Solution · Staff exclusion & employee removal
Staff ExclusionEmployee removal for accurate people counting data
Every time an employee walks through the entrance, a people counter records a visit. V-Count staff exclusion (employee removal) takes those trips out automatically, so your visitor count, conversion rate and staffing reports show customers only.
Staff wear a reflective shoulder tag or a reflective lanyard. The Nano AI sensor above the door recognises it and keeps staff out of your visitor numbers. No battery. No app. No extra sensor.
Staff exclusion, explained in 30 seconds
The video shows the full story: a sensor counting every visitor, staff being counted as customers, and how the shoulder tag and the lanyard fix it. At the end you see the same store seen from the sensor: customers get a green box and count +1, staff get a red box and are not counted.
See it on your own store dataWhy staff inflate your visitor count
A people counting sensor counts people, not customers. Without staff exclusion or employee removal, every employee trip through the door is recorded as a visit. It happens in every sector: retail, malls, banks, telecom stores, car showrooms, museums and offices.
Opening, breaks, deliveries, smoking, stock runs, greeting customers at the door
Each of these trips adds a “visitor”. In a busy store it can be dozens a day; in a quiet luxury boutique, staff trips can be a large share of all entries. The data looks precise, but it is not customer traffic.
If the term is new to you, read our guide on what staff exclusion in people counting is. This page explains how V-Count solves it.
Visitor count inflated
Footfall reports include people who will never buy.
Conversion rate looks lower
Sales are divided by a bigger number than real customers.
Wrong staffing calls
Peak hours partly reflect staff movements, not shoppers.
Unfair store comparisons
Stores with more staff, or more breaks, look busier than they are.
Worked example to show the arithmetic, not customer data: conversion = transactions ÷ visitors. Dividing by 1,000 instead of 920 understates conversion by 8%.
How V-Count staff exclusion works, step by step
Staff exclusion runs on the same Nano AI people counting sensor that counts your visitors. It uses infrared light and a reflective material. Nothing personal is stored.
The sensor counts everyone
Nano AI is mounted flat on the ceiling above the entrance, looking straight down. It counts each person who crosses its virtual counting line, in and out.
Staff wear a reflective wearable
Each employee wears one item: a round reflective shoulder tag on top of the shoulder, or a reflective lanyard around the neck. Both are made of a special retro-reflective material. Neither needs a battery.
The sensor sees the reflection
Nano AI uses infrared (IR) light. The reflective material sends that light straight back to the sensor, so it stands out clearly from clothes, bags and skin. The sensor links the reflection to the person carrying it and marks that person as staff.
Customers counted, staff excluded
Staff trips are counted separately. Your visitor count contains customers only. In BoostBI you can view customers, staff and total traffic, include or exclude staff with one click, and track the customer-to-staff ratio.
Privacy by design: staff exclusion does not identify who the employee is. There is no face recognition, no name and no badge ID. The sensor only decides “staff” or “visitor”, and the processing runs on the device. The solution is GDPR compliant.
Shoulder tag: pin it on, done
A small round reflective tag that sits on top of the shoulder, facing up to the sensor. It attaches with a magnet, so it goes on any uniform, blazer or shirt in seconds without damaging the fabric.
- No battery, no charging, no pairing
- One tag per employee
- Best for uniforms and roles where a lanyard is not worn
- Keep it on the top of the shoulder, not under a coat or a bag strap
Lanyard: wear it as usual
A lanyard with a reflective strap. Staff wear it like any ID lanyard, with their usual badge. The sensor detects the strap around the neck and shoulders, not the card, so the badge design does not matter.
- No battery, no charging, no pairing
- Fits teams that already wear ID badges
- Easy to hand over between shifts
- Wear it over the jacket so the strap stays visible from above
Shoulder tag or lanyard: which one fits your team?
Both options work with the same sensor and give the same result. Choose by how your staff dress and work. You can also mix them across stores.
| Shoulder tag | Lanyard | |
|---|---|---|
| What the sensor detects | Reflective round tag on top of the shoulder | Reflective strap around the neck and shoulders |
| How it is worn | Magnet attachment on the uniform | Around the neck, like any ID lanyard |
| Battery or charging | None | None |
| Sensor needed | Nano AI (same sensor that counts visitors) | Nano AI (same sensor that counts visitors) |
| Accuracy | 90%+ staff exclusion accuracy | 90%+ staff exclusion accuracy |
| Best for | Uniforms, blazers, front-of-house roles | Teams with ID badges, shift work, offices |
| Keep in mind | Must not be covered by a coat, scarf or bag strap | Wear over the jacket, strap visible from above |
What Nano AI sees from the ceiling
Seen from above, customers walking in cross the counting line and are added to the visitor count. The staff member at the door wears a tag or lanyard, so the sensor keeps them out of it.
Clean visitor data in BoostBI
After employee removal, the clean customer count feeds BoostBI, V-Count’s analytics dashboard and mobile app. You keep both numbers and decide which one to use.
- Customers + staff = total visits, shown side by side
- Conversion rate calculated on customers only
- Customer-to-staff ratio per hour, day and store
- Include or exclude staff with one click
- Same KPIs across all stores, so comparisons are fair
Setting up staff exclusion in your stores
Staff exclusion is an add-on to Nano AI people counting. If you already use Nano AI, you add the wearables and switch it on. If you are starting fresh, both come together.
Send a floor plan and a few photos
A simple drawing of the entrance and some photos taken by the store manager are enough. V-Count recommends sensor placement within 24 hours.
No site visit is needed. Your partner or your own team installs the sensor.
Mount Nano AI top-down at the right height
For staff exclusion, mount the sensor between 2.8 m and 5 m, flat on the ceiling above the entrance, following V-Count’s placement guidelines.
Higher or lower mounting can reduce staff exclusion performance.
Give each employee one wearable
A shoulder tag or a lanyard per person. Brief the team to keep it visible from above: on top of the shoulder, or over the jacket.
A covered tag or strap cannot be seen, so that trip is counted as a visit.
Switch it on in BoostBI
Staff traffic appears as its own series. Visitor counts, conversion and staffing reports use customers only, and you can add staff back at any time.
Works alongside V-Count’s other people counting features on the same sensor.
Industries where staff exclusion changes the numbers
The more staff movements per customer, the bigger the error. These formats feel it most.
Staff exclusion runs on the Nano AI people counting sensor and is part of V-Count people counting.
Should I choose the shoulder tag or the lanyard?
Choose by how your staff dress. The shoulder tag suits uniforms and blazers and attaches with a magnet. The lanyard suits teams that already wear ID badges. Both work with the same Nano AI sensor and give the same result, and you can use different options in different stores.
Is employee removal the same as staff exclusion?
Yes. Employee removal, staff exclusion and employee exclusion all mean the same thing: taking staff trips out of the visitor count so footfall, conversion and staffing reports reflect customers only. V-Count does it with a reflective shoulder tag or lanyard detected by the Nano AI sensor.
Do the shoulder tag or lanyard need batteries or charging?
No. Both are passive. They are made of a reflective material that bounces the sensor’s infrared light back, so there is nothing to charge, pair or replace.
How accurate is V-Count staff exclusion?
V-Count staff exclusion reaches 90%+ accuracy with both the shoulder tag and the lanyard, when the sensor is mounted at 2.8 to 5 m following V-Count’s guidelines and the wearable is visible from above.
Does staff exclusion identify individual employees?
No. The sensor only decides whether a person is staff or a visitor. It does not read names, badge IDs or faces, and no personal data is stored. Processing runs on the device and the solution is GDPR compliant.
Do I need an extra sensor for staff exclusion?
No. Staff exclusion runs on the same Nano AI sensor that counts your visitors, so employee removal needs no extra hardware. You only add one wearable per employee.
What mounting height does staff exclusion need?
Mount Nano AI top-down between 2.8 m and 5 m above the entrance. Installing it higher or lower can reduce staff exclusion performance.
What happens if an employee covers the tag or the lanyard?
If the sensor cannot see the reflective material from above, that trip is counted as a visit. Ask staff to keep the tag on top of the shoulder and the lanyard over the jacket, not under a coat, scarf or bag strap.
Can I still see how often staff go in and out?
Yes. Staff traffic is kept as its own series in BoostBI. You can view customers, staff and total traffic, include or exclude staff with one click, and track the customer-to-staff ratio.
Can I add staff exclusion to stores that already use V-Count?
Yes. Staff exclusion is an add-on for Nano AI Series sensors. Stores that already count with Nano AI add the wearables and enable staff exclusion, as long as the sensor height is within 2.8 to 5 m.
How do I get started with staff exclusion?
Request a demo and send a floor plan (a simple drawing is enough) with a few photos of the entrance taken by the store manager. V-Count recommends sensor placement within 24 hours and helps you choose between the shoulder tag and the lanyard.
Count customers, not colleagues
Shoulder tag or lanyard, no battery, 90%+ accuracy, on the Nano AI sensor you already trust for people counting.
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