In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it seems that the Yelp platform that has become so familiar as a customer critique venue is also going to be used to assess how businesses have addressed virus concerns.
New reports today show that Yelp builders are working on adding coronavirus-related information to the Yelp Waitlist feature, which in the past was used to show how long it would be until you got a table.
It looks like the new Waitlist functionality will be used to address capacity.
“Restaurants will be able to print out a QR code that customers can scan to join a restaurant’s waitlist, offering a contact-free way to get in line,” writes Taylor Lyles at The Verge. “In addition, business owners will have the option to manually adjust wait time estimates by adding restrictions such as reduced capacity or staff, and they will be notified by the app when the restaurant is about to reach or exceeds its capacity.”
Documentation of an individual restaurant’s protocols is an important part of this industry, since restaurants are considered a high-risk environment for virus transmission.
However restaurants aren’t the only industry where new technologies are being applied to the post-COVID world.
There’s another story out today showing how Amazon is building coronavirus responses into its massive e-commerce and delivery system that’s taking over so much market share from brick-and-mortar stores.
Although Amazon deliveries have spiked during the coronavirus, one remaining concern is contamination through delivery packages.
Amazon’s safeguard is to use AI-powered reminders to show workers if they’re not practicing correct social distancing from one another.
Theoretically, that would cut down on workplace transmission and lower the risks downstream. We’ve also seen the WHO revise their theory on how likely it is to get the virus from a contaminated surface.
Big familiar brands like Yelp and Amazon are changing, and so is everything else. Look for more disruptions as we continue to dig out of coronavirus closures.
