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The QLess Blog

Kevin Grauman

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Recent Posts

Strategies to Improve the Vaccine Distribution in Rural and Vulnerable Communities

Apr 08 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: Retail, Reopening, COVID-19 Vaccines

The U.S. is undergoing a massive vaccination strategy to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been without hiccups. Individuals have been accused of cutting the lines. White Americans are being vaccinated at rates two to three times higher than Black Americans. The latest hurdle is getting vaccines to rural populations. Although population in rural areas is falling, it still accounted for around 14 percent of the total U.S. population in 2018. Traveling to vaccination sites, such as local pharmacies or stadiums in cities, can be nearly impossible — with some individuals forced to travel upwards of 30 miles. But in order for the pandemic to end, people need vaccines. This means that pharmacies need to find solutions to improve the rural vaccination program. While we await a wider vaccination strategy from the government, here are some ways to improve access, awareness and distribution in rural areas.

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Customer Experience In The Age Of Big Data

Apr 07 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: Insights, Retail, Mobile Check In

We live in an era of unprecedented data, where a consumer’s every action sets off a ripple of digital data. Strings of algorithms interpret this data to create consumer profiles, and companies use these robust data representations to target products and content with great effect. According to a McKinsey study,around 35 percent of Amazon purchases and 75 percent of Netflix selections are driven by machine learning recommendations.

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The Future of Fitness

Mar 30 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: Retail, Fitness

Originally published in Athletic Business.

It’s hard to predict exactly what the post-COVID world will look like, but it’s going to be different — and not just because people will be wearing masks to the grocery store every flu season from now until forever. It’s going to be different because this pandemic has introduced a new era of consumer convenience that will forever change the way we do business.

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How vaccination strategies will guide campus reopenings

Although COVID-19 vaccinations are underway in the U.S.—with nearly 10% of adults having received two doses—much of the population is still wavering on whether they plan to receive their vaccine.

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How technology can ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine

Originally published in American City & County.

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Saving higher education: Lessons learned from fall semester reopenings

Despite major changes to classes, student services and experiences, higher education appears to be surviving the fall semester. Unfortunately, the pandemic meant that it was not nearly as successful as previous years or as predicted. Undergraduate attendance plummeted 2.5 percent and international undergraduate enrollment was down 11 percent. This forced many colleges into a difficult position financially. Yet most are still choosing to enter the winter semester without changing their initial pandemic plans. Estimates show that the pandemic has cost higher education institutes over $120 billion. With COVID-19 cases increasing, enrollment rates declining and further budget cuts on the horizon, schools are expected to fare worse. In order to survive the year, colleges need to revisit what worked—and what didn’t—to save higher education.

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The End of Retail as We Know It: Embracing Change After the Pandemic

Originally published in CustomerThink.

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How Technology Can Help Higher Education Transition Post-Pandemic

Originally published in BUILDINGS.

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Why technology is the key to accelerating COVID-19 vaccination strategies.

Originally published in InsightsCare.

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How connected smart cities will help prevent future pandemics and more.

Originally published in MultiBrief.

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Leveraging Technology and Data for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Jan 25 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: Healthcare, COVID-19 Solutions

Originally published in HIT Consultant.

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How Technology Will Pave the Way for Special Events in Post-COVID World

Originally published in Exhibit City News

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The Role Tech Infrastructure Will Play in Efficient Vaccine Distribution

Originally published in ToolBox Tech. 

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Winter is Here: How Retailers Can Tap Digital Tools to Boost the Customer Experience

Originally published in RetailCustomerExperience

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Tech and Data Can Serve As the Backbone for Vaccine Distribution

Originally published in RouteFifty

The long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine has arrived. As of now, three pharmaceutical companies—Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca—have announced that their vaccines are anywhere from 70 and 95% effective. And with the approval of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the U.S. is now embarking on the largest vaccination distribution campaign in history. As it did for keeping individuals safe throughout the pandemic, technology and data will need to be leveraged in order to ensure distribution plans are on track and successful. But in this unprecedented time, state and local governments are struggling to understand what technology is actually needed to create a safe and efficient distribution pipeline. They also need to understand what data is necessary to collect and how to keep it safe. And all of these solutions need to be implemented in a timely manner so that state and local governments can quickly and safely distribute the vaccine.

Third-Party Vendor Considerations

There are major time constraints for getting the infrastructure in place to support the vaccine distribution. This means that health care and government organizations will need to rely on existing technology infrastructure and solutions instead of building out their own platforms. Similarly, this means working with existing technology vendors through RFP processes known to take weeks or months to get new projects approved. In our current situation, speed is pivotal. Finding a balance between speed and process is extremely important at this time. Governments should consider ways to avoid lengthy RFPs so that the technology is in place for the distribution. This could mean entering a pilot program agreement or looking at direct sales—anything that will allow the technology to be implemented in a timely fashion. Consider trusted vendors that have experience working with government organizations and understand the security requirements.

Technology Implementation

The technology that governments choose to implement needs to be able to manage the flow of traffic and vaccine appointments in health care facilities. The health care system is already overwhelmed with patients sick from Covid-19. Adding an onslaught of patients needing vaccines to busy hospitals that are already under strain could cause many issues. Vaccine distribution needs to consider how to keep everyone safe by managing the flow of traffic in these facilities. Integrating appointment management solutions where patients can wait at a safe distance will help keep clinics safe and running smoothly during the distribution phase. It will also help them manage the distribution of the vaccines alongside the need of other healthcare services. 

Data Collection

With so many different distribution phases and vaccines, governments will need to collect patient data to keep track of who has been vaccinated, who needs a booster shot if receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and who still needs the vaccine. This will be critical information when it comes to ordering vaccine doses and moving through each phase, but also to monitor the needs of healthcare providers.

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Technology Solutions for Healthcare Providers

Originally published in Healthcare Business and Technology

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Don’t Leave Shoppers Out in the Cold This Winter

Originally published in Chain Store Age. 

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Using technology to protect citizen-facing workers

Originally Published in GCN

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3 Areas Hospitals Should be Focusing their Technology Investments

Originally Published in HealthCare Business & Technology

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Saving higher education: Lessons learned from fall semester reopening

Originally published in UniversityBusiness. Read here. 

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Next-Generation Events: How Technology Will Pave the Way Post-Covid

Oct 20 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: COVID-19 Solutions

Originally Posted in Corporate Event News

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We Can’t Shut Down COVID-19 Without New Technology

Oct 14 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: Healthcare, COVID-19 Solutions

Originally Published in Healthcare Business Today

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How Airports are Using Technology to Reopen During COVID

Aug 05 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: Government, COVID-19 Solutions

This article was originally published in AviationPros

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Here’s how tech will get us “out of line” on campus

Jul 28 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: Education, COVID-19 Solutions

This article was originally published in eCampus News

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QLess CIM is key to improving on casino playing time

This article was originally published in Casino Compendium.

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Governments, technology and the future of the public sector

Jul 21 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: Government, COVID-19 Solutions

This article was originally published in American City & County.

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The Grand Reopening: How Retailers Can Stay Ahead Of COVID In The Months & Years Ahead

Jul 15 By Kevin Grauman | Categories: Retail, COVID-19 Solutions

This article was originally published in Independent Retailer.

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