Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has said that he won’t be rushed into launching the state’s electronic customer check-in system as Victoria has yet to resolve privacy and security issues, leaving thousands of businesses to sort out how they will record details for contact tracing.
Andrews announced on Monday the easing of some restrictions that would allow patrons to dine in and shop in store for the first time in over 100 days. Further eases are scheduled for Nov. 8, increasing maximum capacity for indoor and outdoor activity.
The Victorian government is now under pressure to roll out a QR (quick response) check-in system for businesses.
But Andrews said some fine-tuning is needed to make it compatible with the new contact tracing system developed in partnership with the American technology giant, Salesforce.
“There’s privacy, there’s the security of the data that’s captured, and then there’s also making sure that we have perfect compatibility between the front door of the QR code system and the new database that we have built, the new CRM product that we’ve built,” Andrews said.
Other jurisdictions already have QR code check-in systems set up and Victoria will be basing its QR code app on these jurisdictions’ systems. The emphasis is on making it efficient and free for businesses.
Businesses in Victoria have already taken matters into their own hands with many opting for traditional pen and paper methods to record customer check-ins, in lieu of the state’s QR app. Companies such as Google and Microsoft offer an online form for patrons to fill in. Merchants such as Square have their own QR code app, which is free for members who already use their products.