Venues are being asked to keep a record of their customers and visitors to trace infections. If you’re reservation only you probably collect the information you need, but if not a google form is your best bet, here’s how to set one up. Government guidance available
here.
Making the form
1. Create a google account
here if you haven’t got one. You can make a new gmail address at the same time, or use your existing email address.
2. On a computer, log into your google account and go to
google forms. In the ‘start a new form section’ click ‘contact information’.
3. Click the cog at the top right of the screen. In the new menu click the tick next to ‘limit to 1 response’ to unselect it, then press ‘save’.
4. Change the form title from ‘contact information’ to ‘contact details to track and trace in <your venue>’.
5. Click the form description box and type ‘This data is collected to help minimise the transmission of COVID-19 and support public health and safety, it will only be used for NHS track and trace purposes and will be deleted after 21 days.’
6. In the ‘form details’ box add ‘data submitted will only be used to contact you for track and trace purposes if required’.
7. Delete the ‘address’ question by clicking on it, then on the dustbin icon in the bottom right of it.
8. Click on the ‘phone number’ question, and change the title to ‘phone number - mobile preferred’ then click the required toggle to make it a mandatory question.
9. Delete the ‘comments’ question by clicking on it, then on the dustbin icon in the bottom right of it.
10. Optional: add a link to your menu/products. Click the cog at the top right of the screen then click on ‘presentation’ change the confirmation message to ‘Thanks, here’s our menu <link to your menu>’. You can use
this guide to get your menu online.
Sharing the form
1. You need to get your customers to fill in this form (at least one person per group).
Open your form, then click the purple ‘send’ button. In the ‘share via’ area click the (-) button, then tick the box next to ‘Shorten URL’
2. The link box will change to a link like this: https://forms.gle/BJxN6hzpiumaENvn7254. Copy it and save it in a safe place, this is the link to your form.
3. It’s still a nightmare to type out, so we need to make it easier. Go to TinyUrl, and put the form link you copied in step 2 into the ‘Enter a long URL’ box. Then in the Custom alias box put the name of your business, or a short phrase connected to it. Then press the ‘Make tiny URL’ button.
4. If it says the custom alias is in use you’ll have to change it or add some numbers.
5. When successful it will say ‘TinyURL was created!’, and will give you a link that looks like this https://tinyurl.com/business-name. This link will take people to your form, make a note of it
6. Display this link at the entrance of your venue and in the queue, and ask patrons to visit it on their phones to record their contact details. Your staff can also use the same link to fill it in on the behalf of customers.
7. Optional: create a QR code to save your customers typing. Visit
QR code generator, and in the ‘Enter your website….’ box paste in the link to your form. Then click ‘Download JPG’. Wait a moment, then your computer will download an image that looks like a barcode. You can print this out, and most phones will be able it scan this to get to your contact form.
Looking at your data
1. NHS track and trace might call you asking for your data. They will call you from 0300 013 5000, send you text messages from ‘NHStracing’ and ask you to sign into the NHS Test and Trace contact-tracing
website. Full guidance
here.
2. Open your form, then click on ‘responses’. Then click the small green square with white lines in it, then press create. This create a google spreadsheet of the responses to your form, including what day and time they were submitted.
3. This spreadsheet is updated live, and can be accessed through google sheets going forwards.
4. Optional: ideally you’ll also record the departure time of each group. You could add a column to the spreadsheet for your staff to do it.
Looking after your data
1. Delete data older then 21 days (drag over it in the spreadsheet then press the delete key). You could look into automating this with a script like
this.
2. Do not use it for any purpose other than contact tracing when requested
Staff data to collect as well as customer data
Keeping data on your staffing patterns will improve contact tracing:
• the names of staff who work at the premises
• a contact phone number for each member of staff
• the dates and times that staff are at work