image of students sitting in a classroom representing how schools can create a safer environment for their students
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Management • Renovation • Security • Tips and Tricks • 0 Comments

How to Create a Safer School Environment for Students

While returning to school is crucial for children’s academic development, it’s equally important for the staff in education settings to make sure the health and safety of their students is the top priority.

That said, staff members of the faculty will have to ensure that all the vital government-issued guidelines and other precautionary measures are in place to create a safer learning environment. That way, school leaders not only minimise the risk of transmission but also make sure all students receive a high-quality education.

Schools will have to be prepared for the possibility of a local lockdown while having a plan in place to not disrupt the learning process.

With that in mind, at Doorway Services, we’ve compiled a list of our top 8 tips to help you create a safer school environment.

Closely Follow the Government-Issued Guidelines

As schools are expected to welcome all students back this autumn, the government, with advice from Public Health England (PHE), has prepared a set of guidelines that every educational institution has to follow in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

By following these principles and maximising strict adherence to control measures, education leaders can keep their students safe while effectively minimising various health risks.

Place Physical Distancing Stickers on the Floor

In a busy school, implementing social/physical distancing can be a tad difficult but faculty members need to take advantage of the available resources and create a safer environment for both students and staff.

One of the best ways to ensure that your students are adhering to the 2-metre rule would be to place foot stickers on the floor.

You could also post signages in corridors and other communal areas to effectively communicate the social distancing measures and make sure everyone is following it properly to create a safer school environment.

Avoid Conducting Assemblies

Although it might be tempting to gather all the students and staff in one place, in the current situation, conducting assemblies is a big no!

Rather than crowding everyone in one spot, you could pass on crucial information through regular announcements or on virtual school groups. 

This will not only help you avoid the need for assemblies but also ensure the necessary messages are being delivered at the right time and to the right people.

Space Out the Opening Time

Staggering the opening time is another effective way to create a safer school environment for your students. By doing so, you can avoid a huge influx of children entering the school at the same time.

You could try spacing out the opening time as per the year group. This will ensure that social distancing is being maintained between your students, as advised by the official authorities.

Stock Up on Hand Sanitisers

As a school leader, it’s your responsibility to ensure proper hygiene and cleanliness are being maintained throughout the premises, and that every student and teacher is adhering to it.

That said, make sure you have enough soap, hand sanitisers, and other safety and cleanliness essentials in place. You should also hang handwashing posters wherever possible.

Install Automatic Doors

We all know the guidelines around the transmission of germs through surfaces, and we all know manual doors require your staff and students to use their hands to open them, and the one thing that you need to avoid during this time is physical contact with surfaces that are likely to transmit the virus.

To eliminate pushing open a door with bare hands, why not install commercial automatic doors in your school?

This will not only create a safer environment but also curb the risk of virus transmission in your institution.

To find out more about automatic door installation and other repair services, contact a professional door supplier like Doorway Services today!

Provide Your Staff With Special Training & Protective Gear

Since there’s still a lot we don’t know about the virus, it’s better to offer special training to all your staff and ensure that the entire school is being thoroughly cleaned and sanitised.

Additionally, you also need to offer them protective gear like masks, gloves, and safety visors.

However, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) might be required only in specific situations.

To Sum Up

Reopening the school might seem overwhelming, and whilst there’s no possible way to ensure a risk-free environment, it’s best to adhere to the guidelines set by the government.

Contact Doorway Services for Commercial Door Installation

To create a safer school environment for your students, installing an automatic door is extremely important.

If you’re looking for a professional door installation company, then get in touch with our team today!

a beautiful & architectural hotel lobby representing how you can boost your hotel's operational efficiency
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • Do It Yourself • General Information • Management • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

Our Top Tips to Boost Your Hotel’s Operational Efficiency

The hospitality industry is highly competitive and fast-paced, meaning peak efficiency is of prime importance. Given the pandemic, it’s now more important than ever for hotels to create a safer environment for their guests. Patrons have higher expectations which means you have to come up with ways to boost your hotel’s operational efficiency. 

However, given the tasks that are to be managed, it can be difficult for a hotelier to juggle everything while ensuring completion of daily admin tasks as they strive to keep their guests happy. 

At Doorway Services, we have compiled a list of our top tips that will help enhance your operational capabilities while ensuring that everything runs smoothly!

Let’s take a look!

1. Daily Task Automation for Improved Team Focus

Being accountable is a crucial element of performance enhancement. Your teams may be aware of their responsibilities and what’s expected of them but it will help if you distribute these duties and assign ownership. This way, you know everyone will focus on specific tasks during the day. 

When looking for ways to boost your hotel’s operational efficiency, using tech and hotel audit software will help. With this automation, you can ensure that your guests are the centre of your attention as your duties revolve around ensuring their satisfaction. 

Plan and assign recurring tasks like property maintenance, housekeeping and food safety checks as often as required. The responsible team can be alerted automatically via emails or text messages when a certain check is due or has been missed. 

With automation, you ensure that teams are focused on meeting standards as they strive to maintain operational efficiency at all times. 

2. Invest in Your Staff

Employees are perhaps the most valuable asset of your business and this cannot be truer for the hospitality industry. If a team member is not provided with adequate training or is unhappy, they are more likely to make mistakes. This, in turn, can disrupt your daily operations and slow you down. It can potentially lead to a guest being disgruntled which of course, won’t be good for business. The bottom line – you have to avoid operational issues and unhappy guests at all costs. 

The simple solution for this is to ensure that you invest in key business areas as you train your staff properly and sufficiently so they are aware of their responsibilities. Ensure that each department understands its objectives and has the required resources and capabilities to achieve all their goals. 

A strategic operational plan outlines the expected standards for each department while highlighting performance requirements, duties and responsibilities for the staff along with work schedules. When you look for ways to boost your hotel’s operational efficiency, this can be extremely beneficial for your business. 

3. Create an Effective Management Process

Identifying problems and getting them fixed before they affect your guest in any way is a top management concern. But, when there’s a gap between checks being performed and managers assessing the end result, issues seem to linger. When problems are not addressed, they are likely to take a backseat and eventually be forgotten. This is bound to happen especially when your hotel doesn’t have a centralised management process that can keep track of issues. 

For instance, if there are problems with the automatic doors installed in your hotel, these have to be repaired quickly without any delays. Similarly, you will benefit from using hotel audit software that can help you solve other issues in real-time. You can keep an eye on the status of the action plan used to address the various problems that arise. With the help of automated software programs, you can communicate via a portal and assign tasks to staff, set due dates, conduct discussions and resolve issues proactively. 

The primary benefit here is that management is centralised which means all concerns and aspects of hotel management are highly focused. This means managers have a clear understanding of all the priorities and tasks at hand. 

Boost Your Hotel’s Operational Efficiency with Doorway Services

As entrances and exits are as important as ever, the automatic door installers at Doorway Services can assist you in installing bespoke business doors! With our impressive track record, we help deliver results that exceed your expectations and improve your overall performance and operational efficiency. 

Get in touch with us today for automatic door installation and repair!

image of a well organised chart representing better production management
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • • 0 Comments

6 Tips To Make Production Management Better

Streamlining your production management is one of the best ways to improve your daily business operations as you look for ways to boost your profits. When you create a well-structured production management plan, you will not only save time but also enhance productivity and improve the management of raw materials, equipment and other resources as you work in sync towards a single goal.

Every successful business function needs a sound plan of action and production management is no different. As a business owner, you need to curate a roadmap that is in perfect alignment with your bespoke requirements.

At Doorway Services, we have put together a list of our top 6 tips to make production management better!

Let’s dive in!

1. Pay Attention to Details both Big and Small

Start by taking into account the various benefits of introducing changes to your business. Think about how working on a master production plan will help better your business operations.

For instance, if you reduce labour costs by optimising wasted time, you will significantly improve your workflow. Improved work processes will enable you to lessen the need for backup stocks and work-in-progress inventories. 

When your delivery times are on point you will quickly see the positive impact on your bottom line as fewer hours are spent dealing with errors and problems in the process.

2. Use Lean Manufacturing Process

While many business owners think that lean manufacturing is a complex process, on the contrary, it actually helps streamline the manufacturing process by focusing attention to the small details. 

Switching to a lean manufacturing process can help your business save money by using techniques like the value stream maps and just-in-time inventory management.

With lean production planning, you can brainstorm with a group of employees to come up with ways to reduce waste. The idea is to eliminate any process that costs money but doesn’t add any value to the finished product.

3. Just-In-Time Inventory Management

This type of inventory management helps deal with the strain and the resulting costs of running out of stock or holding too much stock for your customers. 

When cost-cutting is concerned, holding too much stock can be detrimental for your working capital and your turnover. Similarly, not having enough products stocked up can have the same negative impact. This means you have to strike the right balance between over and understocking.

With just-in-time inventory, you can get the best of both worlds as you order stock at a time that is close enough to the date when these materials will be in demand but not so close that your cash flow gets tied up to the stock. This is a win-win for your production facility as you streamline your finances and assets to work for you.

4. Observe the 30-Day Rule

Holding 30 days’ worth of inventory means that at any given time, you fill up on stock periodically to maintain only a month’s worth of stock and no more. 

Depending on your sales pattern projection, the amount of stock required can be gauged and anticipated. If you unexpectedly receive a big order from a buyer, this tactic might not be ideal as you won’t be able to fulfil the order in the available time. So, think about it proactively and give yourself some leeway to work around any issue that may arise.

It might do you well to hold emergency stock, but you have to decide exactly how much stocking up you need to do without tying up your working capital and revenue.  

5. Invest in Technology

Technology is critical to business success in 2020 so ensure that you make the most of it to make your production management better. Use digital software systems to be cost-effective with your business. Invest in automation not only within your workflow processes but also in your physical warehouse space and production floor.

For proper accounting and inventory management, it is worth investing in good Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Installing automatic industrial doors with add-on door accessories like the biometric system will help improve staff management in your facility.

For better results and effective financial management, it is best to review your existing processes and systems. This will highlight inefficiencies in your work processes which in turn will help make production management more effective.

6. Eliminate Miscounts

Miscounts usually happen when you receive fresh orders as you stock up your inventory. In these cases, there’s a possibility of manual systems not being 100%accurate. Therefore, to reduce the risk of mistakes and miscounts, upgrading to EDI (electronic data interchange) or bar code scanning systems is ideal. 

Similarly, you can sync your software systems with that of your suppliers to avoid room for any error.

Get In Touch With Doorway Services

Enhance your production management by implementing the tips mentioned above because often a new perspective can help you turn things around for good. It is best to seek external help if you are unsure of the changes you should implement.

Business doors play an important role in any production facility so contact professional door fitters at Doorway Services for door installations and repairs.

Our door repair company is well known for providing professional and bespoke automatic door installations in the Northamptonshire county and surrounding areas.

So, give us a call today to check efficient door installation off your list!

Image of a clean, organised hotel room representing the importance of creating a safer environment for your guests.
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Maintenance • Management • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

How Hotels Can Create a Safer Environment for Their Guests

As we enter the post-lockdown phase, for every workplace the health and safety of their employees and guests need to be of the topmost priority.

Likewise, for hotels and the hospitality industry, it’s vital to have all the precautionary measures in place in order to create a safe environment for everyone, while dealing with the after-effects of the pandemic.

Moreover, you need to ensure that all the latest government-issued health advisories are covered in your operating procedures. That way, you will be able to successfully mitigate the potential health risks to both your employees and guests.

With that in mind, here at Doorway Services, we have put together our top 4 tips to help you prepare for the post-COVID-19 world.

Leveraging the Latest Automated Technologies

We are living in an age where technology has become the norm. That said, we can’t even imagine what the world would be like if we neither had Internet access nor any digital devices/platforms.

However, here we are – surrounded by a plethora of automated technologies, making life easier not just for our customers but also for hoteliers.

With that being the case, now is the time for hotels to make the most of these devices and applications and leverage them as a preventive measure to safeguard the health and safety of both guests and staff.

Here’s how you can make the best use of all the latest technologies:

  • Introduce Online Check-In and Check-Out

Quick, online check-in and check-out options will mean your guests no longer have to queue up at the reception desk. This will also help you ensure that there’s no physical contact between guests and your staff.

What’s more, you can automate this process by asking your customers to submit the necessary identification documents through the application. This means, when they reach the hotel, all they need to do is scan their unique QR code to unlock their room instead of collecting the keys from the reception.

This is a great way to maintain social distance and prevent the spread of the virus.

  • Implement Zero-Contact Payment via Digital Platforms

Zero-contact or cashless payment through digital platforms is the easiest and fastest way to pay your dues and currently, the majority of people are using this approach.

Additionally, coins and paper bills are considered one of the potential sources of virus transmission. Therefore, it’s best to shift to digital platforms for every possible transaction. You can also make this a part of your hotel policy for all your staff and guests.

  • Install Automatic Doors in the Hotel Premises

A manual door would require your guests and staff to use their hands to push it open. In order to eliminate any kind of physical contact, why not install automatic doors in your hotel premises?

The installation of automatic doors will not only keep your guests from coming in contact with contaminated surfaces but also curb the further spread of the virus.

For professional installation services, you can contact an automatic door supplier like Doorway Services.

Offering Special Training to Employees

Very little is known about this virus, but one proven fact is that it can remain active for nearly 9 days on different surfaces. For this very reason, it’s important to train your staff to regularly clean and disinfect your hotel room and premises.

On top of that, your guests will be reassured that your hotel follows all the health and safety guidelines issued by the government.

Optimising the Available Space for Social Distancing

It’s highly likely that social distancing will continue to be in place until a robust preventive measure or vaccine is developed. This means you will have to keep analysing your operational workflow along with the movement of your employees and guests.

By making a full analysis, you can optimise your hotel’s space and keep tabs on the occupancy levels to create a safer environment for both your staff and guests.

Evaluate the Current Business Model

In the end, it’s equally important to make the most of this time to evaluate your current business model and other operational procedures.

Of course, the ongoing situation has transformed the hospitality industry, but now is the time to create a thorough plan and prepare your business to function smoothly in the post-pandemic era.

Get In Touch With Doorway Services for Automatic Door Installation Services

To create a safer environment in your hotel and ensure the safety of your guests and staff, leveraging the latest automated technology like automatic doors is extremely crucial.

If you are looking for an automatic door company, then get in touch with the installers and suppliers at Doorway Services today!

work desk with a small potted plant, desktop and yellow mug as office reopen
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Tips and Tricks • • 0 Comments

3 Tips To Prepare Your Workplace As Offices Reopen

As the world begins to lift lockdown restrictions, the major concern for businesses is to ensure that they reopen workplaces with all the safety precautions in place. As offices reopen, you are required to follow government issued guidelines to ensure the safety of all your employees. 

With health and safety at the core of reopening workplaces, you will need a thorough plan for the transition period that lies ahead of you as you deal with the effects of COVID-19. 

Depending on the type and size of your business, there is no one-size-fits-all approach that you can adopt. You have to do your best to take in stride the latest government health advisories and proceed with caution.

With these essentials in mind, from an operational stance, here are 3 tips that will help you ensure that your employees ease back into the work environment successfully as offices reopen. 

Let’s dive in!

1. Plan an Effective Return-to-Office Strategy

Bringing all your employees back to the workplace all at once might not be the best decision as social distancing measures are still very much in effect. So, as you navigate and come to terms with the new normal, the best you can do is to limit the return of your workforce in phases. Have some teams come back to work a few days before or after the others and alternate the number of people who stay in the workplace at a given time. 

To implement this in a much better way, maintain work from home arrangements, where possible, across teams and have them come to work on an alternate basis. This way, you can still maintain social distancing while doing your best to prioritise the health and safety of your staff. Have arrangements made for teams who work remotely as well the teams who will work directly out of office. 

Leverage the best of what technology has to offer to create a safe working space. Sanitise your facility regularly and maintain a clean and hygienic environment at all times. Before sending back your employees, considering replacing manual doors with automatic options. Contact automatic door suppliers and have automatic doors installed to curb the spread of the virus.

Automatic doors will keep employees from touching communal surfaces while entering and exiting the office premises as they come back to work. Click here to find out more!

2. Maintain an Open Line of Communication

As you prepare to welcome your staff back to work, you have to maintain an open and continuous line of communication. In a shared workspace, when, where and how employees work is expected to change in order to safeguard their health and safety. 

You can enforce new rules as you limit the number of people entering meeting rooms and communal areas. Ensure there’s a safe distance of at least a metre between workstations of your staff to promote social distancing. Conduct routine desk and floor cleaning to further sanitise the workplace. Ensure that all your employees are following proper hygiene procedures as they use the facility so as to not jeopardise their own or their colleague’s health. 

As you welcome your employees back to work, ensure that these new rules are duly communicated and reinforced regularly. As offices reopen, ensure that your staff understand all the safety procedures clearly as safety is of utmost priority. 

Send regular updates via email or the company’s intranet or social channels to effectively communicate and update employees about the most recent developments. 

3. Update Company Policies Around Illness

In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, all organisations should be aware that workplace safety and health guidelines need to be updated and refined over time. It is crucial for businesses to stay abreast of developments regarding Coronavirus as they continue to communicate with their staff and encourage new, safer ways of working. 

This way, you can develop a work environment that’s safe and healthy for everyone. Emphasise the importance of staying home if any of your employees feel unwell to avoid the spread of seasonal illnesses around the workplace. 

Businesses need to show a high level of adaptability as offices reopen and employees come back to physical workspaces. As people shift from one new normal to another, it will pay off to be tactical and methodical as you establish a comfortable and health and safety-conscious work environment. 

Contact Doorway Services for Automatic Door Installations

To ensure the safety and security of your employees, investing in robust technologies like automatic doors is important to promote social distancing. 

At Doorway Services, we are at the forefront of the automatic door industry with state of the art business door technologies that are in compliance with the safety measures that are the need of the hour.

Give us a call today to create a safe space for your employees as they come back to work!

image of a doctor holding a mask and a stethoscope necessary for stepping into hospitals
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Maintenance • • 0 Comments

3 Reasons Why Automatic Doors are Vital in Hospitals

Over the past few months, our brave NHS  staff have been at the forefront of treating COVID-19 patients.

Fortunately, the number of cases has begun to decrease which has not only reduced pressure on hospital staff but also resulted in the lockdown being lifted gradually.

Nonetheless, it’s still important for the NHS to continue strict and extensive measures, especially when it comes to the health of the medical staff and recuperating patients.

Social distancing measures have helped significantly in controlling the spread of the virus, but the transmission that occurs from physical contact through surfaces like door handles needs to be taken into account. This is one of the reasons why automatic door services, like automatic sliding and swinging doors, play a key role in the infrastructure of medical centres.

In this article, we have compiled a list of top 3 reasons why hospitals need to install automatic doors if they haven’t already.

1. Keep Foot Traffic Under Control

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have witnessed a massive surge in their daily foot traffic and that has only increased the possibilities of virus transmission through contaminated surfaces.

In order to reduce physical contact with such surfaces, thereby breaking the chain of transmission, it’s imperative to have a well-thought-out entry and exit solution in place.

Wherever possible, hospitals and doctors surgeries should consider installing automatic sliding doors throughout their premises. These doors will not only eliminate the need for using our hands to open it, but also help in reducing the chances of contracting the virus. Moreover, installing automatic doors completely eliminates the need to station additional staff at multiple points of entry and exit.

If you are looking for professional automatic door installation and maintenance services for your hospital, you can partner with commercial door suppliers at Doorway Services.

2. Easy to Clean and Maintain

When it comes to hospitals, keeping the entire premises clean has always been the top priority. However, given the present situation, it has become even more important to maintain the highest level of sanitation; and one of the best ways to do this is by installing automatic doors.

Since these doors are usually made of glass and aluminium, cleaning them becomes easier. This reason alone is enough to understand why automatic doors are the best option for hospitals.

What’s more, these doors can be easily paired with wave sensors or activators to take the “zero contact” approach up a notch.

This further helps you ensure that people no longer need to open doors manually as it curbs the spread of the virus through physical contact while improving the hospital’s level of hygiene.

For thorough and professional automatic door installation, you can get in touch with the expert door installers at Doorway Services.

3. Cost-Effective Solution

During this period, you would want to offer the best level of safety and care to all your patients but may have budget restrictions.

In this case, one of the best ways would be to install automatic doors at your hospital premises. This will ensure that you are not only saving thousands of pounds but also taking care of your patient’s health and safety.

Despite the initial installation costs, installing automatic doors can actually save public institutions money. Opening and closing only when needed help to save unnecessary heat loss. Put simply, it helps you cover the installation expenses by lowering your energy bills.

In addition, automatic doors are highly reliable, easy to maintain, long-lasting, and cost-effective. All these factors come together to make it a must-have in every hospital.

Get in Touch with Doorway Services for Automatic Door Installation and Repair Services

As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”, so ensure that you are preventing future health problems by re-evaluating all the entry and exit points in your hospital.

If you are looking to install automatic doors or want to repair the existing ones, partner with Doorway Services as we are the best automatic door repair company in Northamptonshire and surrounding areas.

You can also give us a call to find out more about our door installation and repair services.

image of a stethoscope representing social distancing measures to be followed in hospitals
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Security • • 0 Comments

Social Distancing Tips to Follow In Your Hospital

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has come to realise the importance of social distancing measures and how to follow it diligently. Strict social distancing measures have resulted in fewer cases which have led to the lockdown being eased, although social distancing measures are still being followed vigilantly. 

These rules are even more important in a hospital for obvious reasons, as the safety of both the patients and the medical staff is as important as ever. As the hospital staff are at the forefront of treating COVID-19 patients, their health and safety along with that of the health of other patients is important. 

Social distancing is a critical tactic to help prevent the spread of the virus. In this piece, we discuss some protocols that need to be followed to keep medical personnel and patients of the hospital safe and sound. 

Install Foot Traffic Solutions to Monitor the Flow of People 

In order to promote social distancing, hospitals will benefit from installing automatic solutions that help monitor foot traffic at all times. In order to minimise physical contact with surfaces that could spread the virus, hospitals need to consider installing more automatic sliding doors, with an add-on system that helps manage the flow of traffic within the hospital. 

Green and red LEDs installed at the entrance will help hospital personnel control the number of entries that can be allowed at a time. This system can be employed across multiple points of entry and exit to promote social distancing. 

Ensure that proper upkeep and maintenance of your sliding door is conducted for optimum door performance. Click here to find out more about sliding door repair service. 

Screens and Masks

The daily screening process for patients, staff and visiting family members will reinforce the importance of social distancing. Having a universal masking policy throughout the hospital will further help safeguard occupants from contracting the virus. Create dedicated testing areas at the entrance and car parks for people showing coronavirus symptoms. Ensure that you use automatic doors to their full potential here to curb and contain the spread of the virus. 

Communicate Social Distancing Measures

Communicating important social distancing tips is essential, despite people knowing the dos and don’ts of being safe during the pandemic. It gives everyone the confidence and a sense of solidarity as doctors, nurses, clinicians and the healthcare team at large along with patients and families come together to do their best to stay safe. Posting signage across the hospital is recommended especially in the common areas so more people are aware of the role they play. 

Making regular announcements and providing house-wide updates and information regarding team protocols and needs, emergency measures and key social distancing reminders will go a long way in ensuring that everyone is up to date with the latest developments to keep the virus at bay.

Telemedicine

With the help of telemedicine and work from home options, hospitals can create more space in their offices and corridors. This means team members, patients and visitors continue keeping safe and protected, as the density is reduced in the hospital for medication and treatment other than coronavirus. It’s all about limiting the number of visitors and with telemedicine, reducing this number is possible. 

Foot Traffic Management

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, hospitals and healthcare establishments all over the world have experienced a significant increase in the volume of patient care. Add to the mix patients who need treatment for other ailments and conditions, healthcare units have been operating at full capacity globally. Arrangements have to be made so that other patients can be given the necessary treatments for their conditions. 

This means you have to actively plan and maintain a safe environment in the clinics, hospital wards and perioperative areas. To make things more manageable, you can consider initiating a drive-through clinic for vaccination that will enable your team members to take vitals of patients and administer vaccines at curbside. 

Rearrange the seating in your waiting rooms to promote proper social distancing measures.

To Sum It Up

As healthcare providers, it is important to emphasise all communication that constantly reminds patients and staff that they must continue playing their part. This new environment of safety and care shows the bigger picture of a healthy future for patients, staff and families alike. 

As we all adapt and embrace the new normal, we can look forward to integrating the changes that we have learnt from the pandemic. 

The key is to ensure that your entrances and exits are well monitored so see to it that you partner with a sliding door repair company in Northamptonshire to guarantee optimum door performance!

Get in touch with Doorway Services for door repair and maintenance as you strengthen your social distancing measures.

Image of a man wearing a mask representing social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Management • Tips and Tricks • • 0 Comments

How Tech Can Help Social Distancing – Top 7 Tips Retail Stores Can Follow

Supermarkets are among the few places that have remained operative during the COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of that, the number of delivery slots has been kept to a bare minimum to help limit social contact. With retail stores set to open within the next week, the logistical challenge is only expected to grow.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised people to limit the time they spend outside their homes as a means to curb the spread of the virus.

However, people have to step out to purchase medicines and other essential products and as time moves on we will need to begin to return to a new normal. The need to leave your home becomes more frequent particularly for those taking care of an elderly person. 

This is why it is important for retailers to introduce strict social distancing norms such as avoiding physical contact and regular sanitisation of the store.

At Doorway Services, we have put together our top 7 norms every retailer can implement in their store.

Let’s take a look!

Install Customer Traffic Flow Solutions

In order to ease the flow of customers, so that social distancing advice can be followed, many supermarkets find themselves using several members of staff to control the flow of foot traffic. However, what if there was a system to track and monitor this automatically?

Up and coming technology will automatically track the number of customers and entering and leaving your store. Although built with stores in mind, the tech can be used in any building where social distancing needs to be followed. 

Working similarly to a traffic light, green and red LEDs control the flow of traffic into and out of the store, telling customers when they can enter. The system can even work across multiple entrances and exits to ensure accurate data.

Adding Distance Markers on The Floor

Along with limiting the entry of customers in your store, you can also place distance footmarks on the floor. This ensures that there is zero social contact between customers.

You can also implement a one-way system in each section of the store to avoid overcrowding of customers in one aisle.

Ask everyone to follow the distance markers and help them disinfect their baskets, trolleys, and hands before entering the store. For additional safety, install protective screens between customers and your staff.

Introducing a No-Touch Policy

Having a “no-touch” policy in place is more like asking customers to touch only those products that they want to purchase. You can add directional barriers and signs to help customers shop with ease while ensuring they maintain the said 6-feet distance.

Encourage your customers to choose a contactless payment option or pay using their cards, as this ensures there is no exchange of cash.

To make sure every customer follows the social distancing norms, allow just one trolley or basket per person. You could also consider enforcing that customers wear a mask in store, similar to the rules used in the US.

Placing Physical Barriers

You can place physical barriers to prevent queue jumpers or limit the number of people at a checkout point.

These barriers can also be placed at till points to ensure that there is enough distance between your staff and the customer. If your till points are close to each other, then consider closing most of them. Check if the same is required for self-scan tills.

Using Single-Entry and Exit Door

Have a dedicated entry and exit point in your store. To ensure customers are using the right entry point, ask your associates to give them proper directions or place signage near the entrance.

Similarly, after your customers check out, direct them to the respective exit point, as this will help reduce the instances of them walking past each other closely.

Installing Automatic Doors

Manual doors require customers to use their hands to open the doors. During this situation, it is crucial to avoid physical contact with surfaces that are likely to carry the virus.

Instead, why not install commercial automatic doors in your store to completely remove the concept of pushing the door open with your bare hands?

As an added precaution, you can pair these automatic doors with a counting system, similar to that seen in point 1, to maintain social distancing. This way, you can restrict the flow of customers and ensure the creation of a safe environment within your store.

If you want to find out more about our automatic door installation and repair services, click here!

Providing Your Staff with Protective Gears

The safety of your employees has to be your top priority when running a retail store in a pandemic.

It is important to provide them with the necessary protective gears such as masks, gloves, and safety visors. This will not only help limit their social contact but also ensure they are protected from the virus at all times.

Contact Doorway Services for Commercial Door Installation and Repair

If you own a retail business, it is important for you to have all the above-mentioned social distancing norms in place. Assess your entire store and see how you can deal with the effects of this pandemic whilst doing your bit to curb the spread of the virus.

Get in touch with us to know more about our services.

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By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Tips and Tricks • 0 Comments

Six Ways Businesses Can Take Care of Their Supply Chain During a Pandemic

When things work out as planned, it feels as if you are on the right track!

For example, customers walk into a store and immediately find what they were looking for or they place an order online and receive the delivery within a couple of days.

Customers have become used to this level of comfort offered by most businesses. However, when supply chains are disrupted due to local and global events like the COVID-19 pandemic, established processes can go right out the window.

Supply chain disruptions tend to be challenging for both businesses and customers. This makes it crucial to have a disaster recovery plan in place to ensure business continuity.

At Doorway Services we have put together a list of 5 ways you can address the supply chain issues during a pandemic.

Let’s take a look!

1. Be Transparent with Your Customers

At Doorway Services, we firmly believe that open communication with customers is key at a time when observing social distancing is crucial. 

You have to be transparent about the waiting period and the reasons for the delay. This will ensure that your customers are on the same page as you are. If you are running out of stock, have changed the delivery speed, or are reducing the number of purchases, share the details with your customers as soon as possible.

Your communication doesn’t have to be limited to just your customers. Make sure you are consistently in touch with your team and other distribution partners as well to ensure that the supply chain is as smooth as it can be. 

2. Analyse Every Critical Element of Your Supply Chain

Present supply chains have a ‘one-size-fits-all’ design, assuming that materials are available for production on a global scale. Though it has created an inexpensive ‘Cost to Serve’ model, the current pandemic has thrown a huge curveball on the logistics industry.

As a business, you need to figure out what’s necessary for workflow continuity along with the origin of supply. You also have to streamline the capacity of your supply chains with dynamic operational capability.

For instance, for an automatic door installation company such as ourselves, we’ve had to look at diversifying our product range to meet demand, whilst also ensuring we don’t compromise quality. 

When you stick to a single source to reduce your expenses, it affects your customers as they aren’t directly linked to the vendor; but you are. To avoid this, consider looking for suppliers situated at various locations to easily reroute your shipments.

3. Evaluate Stock Availability

It is important to have a complete list of your available stock at all times! Having a comprehensive understanding of your inventory is crucial especially when the supply chain has disruptions to deal with.

It will be a good idea to physically check the available stock and audit not just the number of completed products, but also the required spare parts and components to ensure your production is up and running!

4. Determine Logistical Flexibility

You have to be flexible now more than ever.

Determine the areas where it’s possible for you to hit the brakes and opt for an alternative delivery channel or slower delivery time.

This also takes you back to the significance of open communication. Ensure that you’re reinforcing the bond with your suppliers and appreciating the efforts they have been putting in to help you maintain business efficiency.

5. Adopt a People-First Approach

As a business owner, it is essential to have a people-first approach, especially during this period of uncertainty. As far as the supply chain is concerned, you need all hands on deck. Irrespective of whether you’re an automatic door supplier or essential service provider, the safety and health of your customers and employees has to be prioritised.

Allow your employees to work from home wherever possible and execute a proper communication plan within your company. This will ensure your staff is well-informed which means you can prevent major supply chain disruptions. Prepare your suppliers for the work procedures so they are ready to deal with the surge in demand that’s likely to happen once things go back to normal.

6. Plan Your Response Beforehand to Steer Through Disruptions

Local and global events as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are unpredictable. It is therefore important to have a long term plan in place as it helps you cushion the impact of Coronavirus and other similar crisis.

As a business, you need to have a contingency plan in place as you carefully assess the potential risks at hand. This way, you will be more than prepared to stabilise business functions as you adjust to the new normal!

Similarly, once the pandemic is behind us,  we all will have to embrace innovative ways to ensure business continuity and the safety of your employees. You can get automatic sliding doors installed by professional door installers, as this will help curb the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases. 

Doorway Services for Commercial Door Installation

We are professional commercial door suppliers and installers offering bespoke services to businesses of all sizes.

Give us a call now, to know more about the door installation, servicing and repair services we offer!

image representing how businesses have team meetings
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Management 0 Comments

How Businesses Can Deal With The Effects Of Covid-19

The outbreak of the coronavirus has taken the global economy by storm. Many businesses have found themselves in a period of volatility and uncertainty with long-term consequences that are hard to assess and evaluate. Whilst the government is doing everything they can to ease the uncertainty, a lack of concrete information has led many businesses to dial back for the time being.

Given how we have had time to come to terms with the ‘new normal’, there are ways for businesses to adapt and prepare themselves for new customer behaviour. 

Each industry and business niche has its own set of unique challenges which makes it impossible to apply a one-size-fits-all strategy to cope with the effects of COVID-19. However, there are some common measures that businesses from all sectors can take to develop a crisis response model that’s foolproof and reliable. 

Let’s take a closer look at these measures!

1. Build a Crisis Management Team

Create a team of key-decision makers that’s not just limited to the company’s leadership. Include members from employee representatives, HR, operations, corporate functions and communications. This should be a dedicated team that is empowered to make decisions and execute them quickly as per the changes in the market.

2. Employee Safety and Protection

Get on top of making arrangements for employee protection and safety by implementing strict measures for hygiene. This includes allowing work from home, remote working, travel freeze and other measures that promote social distancing. Your people are your most valuable asset, so ensure that you take the necessary steps to ensure their safety. 

3. Conduct Regular Reviews

Given how unpredictable the situation is, it is important to regularly review processes, as you amend and update contingency plans for your business. The circumstances are highly unprecedented and fluid so ideas that worked before may not be as effective in the current scenario. It is very likely that in the coming months, the situation will remain more or less the same. Being flexible with your business plans is your best bet.

4. Stay Updated

Set up an information mechanism that allows you to compile accurate information that’s up to date and gathered from trusted sources. Once you have the necessary information, ensure that you pass it on to the concerned business departments so that you can continue working with what you have. In addition, being updated will eliminate the risk of misinformation which can negatively impact your business decisions.

5. Response to Emergencies

Ensure that your business has the necessary means and capacity to address emergencies quickly. The response to such incidences should be structured and deliberate, free from any knee-jerk reactions. Considering that these situations will be urgent, the response shouldn’t be delayed and influenced by external factors. 

6. Evaluate the Risks at Hand

Take into account the immediate risks your business is exposed to especially with regards to third-parties like human resources, supply chain, business partners, and manufacturers. Assess where your business stands and look for alternate options.

7. Be Systematic and Positive

See that you maintain a rather open, clear and transparent line of business communication with your stakeholders, clients, employees and everyone that either directly or indirectly are associated or affected by your business. This is an important step to take as it will go a long way in building a high level of confidence and trust between your company and your partners.

8. Awareness at Every Level 

Ensure that your entire business both at a local and global level is aware of the development measures being taken to address and deal with a pandemic in the best possible manner. It is equally essential to readjust and review your business plans as you update your company’s strategy to deal with the crisis at hand.

To Wrap It Up

At such a time, it is important that panic, misinformation and hasty decisions must be avoided at all costs. In every period of adversity change in the market and the economy is inevitable. It brings with it a new set of risks and challenges which pave the way for new business opportunities and innovation. It also gives you the time to review your current situation and come up with remedial solutions. For instance, automatic door installation is necessary to promote personal hygiene and social distancing for businesses especially when normal work schedule resumes.

Similarly, focusing more on digitising your processes will benefit you long term. Simply put, as a company the sooner you single out the potential threats as a result of COVID-19 the better your chances of coping with it as you embrace and adopt new ways to conduct business. 

Doorway Services for Business Door Installation & Repair

Once things go back to normal, you will have to survey your business building and see how you can fortify it for the safety of your employees. With automatic doors, you can promote social distancing and avoid the spread of diseases.

Doorway Services are professional automatic door installers and suppliers who can cater to bespoke business needs. 

Get in touch with us today to know more!