May 2020 - 16

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
Delivery tips for farms, markets during crisis
the doorstep, ring the doorbell and
step back at least 6 feet from the
door or return to the delivery truck.
BRIAN MOYER
Penn State Extension
bfm3@psu.edu
* Do not accept coupons, vouchers,
reusable bags or containers such as
egg cartons at this time.
Communicating your contactless
In our current crisis, contactless delivery
is a safe method to reach customers with
agricultural products from your farms and
markets. In this article we'll review specific
tips for how to implement contactless
delivery while still maintaining a high level
of communication with your customers.
Implementing contactless delivery
can be simple. Following the below tips
can help drivers creates a contactless
delivery process:
* Drivers or staff at the market should
contact customers with estimated
delivery times via text, email or
phone to alert customers that their
order is on its way.
* When arriving at a customer's
location, the driver should place the
delivery on the customers' doorstep
rather than greet the customer at
the door.
* If alerting customers of a delivery's
arrival via phone, text or email is
not available, place the delivery on
delivery system, how it will work, and what
customers can expect during their delivery
is important to creating a successful
system. Reach out to customers via email,
text and phone to let them know specifics
of their delivery such as:
* Estimated delivery time.
* Delivery procedures such as placing
the delivery on the customer's
doorstep, ringing the doorbell, and
maintaining social distance (at least
6 feet - that's about two to three
arm-lengths).
* Not greeting your delivery driver
at the open door. As an alternative
to this please consider smiling,
waving or offering a thumbs up to
the delivery driver through a closed
window.
* Not accepting coupons, vouchers,
or returns of reusable containers or
egg cartons at this time.
Tips for drivers are appreciated if
you can add a tip electronically to your
order at check out that is best. Otherwise
please encourage the use of contactless
tipping methods by utilizing online
payment platforms.
Keeping delivery drivers safe and
healthy is a priority for food and farm
businesses. Below we've included
strategies to clean and sanitize delivery
vehicles in an effort to provide a clean
and safe environment for both drivers
and customers.
Keeping delivery
drivers safe and healthy
is a priority for food and
farm businesses.
When making deliveries utilizing the
contactless method, please remember
that drivers come in contact with many
different people and surfaces during the
course of deliveries and could become
sources for further spread of COVID-19.
Therefore, to maintain the safety and
health of drivers and customers we suggest
the following practices:
Maintain at least a 6-foot distance
between drivers and customers and
utilizing the contactless delivery
method outlined above.
Use a commercially available sanitizer
wipes or disinfectant sprays to clean high
touch point surfaces after each delivery
such as:
* Steering wheel.
* Gear shift.
* Seat belt, bucket and release button.
* Radio or GPS device.
* Turn signals.
* Headlight controls.
* Door handles and lift gate controls.
* Clip boards.
* Point-of-sale devices used to
capture payment.
* Clean hands after each delivery
with soap and water if available
and if not available, with a hand
sanitizer containing at least 70%
alcohol.
* As always, encourage employees to
not come to work if they are sick.
Implementing a simple contactless
delivery system and communicating your
process for providing a clean supply chain
to customers helps ensure the health of
employees and customers while helping
to retain sales and maintain relationships
into the future.
Penn State University's Carla Snyder
and Luke LaBorde also contributed to this
article. VGN
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May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2020
