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How Does Your Facility Greet Its Guests in the New No-Touch World?

DIY access won’t cut it anymore

Blog 3, April 2021

First impressions are everything—and that goes for buildings, too. In these unprecedented times, building owners and facility managers need to ask themselves, How does your facility greet its guests in the new no-touch world?

The global pandemic put intense focus on germs, where they lurk, and how they spread. As more people are vaccinated and life returns to a semblance of normalcy, those germ concerns aren’t going anywhere. Now that people know how vulnerable they are, they will want to remain vigilant. Building owners and facility managers need to respond to this new normal by reassuring the public, from the start, that people are safe on their properties.

Automatic doors send this message loud and clear by providing touchless, hands-free access from the moment people walk in the door.

We can gain insight into the long-term effects of living with coronavirus by looking at Hong Kong’s SARS outbreak from 2003. Ten years later, a BBC follow-up report documented how residents’ behavior had been forever changed. They still wore masks when feeling ill. Coughing or sneezing in public still drew worried glances. And public buildings were still posting signs touting how many times each day they wiped down surfaces.

So it goes that coronavirus has conditioned all of us to be hyper-aware of the surfaces they touch. That’s going to stay with people, even after life returns to normal. They’re going to want to minimize touch contact whenever possible. Automatic doors signal to the public that you understand their concerns. It puts them at ease from the start and prepares them for a positive experience with your space and your brand.

Automatic doors have always served purposes of convenience and access. Over the years, they’ve taken on a design element and become an aesthetic choice. Now you can add public health protection to the growing list of attributes.

One of the best things about automatic doors is that, as they provide this public heath protection, they don’t lose any of their other advantages.

They still provide convenience for people on the go who might have their hands full. There’s no need to stop to put anything down, or shuffle everything to one hand to grab a knob or handle.

They still provide equal access to people with mobility issues and other physical differences. This widens your potential pool of guests and, more importantly, literally opens the door for more people to participate in modern life.

And, automatic doors still add beauty and design to buildings. They elevate the status of your facility. They let in more light. They are a hallmark of a first-class operation.

We’ve always thought of automatic doors as the ultimate way to greet your guests. These days, your guests are thinking of them as a necessity.

BBC report: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-21680682

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