Scottish solutions experts launch innovation to help pubs comply with new laws

A SCOTTISH solutions company is launching a new system to help pubs, restaurants and cafes keep staff and customers safe in light of new laws across the nation.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that from Friday (August 14) it will be mandatory for the hospitality sector to collect customer details for the Scottish Government's Test and Protect programme in the wake of a coronavirus outbreak in Aberdeen.
Scottish solutions experts Eco, who received national acclaim for the way they responded to the pandemic to help care homes and other businesses, is launching a new contactless system from Monday (August 10) to help pubs, restaurants and other venues.
The Annan-based company’s Econnects technology is a simple-to-use system for pubs and restaurant owners and for customers, which enables establishments to adhere to new laws while also remaining GDPR compliant.
Econnects is designed to help businesses remain compliant by maintaining records of staff, customers and visitors to venues and by supporting Test and Protect to identify people who may have been exposed to the virus.
Ayr-born pub group managing director Dianne Irving is the first to adopt the pioneering technology at her award-winning and historic venues.
Dianne said: “This situation is going to be with us for a long time so we were looking for a sustainable solution which makes it easy for our staff to gather and store information, and is also really easy to use for our customers.
“Econnects gives everyone - staff, customers, and any visitors to the premises such as those who are delivering - reassurance and peace of mind that, as well as enforcing social distancing at our venues, we are also doing everything we can by utilising the very latest technology to keep everyone safe.”
Dianne, who is MD of pub company Drouth, runs venues in the Border City of Carlisle - the award-winning Crown and historic city centre Howard Arms.
She wants to ensure her venues are as safe as possible to staff and customers from both sides of the border in the long-term, as well as in the immediate future.
Dianne said: “We have been keeping a close eye on what Nicola Sturgeon is saying, as well as what is coming out of Westminster - and we wouldn’t be surprised to see laws in England follow suit to what is happening in Scotland.
“As we have visitors to our venues from both sides of the border we wanted to make sure we are ahead of the game and offering the latest pioneering solutions to help keep everyone safe, so that our customers can enjoy our pubs with that peace of mind and confidence which is so important to everyone right now.”
Eco’s Econnects system is quick and easy to set up for any premises and involves a simple-to-use mobile interface for both staff and users registering entry with a contactless check-in.
Eddie Black, Eco managing director, said: “We have developed Econnects to provide a simple, affordable, contactless solution to help keep people as safe as possible in any environment - whether that be pubs, restaurants, cafes, offices, gyms, entertainment venues, sporting arenas, or other premises.
“There is a requirement on hospitality owners in Scotland from Friday (August 14) to collect customer details for Test and Protect.
“This system is ideal for pub, restaurant and hotel owners, as it helps achieve that in an easy-to-use way which reassures staff and customers.
“It also gives companies who have this system in place a competitive edge as it is the type of technology consumers will be looking for more and more.
“Knowing this solution is in place gives staff and customers that all-important confidence. It also allows business owners to concentrate their efforts on providing great service as they look to build their businesses back up after lockdown.”
Donna Daly, Eco’s finance director, who has been instrumental in rolling out the technology along with executive assistant Ellie Missen and other team Eco experts, said: “One of the many advantages of this system is that it’s purely web based. It requires no technical knowledge from the user and there’s no need to install anything on any hardware. 

“A QR code is provided, along with a poster with an establishment’s logo. Venues are also able to upload a PDF of their menu to the Econnects system which people can then access on the site. 

“At the moment a lot of businesses are using paper menus which can only be used once and then have to be thrown away. This system takes all that hassle away, saving time, cutting out needless admin, and helping the environment as well.”
 

Eco’s response solutions division already has an impressive track record of helping the nation in its time of need.
The Scottish company delivered one million items of PPE to UK care homes within seven days at the start of the outbreak.  
Eco’s sanitising solutions have also helped a UK factory, making material for visors for the NHS, keep operating 24/7. 
As well as its new Econnects technology, Eco’s response solutions include testing kits, testing pods, hygiene portals, thermal imaging cameras, PPE and sanitiser.
The company is building its own state of the art, 3,000-square-metre headquarters for 80 employees at Annan, where former deep sea fisherman Eddie will be deploying all the technologies to protect the health and well-being of his own team.
All the technologies will be in place at Eco’s offices, as well as keyless entry, intercomms, and antivirus coverings on desks and chairs, the latter from one of Eco’s own specialist companies Ghyll House Upholstery and Design, to help keep COVID-19, and any other future viruses, at bay.
All personal data collected on the Econnects system is Advanced Encryption Standard 256 encrypted on secure servers to comply with data regulations. Eco is also also registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) regarding its data compliance.
Any organisation or business which would benefit from Eco’s Econnects system or other solutions, or would like to know more, is asked to visit www.econnects.co.uk email hello@econnects.co.uk or phone 01461 500 206 for more information.

Photos: 
Eco’s latest Econnects technology to help pubs and restaurants, and other venues, keep staff and customers safe. The technology is pictured here in use at the Howard Arms in the Border City of Carlisle.
Dianne Irving, managing director of Drouth Limited, who is the first to adopt the pioneering Econnects technology at her venues.
Eddie Black, managing director of Annan-based Eco, which is launching the simple-to-use Econnects system.
Donna Daly, Eco’s finance director who, with other team Eco experts, has been instrumental in rolling out the company’s Econnects solution. 


 

Any organisation or business which would benefit from Eco’s Econnects system is asked to visit www.econnects.co.uk email hello@econnects.co.uk or phone 01461 500 206 for more information
To find out more about Eco’s other solutions which are designed to help the economy across a range of sectors fight back from lockdown go to www.teameco.co.uk or email response@teameco.co.uk

This article is distributed on behalf of Eco by 32West. For more information, or to request interviews with Eco solutions experts, please contact Jonathan Lee 07444 022038 jonathan@32west.co.uk