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Curbside/Limited Contact Pickup for Online Orders

Curbside/Limited Contact Pickup for Online Orders

Overview

To continue to service our customers during this unprecedented time, we need to provide a Hassle-Free Shopping Experience for those who may want product from our store, yet not come into the physical store space. Even as more stores open up, consumers continue to buy online at higher rates. As an organization, we need to plan for a surge in volume of online orders for rush. Additionally, many store locations will need to address local government safety requirements, such as capacity constraints, that could limit the number of people allowed in-store or waiting in line.

Offering Curbside/Limited Contact Pick Up is one tool that stores can use to provide a positive customer shopping experience. If your physical store is closed to the public or open to in-store traffic, you can consider offering Curbside Pick Up/Limited Contact Pick Up online for rush. Review the Curbside/Limited Contact Pickup PPT Overview and the store operation guidelines outlined below to determine if your store can offer this option.

Store Operational Guidelines

When offering curbside/limited contact pickup, there are some critical things to keep in mind. Note that there may be some alterations you need to make considering your specific campus and store location.

The health and safety of our team members, customers, and vendors is Follett's foremost concern. Listed below are procedural guidelines to assist with limited contact regarding order pickup. Following state and federal guidelines, all team members must maintain social distance from customers when working the curbside/limited contact order drop-off/pickup area.

Physical Pickup Location on Campus

  • Partner with your campus, alerting them you are looking to offer curbside/limited contact pickup. In some cases, it may be near the store; in others, you may need to work with your campus to determine the location that works best for traffic patterns.
  • Ensure you partner with your campus regarding signage placement, if necessary.
    • Pickup and directional signage for traffic flow
  • Consider the weather elements for your signage (sandwich board, coated signage, sturdy, etc.).
  • Determine hours of operation (with campus, if necessary).
  • Keep safety top of mind when determining location (partner with campus security, if necessary).
  • Plan for minimal and up to many pickups.

Getting Ready

  • Consider weather conditions for your staff.
  • Ensure staff member(s) is easily identifiable (e.g., rental t-shirts, aprons), especially if the winter is cold.
  • Ensure you have sturdy, portable containers (e.g., carts, boxes) to put orders in to transport to pickup location .
  • Ensure packages are in clear bags to allow customer to easily see product before accepting, or use rubber bands to secure materials together.
  • Use a cart (e.g., flat cart, library cart) to transfer the goods, whenever possible.
  • Identify and train the staff to work the pickup location; plan for lines.
  • Determine the phone number to be used for customers to call for pickup.
  • Ensure team members answering the designated phone number are aware of the pickup process (Create a FAQ or reference sheet), including:
    • Where is the pickup location
    • Expected wait time (if time is needed to get to pickup location)
    • Where pickup bags are located
    • Validate quantity of items in pickup (number of orders/expected contents)
    • Ask for vehicle make and color
  • Keep your orders organized throughout the day (by order number/auditing).

Operation at Pickup

  • Ensure team members have protective gear (face masks) for pickup locations.
  • Maintain a 3 to 6 feet distance to avoid customer contact.
  • Validate customer name/ID.
  • Use a cart when possible to transfer goods; slide product to customer to adhere to social distancing).
  • Validate if customer is okay with placing package in car, either in the backseat or trunk.
  • Point out where the receipt is located or show it to the customer (helps with returns).
  • Thank them for shopping with us - Leave them smiling!

Schedule My Pick Up Service (SMP)

Follett is expanding our ecommerce capabilities to include a Schedule My Pick Up customer experience. This service allows campus stores to provide a limited contact pick up experience addressing today's current COVID-19 shopping restrictions, including:

  • Customer safety and social distancing rules
  • In-store capacity limit restrictions
  • Customer congestion in and around the campus store
  • Mailroom congestion with additional shipments to students

See the Follett Schedule My Pick Up Service Overview sheet for a brief overview of the customer experience using the new service to schedule a pickup appointment for their online order, after they receive the Ready for Pickup email.

Review the Schedule My Pickup recorded training webinar to determine if your store is able to support the scheduling service.

If your store is confirmed to proceed, review the Schedule My Pickup Process Guide for detailed step-by-steps to:

  • Access and log into the Scheduler site
  • Configure store pickup hours and customer facing messaging for each pickup location
  • Manage the pickup process in the Order Management dashboard (in the Scheduler site)

Additional details in the SMP Process Guide, include:

  • Implementing Schedule My Pickup
  • Managing orders in the Scheduler site
  • Understanding the customer experience

 

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