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To Expand Farm Market Opportunities With Contactless Delivery Service

On April 20, 2020

To Expand Farm Market Opportunities With Contactless Delivery Service

 

In our current crisis, contactless delivery is a safe method to reach customers with fresh agricultural products from your farms and markets. Extension Educators Carla Snyder and Brian Moyer offer these 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 these tips below can help drivers create 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 the doorstep, ring the doorbell and step back at least 6 feet from the door or return to the delivery truck. Do not accept coupons, vouchers, reusable bags or containers such as egg cartons at this time.

Communicating your contactless 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. Explain delivery procedures such as placing the delivery on the customer’s doorstep, ringing the doorbell, and maintaining social distance (at least 6 feet) by not greeting your delivery driver at the open door. As an alternative to this consider smiling, waving or offering a thumbs up to the delivery driver through a closed window. 

Tips for drivers are appreciated.  If you can add a tip electronically to your order at checkout that is best. Otherwise 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. Professor of Food Science Luke LaBorde explains these strategies to clean and sanitize delivery vehicles in an effort to provide a clean and safe environment for both drivers and customers.

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 LaBorde suggests the following practices:

Use a commercially available sanitizer wipes or disinfectant sprays to clean high touch point surfaces after each delivery such as the steering wheel,
gear shift, seat belt, buckle, and release button. Additionally sanitize the radio or GPS device, turn signals, headlight controls, door handles and lift gate controls. Also sanitize clip boards and point of sale devices used to capture payment.

Clean your 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.

To Develop The Habit Of Good Handwashing On Farms 

Whether we are facing a pandemic from an emerging virus or carrying out the day-to-day operations on a farm, handwashing is a simple, but invaluable protective measure for everyone. 

 

Dairy Educator Ginger Fenton explains sick days and vacation time are not easy to come by for many farmers, so staying healthy is a necessity. Developing and implementing hygienic practices can be beneficial for all involved in protecting humans from diseases carried by animals and the reverse as farmers protect their animals from diseases that are spread by humans. Diseases that are acquired from contact with animals are referred to as zoonotic diseases.

 

Exposure to certain zoonotic diseases can occur through work on dairy farms. Knowledge about the spread of zoonotic disease is an area where more education is warranted. 

Here are some suggestions for your farm: develop and train everyone involved with the farm on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for hygiene including handwashing procedures explaining how and when, glove usage, designated work clothes, cleaning boots, eating and drinking in the barn, wound care, and reporting illness to management. Provide designated handwashing facilities that include warm water, soap, paper towels or hand dryers.

Periodically review hygiene practices and recommendations with farm employees and family members. Using handwashing activities may make this more impactful. Post reminders and instructions near sinks. Make hand sanitizer available when handwashing facilities are not an option. Be aware that hand sanitizers are not a substitute for handwashing. Review glove usage SOPs. Remember that gloves can be a source of contamination if they are not used properly. Proper handwashing is still needed even when gloves are used. Be vigilant in monitoring herd health. Reinforce with your team the importance of good hygiene practices when dealing with sick animals. For more information go to: https://extension.psu.edu/handwashing-on-dairy-farms-is-not-just-during-a-pandemic

 

 

Quote Of The Week: “It really is all about trying to focus on two things. No. 1 is we really believe if every American will take strong steps now (on personal distancing), that we can significantly impact the spread of the coronavirus in the United States. And also, as every American puts these commonsense personal habits and hygiene into practice, we’re going to protect the most vulnerable among us.” Vice President Mike Pence