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[Webinar] Office Hours with Virginia Benner, Customer Success Manager at Relay

April 28, 2022/0 Comments/in Relay for Business, Webinars

Office Hours is your chance to learn more about Relay from the people who know it best. We’ll chat with not just Relay customers, but also the team members who helped build the product from the ground up.

In our fourth episode, we chat with Virginia Benner, Manager of Customer Success at Relay. Virginia has a passion for making the customer experience informative and impactful. Previously serving as a Customer Success Manager with a portfolio of customers, she currently leads the Customer Success team at Relay.

https://blog.relaypro.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Blog-01-12-22-–-14.png 711 1747 Travis Aptt https://blog.relaypro.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/relay_blog.svg Travis Aptt2022-04-28 19:28:512022-11-17 13:13:46[Webinar] Office Hours with Virginia Benner, Customer Success Manager at Relay

What is a Panic Button and Why Do I Need It?

April 25, 2022/0 Comments/in Relay for Business

Though more states are introducing panic button laws and mandates, the rules on panic buttons aren’t always clear. And since the safety legislation can vary by city, state or brand, the employee requirements on providing associate alert devices to remote workers can sometimes feel confusing. We’ll try to help clear things up.

 

Hotel Panic Button 101

A hotel panic button is a wearable emergency button used most often by housekeeping staff. This safety device is operated with a single push of a button. In case of an emergency, a staffer can trigger the device which alerts security or team supervisors. Since most panic buttons operate on an interconnected system via Bluetooth, cellular networks, or wifi, employees are able to communicate in real time while their location data is immediately shared. 

A hotel panic button is also known as Associate Alert Device, Employee Safety Device (ESD), Employee Safety Solution, Lone Worker Safety Technology, or a Wearable Emergency Button for Housekeeping. The device names reflect their use as emergency safety technology meant to protect employees who often work in isolation as part of their job requirements. These workers often include housekeeping staffers potentially exposed to verbal or physical harassment.

 

Hotel Panic Buttons vs. Consumer Safety Devices

Before we get to the nitty gritty of operating your panic button, it’s important to understand what a hotel panic button is not. 

A hotel panic button does not rely on noise to alert of potential danger and is not a high-pitched alarm available to consumers. Hotel panic buttons use technology that’s industry specific. While many consumers carry around what’s known in the industry as a noisemaker or screamer, they aren’t effective deterrents in the hospitality business. In fact, these noisy gadgets are proven to be detrimental or distracting in an emergency, and could even potentially intensify an already dangerous situation.

Hotel panic buttons are discrete in both size and usage. They have a small footprint and while visible when worn, aren’t heavy or uncomfortable. In the case of an emergency, a button is pushed on a hotel panic button that silently alerts others to distress. Unlike noise only alarm systems, there’s no loud beeping sounds to scare off nearby guests. 

 

How Do Hotel Panic Buttons Work?

First off, a hotel panic button doesn’t work on its own out of the box. The panic button must be configured properly to a unified hardware and software system to provide alerts or real-time aid to workers in potential distress. 

The best hotel panic buttons operate on a network of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacons. These may be placed discreetly throughout your property including in unobtrusive spots in guest rooms or supply closets. Each beacon is named and registered to best keep track of employee location in case of an emergency. Once these beacons are installed (without any additional wiring or drilling needed) they work with panic buttons to detect signals and location.

When remote workers go about their work day, their panic buttons communicate with each beacon if needed. In case of an emergency, the staffer would press the button on their associate alert device. An immediate location would be logged by the beacon already in place. If the staffer feels it’s necessary to run to safety, the beacons passed along the way will keep logging their location until help arrives.

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Your staff may leave your hotel for a different job that offers better tech and safety.

 

What Is The Dispatch Center?

If a panic button is deployed, the information sent must be delivered to the software management program AKA Dispatch Center. Think of this as the central command system which keeps track of everything from emergency situations and employee location, to critical details like battery life or device assignment. 

By empowering your staffers with a system that keeps them safe and keeps track of them when they might otherwise feel vulnerable, you also keep your entire property safer. 

It’s important to train staff to help them understand not only how to use their panic buttons, but also to reassure them their safety is your priority. It’s also critical to let your housekeeping and remote staff know that you are choosing to keep them safer. You may not even be required yet by law to have this type of system in place, but others are, and your staff may leave your hotel for a different job that offers better tech and safety.

 

A Day in the Life of a Hotel Panic Button

  • Employees are either given a panic button that is theirs to use, or are assigned a panic button each day as they check in for their shift.
  • Employees have their wearable panic button on them throughout the day and while on their shift.
  • In case of an emergency, they push the button on their device. Their location is immediately shared to the dispatch center and any other configured locations. This might include texting their supervisor or informing law enforcement.
  • If the remote staffer moves through the hotel toward safer conditions, BLE beacons placed throughout the property will update the command center of their current location until help arrives.
  • At the end of their shift, staffers return their panic button to the drop-off location.

 

Do All Hotels Follow the Same Panic Button Protocol?

In a word, no. There are different laws that vary widely. To take it a step further, some hotel brands are not even required by law yet to implement a panic button rule, but are proactive in doing so. Some brands require all properties to have panic devices but allow the individual locations to choose from a list of vetted vendors. Some may allow the choice of a device, but require the same provider. 

Before choosing your panic button solution, you need to find out if you are under brand or state requirements. Relay can assist you with determining and abiding by these requirements. Also notable, every property already will have safety protocols in place. When setting up your system, it’s critical to create an organic emergency system that protects staffers without disrupting guest activities. 

Pro tip: Want to know what the brand requirements are? Watch our Webinar on Employee Safety Device deadlines here

 

Why You Need to Prioritize Hotel Panic Buttons

There are two main reasons to ensure staffers are well taken care of. With a global staffing shortage and the regular turnover in the hospitality industry, it’s critical to create as many incentives for staffers to stay with your hotel. That includes following all state laws and mandates for panic buttons. And even if your state or city doesn’t as yet require associate alert devices, you may choose to use them to remind staffers that their safety is your priority. And since hotels are all about hospitality, a safer and happier staff means guests who feel safer as well. By better protecting staffers you’re also creating an environment where staffers can better care for guests. 

 

Still don’t know where to start?

The Relay team can walk you through the details of any relevant brand or state requirements and will work with you to create a plan based on your team’s specific needs.

Sign up for a free consultation today

https://blog.relaypro.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Blog-01-12-22-–-13.png 711 1747 Travis Aptt https://blog.relaypro.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/relay_blog.svg Travis Aptt2022-04-25 12:50:232022-11-17 13:13:41What is a Panic Button and Why Do I Need It?

Noisemaker panic buttons: A decision you’ll regret

April 1, 2022/0 Comments/in Relay for Business

In an effort to comply with new panic button requirements many hotels are going straight to the quick and easy option of noisemakers. These are essentially wearable buttons with a singular purpose: to make a loud noise in situations of duress. While this may satisfy requirements in the short term, these hotels are quickly having to spend even more time and money finding replacements as requirements tighten.

If you’re still trying to figure out which associate alert devices to purchase for your staffers, future-proof your system by opting for a tool with location tracking and two-way communication. . It’s not just a smarter option, it’s a more efficient and safer one. But don’t just take our word for it, on some level, it’s actually written into the requirements for  many states and hotel brands.

Noisemakers are not panic buttons

In the summer of 2019 the city of Miami Beach sent a letter to hotels clarifying their year long — often murky — panic button requirements. While the new laws require panic buttons for hotel housekeeping staff and room attendants, some hoteliers thought any panic button would work just fine. They were mistaken.

Some background on Miami Beach panic button requirement for hotels

In July 2018 Miami Beach passed their version of panic button laws. The ordinance required hotels to provide front-facing staffers with panic buttons to be used in case of an emergency. But the laws were vague at best.

Many hotels including the largest hotel in the city, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Resort, attempted to honor the letter of the law and outfitted staffers with inexpensive noisemakers. A year later hotel managers were told that using noisemakers instead of panic buttons could result in violations.

As reported by the Miami Herald in 2019, reporters at the news outlet tested the $11 noisemaker the Fontainebleau planned to give to staffers. The Miami Herald found the alarm noise “could be easily muffled, deactivated and confused for static on a television from the hallway.” Disturbingly, the noisemaker only device didn’t have any GPS capabilities, so anyone in distress was for all intents and purposes on their own during an emergency. More disturbing yet is the fact that three years after lawmakers in Miami declared that noisemakers weren’t effective as panic buttons, some hotels are still considering them for their panic button system.

At Relay, we’re proud that our devices connect distanced workers and empower them through the use of a panic button and a completely connected cellular network. Contact us to find out how to empower your staff and clientele through connectivity with a device that alerts anyone to potential danger.

ASIDE FROM THE EXTREMELY LOUD AND UNSAFE DECIBEL LEVELS ON SOME PANIC BUTTONS (THINK THE LOUDEST BLOW DRYER OR QUIETEST AIRPLANE ENGINE), NOISEMAKERS DON’T DO MUCH.

 

For a safer and more effective experience, choose a GPS enabled panic button system over noisemakers

If you’re still on the fence about the type of system to choose for your resort or hotel, here are a few things to consider based on some of the most recent requirements:

  • Noisemakers are not enough. Aside from the extremely loud and unsafe decibel levels on some noisemakers (think the loudest blow dryer or quietest airplane engine), they really don’t do much. The hope is that the sound will scare off an offender. The reality is that it might just disrupt the guest experience and cause general unease.
  • Silent alarms are safer for staffers and better for the guest experience. While some offenders are scared off by a loud alarm, others become more agitated or aggressive. Audible alarms can actually escalate threatening situations and cause negative guest experiences. Ultimately, a silent alarm is better.
  • Location tracking with room-level accuracy is key. If someone activates a panic button that is GPS enabled, their exact location is immediately known so help can be sent. Many hotel brands are going as far to say that floor-level accuracy is not enough to meet requirements
  • Two-way communication is a must. Your staff doesn’t want to carry around a bunch of different pieces of tech that just get in the way of their job. That means, walkie talkies are sometimes left on carts or out of reach. In an emergency situation, it’s critical to not only know where your team is, but what’s going on.
  • Noisemakers can be easily deactivated. If someone just has a noisemaker it can be deactivated more easily than an alert sent from a more connected device.

What makes Relay the best option?

Silent alerts: A quick press of the pain button will trigger a silent alarm to your team that will come through on other Relay devices, the dashboard, and/or the Relay app. Alerts remain persistent until someone on your team has resolved the issue.

Location tracking: Relay panic buttons operate using a system of connected wireless beacons which track and report any panic alerts instantly, and follow the device in real time from your dashboard as it moves locations. Once the dust has settled, you can review incident reports to understand how long it took your team to respond

Two-way communication: When an alert is triggered, a direct line of communication is opened. As a bonus, Relay can serve as your team’s normal means of communication, so you can replace your old, outdated walkie talkies as well.

Cost: We get it, budgets are tight, but unlike many other options on the market that offer similar features, Relay does all of this for a fraction of the cost – AND eliminates your need for expensive walkie talkies.

SEE IT IN ACTION

The Relay difference:

If you’re ready to set up your own network of panic buttons, look no further than Relay. Our products are affordable and efficient. Relay is an easy to deploy, flexible panic button. Best yet, it’s also an elevated communications solution, so you’re combining two critical line items into one (with better value). With Relay, you save money, setup is nonexistent, and our products offer hotel staff a practical, easy solution.

https://blog.relaypro.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Blog-01-12-22-–-12.png 711 1747 Travis Aptt https://blog.relaypro.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/relay_blog.svg Travis Aptt2022-04-01 13:52:562022-11-17 13:13:25Noisemaker panic buttons: A decision you’ll regret

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