4 Contactless Ways to Scan an ID

With businesses reopening after prolonged lockdowns because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many procedural changes are taking place. Some of these are temporary, but quite a few will be permanent.

One of the most important changes that businesses have had to implement, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, is limiting the amount of physical contact between customers, staff members, clients, suppliers, etc. Direct contact between different people leads to viral transmission, allowing the coronavirus to find new hosts and affect more people.

Therefore, more and more contactless technologies are being unveiled, to help businesses continue their operations and ensure compliance with as little physical contact as possible. 

Contactless Age Verification

Limiting physical contact between buyers and staff members is particularly challenging for those businesses which sell age-restricted products, such as alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, etc. This is because liquor stores, bars, marijuana dispensaries, and vape stores have to verify the age of their customers before selling them a product.

Performing such age verification in a contactless manner can be quite difficult. To use most age verification scanners, you need to swipe an ID card or driver’s license through them. The scanner will then display the pertinent details, such as the name and age of the buyer, on its screen. But a card cannot be swiped without a sales clerk touching the customer’s ID card or driver’s license.

This creates a major problem for these businesses because they are required by law to check the age of potential customers and to not sell their products to underage persons. Failing to abide by these regulations could result in a liquor store or marijuana dispensary losing its license and being compelled to pay hefty fines. If such mistakes happen often enough, the business could get shut down altogether. 

Hence, it is imperative for businesses selling age-restricted products to find an alternative to traditional age-verification methods. Such an alternative must be fast, accurate, and easy to use. It must also be completely contactless, to minimize the risk of viral transmission. So, accurate age verification methods that require zero physical contact are the need of the hour.

How to Scan IDs without Physical Contact?

As time passes by, more and more technologies are emerging that can accurately verify a person’s age and facilitate regulatory compliance, without any physical contact. Some of these contactless age verification options have been discussed and highlighted below.

• Handheld ID Scanners

Handheld age verification scanners are perhaps the most common piece of technology that is helping businesses adapt to the post-pandemic world. They offer contactless ID validation and age verification functionalities. They can also be used to verify the authenticity of an ID card and root out fake IDs.

To use a handheld age verification scanner, the sales clerk can simply ask the customer to hold up their driver’s license or ID card. The scanner should be held at least 10 inches away from the ID card being held up by the customer. The handheld scanner will read the ID card from a distance and will verify the age of the customer, without the need for any physical contact.

• Age Verification Mobile Apps

This is a virtual ID verification technology that is completely contactless. This technology can be found in a wide range of age verification smartphone apps. Potential buyers can take or upload photos of both sides of their ID cards. Dispensaries and restaurants delivering age-restricted products frequently make use of these apps.

The software in the app then compares and verifies the pictures, determining whether or not the ID is authentic. Some age verification mobile apps also have a selfie feature, which allows the buyer to upload a selfie to the app. This selfie is then compared with the photograph on their ID card, to ensure that the ID is not being misused by a different person.

• Facial Recognition Technology

Facial recognition software can be used to verify the age of potential customers without the need for any physical contact. Therefore, this technology is fast gaining popularity in the post-pandemic world. It can help reduce wait times and facilitate excellent customer service.

First-time customers can be enrolled into the facial recognition software through a quick ID scan. After this, every time the customer returns, the software will identify them immediately without the need for an ID card or driver’s license. The software will also tell you when a recurring or VIP customer has entered your store.

• Self-Service Kiosks

This method is a bit more cost-intensive than the ones mentioned above, but it can be perfect for businesses that want to increase the level of automation in their day-to-day operations. These portable tablet kiosks are designed to allow customers to check-in and out of a shop by themselves, without the need for a sales clerk at the checkout counter.

These kiosks come with an attached ID scanner, which can verify the age of every customer. The scanner also ensures security and maintains proper records of each transaction, for compliance reporting and due diligence proof. The entire checkout process is contactless, as the only person using the kiosk is the customer.

In Conclusion

So if you want to make your liquor store or marijuana dispensary safer and more efficient in the post-pandemic world, you should consider investing in one of the four above-mentioned technologies for contactless age verification.

A high-quality age verification scanner, manufactured by a reputed brand, can significantly improve the level of customer satisfaction and operational efficiency in your business.