How do I protect my employees and customers? Say Hello to your new Health & Safety Officer!

By Chad Everaert

As restrictions are beginning to lift in the wake of Covid 19, business owners are faced with many decisions before re-opening.  “Will customers return?  Should I resume regular hours? How much staff will I need?”  While these are all very important questions, the one that likely tops their list is “How do I protect my employees and customers and ensure compliance?”

Follow The Arrows, Stay 6 Feet Apart…

While health officials and governing bodies have made it very easy to educate yourself on the rules, regulations and legal requirements of re-opening your business, the question of how to communicate this to your customers remains?   Not all cities and municipalities share the same level of risk and therefore do not share the same preventative measures.  Pre-education simply doesn’t cover it; it’s imperative to have clear, on-premise instruction to ensure that your policies and guidelines are communicated effectively.

The Obvious Solution? Visual Signage

Posters, flyers, stickers, window art, whatever.  Whether used to entice people to enter your business, coax them into making snap buying decisions based on advertised sales, or instructing them where to go to get what they need, visual signage will always be relevant.  But in a sea of signs can you really be sure that these vital messages regarding health and safety will even be seen?  This is too important to be left to chance.

A Better Approach? In-Store Messaging

While not a new concept, In-Store Messaging, or Overhead Audio Messaging, has mostly been used to advertise current sales and service offers to customers that are already in your business, drive traffic to specific areas of your store, and advertise special events.  This proven retail champion has just been promoted to your in-house Health & Safety Officer!

With In-Store Messaging, you can effectively communicate everything related to your post Covid 19 operation via professional voiceovers.  Mandatory policies, customer etiquette suggestions, health and safety commitments, messages of thanks, updated hours or anything you want to communicate can be mixed with in-store background music to create an informed, relaxed shopping experience.  Messages can be scheduled to play at specific times of the day and can be separated into various zones of your business. For example: Your waiting area may require different messaging than your retail space, or you may want to retail your marketing messages in a specific area of your store.

You have the unique ability to influence customer behaviour in your store.  With the right music and the right message, not only can you help to ensure compliance, but you can help to educate individuals and improve the health and safety of your local community.