An Aberdeen teenager put his summer holidays to good use by developing and launching smartphone software which offers customer track and trace capabilities.
Sami Brown, 15, spent weeks getting to grips with government guidelines for the hospitality and other sectors to develop the technology.
The Robert Gordon’s College pupil worked with software developers at his father Adrian’s digital solutions company, Fennex, to create the ScanEasy system, which offers a digital method to collect customer data from visitors in settings such as pubs, restaurants, cafes, hairdressers, nurseries, sports groups and others.
It has been specifically developed to meet the requirements of NHS Test and Protect protocol and uses QR code scanning that can be easily accessed from any smartphone.
In just a few clicks, customers can sign in and out in a way which is fully General Data Protection Regulation-compliant.
It also features a “fuss-free” interface which allows business owners to search and filter according to criteria such as time of arrival and departure.
Prior to the introduction of local restrictions, Sami literally got on his bike to take the application to the local market and his efforts secured three city centre clients: CUP Cafe, Jojo’s Coffee Shop and Orka Artisan Cafe.
He said: “When I had the idea to digitally collect customer information for pubs and restaurants to support the new track and trace requirements, I was excited as I knew I could work with a developer to bring my ideas to life.
“I have loved using my skills, as well as learning new ones, to launch a brand-new app that can help to save lives.”
CUP Cafe owner Angela Kozak said: “Lockdown has been extremely challenging for the hospitality sector and as we begin to open our doors, it was vital to have many measures in place to ensure our staff and customers are safe.
“There are so many track and trace options out there and when we saw how simple yet effective ScanEasy is, it was a no-brainer for us.
“When local restrictions were lifted and reopening was permitted, we were safe in the knowledge that we could easily monitor customer and staff movements”.
Fennex is an Aberdeen-based software firm, focused on the energy sector.
