It's almost a year since Apple added support for reading NFC tags with an iPhone with their iOS 11 update. Since then there has been increased demand for NFC tags, and the Connected Things industry in general. The increase in demand for the technology and Apple's slow adoption of the technology has been a frustration, particularly for us at Tap2Tag.

The iOS 11 update didn't really live up to the hype when it launched in September 2017. Yes, NFC was included within each iPhone but you could only use this if an app was used to read the NFC tags. As GoToTags remark in their recent article, there is already an obvious native app on the iPhone that should handle tags with URLs and it's called Safari. Android devices use this method to read such tags and it makes so much sense for Apple to do the same.

Companies are using NFC as part of their "Connected Things" strategy and they are seriously looking to gear up their deployment of NFC. But there has been some reticence due to Apple's intransigence in adopting the technology. But there are signs of a sea-change.

Apple will be announcing their options for an iOS 12 update on June 4. The chatter on the newswires is that Apple will have to seriously look at opening up their NFC chip to allow "Green" scanning of NFC tags. So we have marked a date in our diary and will be watching with interest.

To read the full article from GoToTags click here.

Inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs the world over will always have the desire of pitching their idea to a group of individuals that might actually help to see their dream product realised.  Dragons' Den is the BBC's way of taking that concept and making some great TV entertainment in the process.

In series 13 three dragons emerged into the den.  Sarah Willingham, Touker Suleyman and Nick Jenkins eventually found their feet (and their wallets) and made some interesting investment decisions.  It was difficult for the new dragons in the den to compete with the older hands of Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones.

So why am I commenting on this?

On Sunday 27 December 2015 I pitched to the Dragons for investment to take the business on to the next stage.  The three minute "pitch" is one of the hardest elements to master and there were some hiccoughs.  I just hope they edited it kindly.

What is tap2tag?

For those that are not aware of the product, we sell scannable medical alert wristbands and other devices that, with a simple tap of a mobile phone, allow a first responder to gain almost immediate access to the patient's medical information (you might of heard these exact words on the programme)!  It uses a new technology built into most smart phones sold in the UK called Near Field Communication ("NFC").  By simply tapping a mobile phone against one of these bands, it allows a first responder to see critical, life saving information in the event of a medical emergency.

The experience!

So what was it like?  Did we get investment?  If you haven't watched it yet then you can see it below.  On the whole the experience was a combination of excitement and extreme nervousness.  It does not matter how well you think you are prepared, when those lift doors open and you see the dragons waiting for you, then the terror can grasp the throat and set the knees shaking.  But the whole purpose was to gain investment to raise the profile of the system with the public and paramedics as part of a marketing campaign.

https://vimeo.com/168925236

It's a long day too.  As you are waiting to enter the den you look around at some of the other "pitchers" and watch them practising their pitch "just one more time".  Then there are others who are so relaxed that you wonder if they know what they are letting themselves in for.  And I don't think anyone can be totally prepared for the den.  I swear that they even turn up the lights in the studio just so the entrepreneurs look like the startled rabbit I'm sure I looked like.
So the pitch is delivered.  "Did anyone notice my shaking legs?"  And what do you do with your hands?  I had practised this pitch 100 times and it was never the same twice.  But it's over and the relief washed over me.  You then realise where you are.  The robotic and orchestrated part of the session is over and this is when the new terror grabs you.  Up until then you have had some semblance of control but now it's time for the questions.

Before pitching to the dragons I had watched over and over again previous series to see what worked and what didn't.  You know that you need to be on top of your game but the common question areas are

• Know your numbers
• Don't over value your business
• Know your market and competition
• Is all of your intellectual property in order?

As a chartered accountant I was fairly confident with the numbers and valuation.  But there is a lot to remember and when the high beam lights of the studio are blaring at you (did I mention the lights) the brain can go into mush mode.  I can really empathise with those who have appeared on the show and drawn a complete blank when it came to the numbers.  But there were very few questions on this and no-one even questioned my valuation.

You can prepare as much as you like but these dragons are seasoned.  They have a number of goals; to understand the business but also understand you.  So the questions can sometimes come out of left field just to see how you might react.  The whole question and answer session was a bit of a blur.  I tried to be engaging but sometimes it can be tough to get your point of view over.

One question did throw me.  Touker Suleyman asked how much it cost us to run the software each month.  I said nothing as the software had been built on open sourced software, which is free to use.  What I did not explain is that this is what we had spent all of our money developing.  We owned the software!  So he then followed this up with "So how much does it cost to keep the servers running every month?"  I answered around £150 per month.  And then I realised where this was leading.  "So you are telling me that you have created a liability for yourself for the rest of your life of £150 per month to service the 600+ customers you already have.  You say you're a chartered accountant but you could not of trained with any of the Big Four!"  (The Big Four are the largest worldwide firms of auditors).  Now I hope that the TV cameras picked up my facial reaction to this comment.  I probably looked like a slack jawed yokel as I just could not respond to this statement.  I think I mumbled something along the lines of "Well there seems little chance of changing your mind" or something like that.  But it's always that point, a few minutes later, when you realise what you should have said, so let me say it now.

I did train with a Big Four firm, in fact the largest of them, Price Waterhouse Coopers.  And we accountants who call this type of expenditure an "overhead".  And if Mr Souleyman thinks that, as a chartered accountant, I cannot afford £150 per month to help save the lives of our customers then he has a very low expectation of accountants in general.  But I didn't say it so that is, as they say, that.  Might have been entertaining though!

Peter Jones, the technology expert, highlighted the fact that this was "old technology".  This was a tricky one to answer as he is partially right but mainly wrong!  Why, for instance, have Apple just introduced NFC into their 6 series iPhones?  In fact Apple should be extending the use of their NFC chips for peer-to-peer use in the early part of 2016.  Finger print technology, something that Peter also suggested, is not as readily available or understood.  In fact most security specialists are skeptical about the use of fingerprints.

This balance of arguments from the Dragons was quite unbalanced.  Sarah Willingham thought that it would be a safer idea to have a necklace with a handwritten note inside.  Certainly not modern technology.  But when we have asked paramedics about these type of medical alert systems they are very dismissive.  In the first place they have no assurance how old the information is.  They often cannot read the patient's writing and they find it difficult to open them, even if they recognise the jewellery as a medical alert device.

So the show is over but tap2tag has only just begun!  In 2016 we will be announcing some really exciting news that covers the NHS and worldwide agreements.  Amazon signed us up as a vendor within 3 hours and described our devices as "genius products".

The Dragons do not always know what is a good or bad investment.  After all the show is mainly for entertainment so one always has to take things with a pinch of salt.  But the reviews from our customers are outstanding and the feedback from people on Twitter (a few of which we have included here), just shows that they really did miss the point.  Sometimes the social impact of a product on the lives of many can outweigh petty and argumentative points of view that try to make good television.

We were grateful for the opportunity to appear on the BBC show and the chance to pitch our investment opportunity to them.  But at least more people know about the technology and tap2tag.  We are seeking more investment to expand tap2tag into new markets.  You can read more by clicking here.  We have just been accepted by CrowdCube for their crowd funding portal so if you are interested in investing then keep watching our Facebook pages and Twitter for more information.  Maybe I should get in touch with the Dragons again to see if they are interested?  Of course the price has gone up a little!

To watch the clip click here

Since we launched Tap2Tag in May 2014 we have been asked two questions over and over again.  The first is "Why didn't I think of that?" and the second was simply "You should go on Dragons' Den."

Well we have been keeping very, VERY tight lipped about this but we are pleased to announce that our pitch to the Blaze of Dragons is being made on Sunday 27 December 2015 at 8pm.  Our lips remain sealed as to the outcome but please watch and ask friends, family and complete strangers to tune in to the show.

We have also been asked over the last 12 months "How will anybody ever know about tap2tag?"  That's why we have invested so much time and energy demonstrating the device with the emergency services, charities and other healthcare professionals.  But having our device shown on national TV with an audience of around 3.2mn means that 5% of the UK's population will see tap2tag in action.  And as we all know, once you have seen it work, you cannot help but tell your friends, family and complete strangers all about it.

But did we get any investment?  You will just have to wait and see!

So please tune in to BBC2 at 8pm on Sunday 27 December.

Chris Ford, Managing Director, Tap2Tag Limited

The calm before the storm

So we are just recovering from a hectic couple of days at the NEC last week where we attended the Emergency Services Show at the NEC, Birmingham.  Throughout 2015 our goal has been to raise awareness of tap2tag to as many people within emergency healthcare in the UK.  The show represented the most elegant way of showcasing the product to those in the front line.

From the moment the doors opened we had a steady stream of visitors to our stand.  But with every demonstration of the wristbands the crowds grew and grew.  In the end we were demonstrating the product to around 8 people at a time, every 10 minutes.

From talking to the attendees at the show it became clear that our stand was the busiest at the whole show.

The ESS is attended by paramedics, doctors, fire crews and the police.  Representatives from all over the country were present.  There were also some big businesses represented at the show, demonstrating varied and new equipment to be used in emergency situations.

FEEDBACK

The aim was to raise the awareness of the device and tap2tag system with front line emergency services' personnel.  What we were not expecting was the wave of gratitude and amazement from those attending.  The paramedics were stunned that it was so easy to use and were trying out our sample devices using their own phones just to see if there was some "magic" involved!  West Midlands Ambulance Service had the stand opposite to us and they were blown away by the simplicity of the wristbands.  All paramedics we spoke to liked the new design of the wristbands despite the fact that there is no ink printing on the face.

Kevin Place from NHS England visited the stand and said that this was "The best thing I've seen all day".  Other comments were "Amazing" and "Simply Brilliant"

Every member from the emergency services who came to the stand took away some samples to show their colleagues back at their own workplace.  They were all keen to demonstrate the system and continue the awareness within their service.

WHAT NEXT?

Over 80 people left their contact information with us for follow up.  In particular they wanted our electronic version of the tap2tag leaflet so that this could easily be shared amongst their teams.  In fact we have potentially secured 5 new re-sellers for the product, both in the UK and overseas, as a direct result from the show.  Although this was not the intention of attending the Emergency Services Show, it was a nice surprise.  As we left the show the guys and gals from the West Midlands Ambulance Service all shook our hands and said simply "Well done".

So that makes the show a bit of success.  We will continue to follow up on those who expressed an interest in the product to ensure that all emergency services are aware.

Over the last few months we have been working with East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust about the possibility of expanding the medical profile to enhance the abilities for users.  We have also been listening to our customers and other healthcare professionals.  So here are some important changes that have now been added to the tap2tag medical profile.

STORING MEDICAL NOTES

This is a massive evolution of the tap2tag system.  You can now upload PDF documents into your medical profile.  This can include a care plan, patient passport, letter from your consultant laying out your medical condition or anything else you feel is relevant.  You can even load up copies of a "Do Not Resuscitate"  letter or maternity notes.  The system will also record the date and time that these documents have been uploaded.  Even without a formal document, healthcare professionals can add in a summary of the document.  A care plan can run to 25 pages or be just a few sentences.  In the latter case we have a space available where a summary can be provided.

When a first responder accesses your full medical profile they will be able to access the documents on the mobile phone by simply tapping the "Download" option.  This means that your care plan is now completely portable.

ADDITIONAL MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL CONTACTS

We have now built in the ability for users to add more than one medical contact.  We recognised that although a GP's details might be important, those with more complex medical conditions might want to document the contact details for their neurosurgeon or specialist nurse.  In an emergency these individuals might have more up-to-date and relevant information about the patient's medical condition.  You can add as many medical professionals as you like to the profile.  Please also ensure that the country where those contacts are located is also registered, especially when you are travelling abroad.

FORWARDING A MEDICAL PROFILE

For the UK only (currently) we have added a button, when viewing a patient's full medical information, that will allow a first responder to forward a copy of the unique URL link to an NHS employee.  So if a paramedic sees the information on a by-standers phone they can ask for it to be forwarded to their own email address.  Profiles can only be forwarded to individuals with an email address with the suffix nhs.uk or nhs.net, thereby ensuring confidentiality.  We will look to extend this service to other countries over the coming months.

COOKIE CONTROL

We have added additional security to the website by introducing cookie controls.  This means that, just like your internet banking, you will be logged out of the site after 5 minutes if there has been no activity.  You will be given a 30 second warning before that happens.  This is also the same for anyone viewing your profile.  This ensures that your medical information does not stay on the person's mobile phone or computer screen.

MEDICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY

Doctors and healthcare professionals also need to know about your family history so we have added a new field within the medical notes to allow you to talk about this.  If you have family members that have suffered from particular medical conditions then it's a good place to put this information.

NHS NUMBER

Within the UK your NHS number is particularly important as this will allow medical professionals to access your NHS data quickly.  This number, if entered, will appear on the public profile when the devices are first accessed.  This replaces the display of the Medic Alert number on the public profile page.

TIME STAMPS

When viewing a person's medical profile you will now be able to see the date and time that the profile was last amended.  For the user you will also be able to see this within your profile dashboard.  Time stamps will also appear by any documents uploaded into the profile to indicate when these were added.  This will give paramedics a view on how old the document is and consider its relevance when treating the individual.

IMAGE EDITING

You can now move your profile image around and even rotate it to get your face in full view in the space provided.  We noted that, sometimes, an image can be uploaded but it is at 90 degrees.  So now you can edit the image, rotate it and even zoom in and out.

RELIGION

We have a new field to specify the religion of the individual.  It is not a mandatory field but we recognise that this is important.

These are important changes to your medical profile.  In particular, the ability to upload documents into your medical profile is a radical change in thinking and solves a problem that every NHS Trust in the UK is grappling with.  We will be continuing our work with East Kent NHS Trust as there are some other important news to report on that front in the coming months.

If you have had any problems following the upgrade please email support@tap2tag.me