Originally published in American City & County.
Originally published in American City & County.
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.
Originally published in CustomerThink.
Originally published in InsightsCare.
Originally published in MultiBrief.
Originally published in HIT Consultant.
Originally published in Exhibit City News
Originally published in GovLoop.
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.
Originally published in Healthcare Business and Technology
Originally Published in HealthCare Business & Technology
Originally published in UniversityBusiness. Read here.
Originally published in BusinessWire. Read here.
The typical holiday shopping season, from November to January, is an important time for most retailers. With Black Friday, Christmas gifts and Boxing Day sales, holiday sales were predicted to amount to $1.147 trillion and $1.152 trillion in 2019, accounting for a large percentage of total sales for many retailers. Unfortunately, with the pandemic underway, lower in-store capacities, financial instability, and stay-at-home orders are expected to create a very different holiday shopping season.
It’s voting season in the U.S. With election day only a few weeks away, on November 3rd, early voting has started in over 20 states. Unfortunately, long voting lines and hours-long wait times are creating delays, frustration and unsafe conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, postal service delays are causing issues with mail-in voting. With over 25 million ballots already cast, the November 3rd election day is expected to be busy. So what can governments do to help their citizens? They need to prioritize health and safety–including shelter from increasingly cold weather–and the ability to disseminate timely information to all voters. New technology investments can encourage, and allow, more citizens to exercise their right to vote safely and easily.
With the number of bankruptcies at a 10-year high due to the ongoing pandemic, it's no surprise that retailers are struggling. Although non-essential businesses have re-opened across the country, a threat of a second wave remains, which could lead to further store closures.
Originally Published in Credit Union Business News
The financial industry has seen ups and downs for centuries. It’s actually the norm as currencies fluctuate, mortgage rates jump and plummet, and people change how they invest. We’ve all seen boom markets and severe downturns, but none of us have ever seen anything remotely like the current pandemic. It has changed everything for the credit union industry, from back-end technologies to customer experience. Unfortunately, in most cases, consumer interactions have suffered because the in-person experience is so different than it was even a few months ago. The good news is that new technologies are helping credit unions improve service and create better experiences for their members.
For retail store owners, the pandemic helped to emphasize a trend that we all expected to happen eventually: the rapid rise of online shopping. In the U.S. alone, 91% of the population is expected to shop online by 2023. That number is staggering, but that doesn’t mean retailers should abandon in-person shopping experiences altogether. In fact, consumers regularly spend more money when shopping in-person, compared to online shopping. As stores begin to reopen their physical locations after the first wave of the pandemic, using technology can help modernize the in-person experience, attract more customers, increase revenue, and keep everyone safe.
It’s almost that time of year again, when college and university students head back to campuses across the country. This year, though, the movement of students will look quite different. With the COVID-19 pandemic still underway, many universities are focusing on virtual or hybrid classroom environments. Although many campuses will remain emptier than usual, that doesn’t mean there won’t be crowds, especially in high traffic areas such as admissions offices and classrooms. Below, we’ve outlined solutions to help higher education open safely, with physical distancing measures in place.
This article was originally published in AviationPros
This article was originally published in eCampus News
This article was originally published in Casino Compendium.
This article was originally published in American City & County.
This article was originally published in Independent Retailer.
Throughout the pandemic, people have been relying on technology to improve health and safety, and to implement social distancing rules. But with so many technology options available, it can be hard to understand what is best for your school. Even harder than that is getting executive buy-in for something new. If you’re looking for student management software for colleges and universities that can help improve health, safety and efficiency, a queue management system may be the way to go. Below, we’ve outlined what you need to know when deciding to implement a queue management system or appointment scheduling software for higher education.
While some businesses have been forced to close their doors during the COVID-19 quarantine, essential businesses have been allowed to proceed with caution. New social distancing measures are in place that require six feet of distance between customers, masks to be worn in public, the implementation of plexiglass screens, and no more than a certain amount of people allowed in each store. People feel safest when they are given options to limit human interaction, like curbside pick-up services, waiting for healthcare visits from their vehicles, and hands-off food deliveries. QLess technology makes it easy for you to implement your own social distancing measures that will boost your business.
As businesses around the world close their doors in order to protect their employees and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are certain industries that have been deemed essential. Manufacturing, transportation, public services, and most of all, healthcare have been essential for both managing the pandemic, and helping maintain necessary services and resources for citizens. Unfortunately, balancing employee and customer safety, maintaining services and providing a positive customer service experience can seem daunting – and nearly impossible. Luckily, social distancing technology exists that can help manage the customer experience while maintaining social distancing at work.
When colleges return for the Fall 2020 semester, students, teachers and administrators aren’t quite sure what this will look like. Although the pandemic is expected to lessen over the next few months, doctors fear that next year’s flu season will result in another severe outbreak. This is forcing schools to reconsider opening back up in September, or develop a COVID-19 education policy by coming up with social distancing ideas. In a time of unprecedented uncertainty, trying to plan for a fall semester can seem like a daunting task. Unfortunately, in order to assure their future, that is what universities have begun to do – plan for the worst case scenario.
As states begin to reopen after COVID-19, more and more restaurants will be able to open their doors again. As you’re beginning that process, however, it’s important to maintain thorough social distancing measures to keep customers and employees safe. Waiting in lines to be seated is one of the biggest challenges to social distancing that will be faced by restaurants. However, as recommended by the CDC, phone app technology can help overcome this problem to allow restaurants to function efficiently and keep their patrons safe. Consider QLess’ social distancing app for some of the best solutions as you reopen restaurants after COVID-19.
During a pandemic, social distancing is sometimes needed to curb the spread of illness and help keep your customers safe while they access your business. QLess can work with many industries, keeping your business running and promoting a healthy environment for both customers and employees. Clear crowded waiting areas, make appointment scheduling easy, and give your employees an option to communicate directly with customers over their mobile phones.
In the midst of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis that has quickly turned into a global pandemic, businesses, schools, and government agencies are weighing the risks. While medical professionals and scientists are tirelessly researching to find out more about how coronavirus spreads, social distancing is a common theme. Many retail businesses have chosen to shut down to prevent the spread and discourage person-to-person contact.
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