your on-site workforce, the more vital information you and they will have. Keep in at least bi-weekly contact with your employees. Consider offering employee training regarding safety measures. Here at Exela, our Corporate Communications team sends out communications two to three times per week to provide our employees with the latest news, information, updates, and resources.

Encourage your employees to stay informed

With self-service solutions such as Smart Lockers such a popular choice among our customers, it’s only natural we would gravitate toward helping our employees to help themselves become and remain well-informed about the constantly evolving pandemic landscape. Our Corporate Communications team offers news and resources at least weekly, and we keep it reliable by following these 8 ways to sniff out the fake news from what’s true.

Here at the Exela Blog, we’re doing our part to vet the news and share only what we can be certain is true. We hope you’ll do the same. As you work through these challenging times, we hope you’ll find these best practices for making remote working work for you helpful for you -- if you’re working from home, as well as our special edition of PluggedIN, COVID-19: A Tipping Point For Remote Work, a thought leadership publication focusing on remote work trends before, during and after the pandemic and best practices for business leaders and managers to ensure productivity and efficiency while employees are working from home.

If there is any way you think we can assist you, please do not hesitate to contact us at covidresponse@exelatech.com.