Introduction:
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a nightmare for businesses and companies around the world. Social distancing and constant lockdowns have made it extremely difficult for companies to continue.
Mostly, hotels and restaurants have faced considerable challenges amidst the pandemic. While many businesses and companies have been shut down temporarily by their government, others are trying their best to sustain themselves and stay afloat.
Restaurants can no longer function as they did due to social distancing norms. They are prohibited from providing dine-in services. However, there is a solution to all these problems, and that is a contactless delivery system. This delivery system has become the only source of survival for restaurants and other businesses.
While many businesses and companies already had a contactless delivery system, many more are now implementing this delivery system in their businesses.
So, what is the contactless delivery system? How does it work, and how can you implement it in your business amidst the Covid-19 pandemic?
In this article, we are going to break down all these questions and guide you through the whole process.
What Is Contactless Delivery?
Contactless delivery, also referred to as no contact delivery, is a mode of delivery that involves no physical contact between the customers and delivery executives. A contactless delivery system eliminates any direct physical contact between employees, executives, and customers. Thus, the core objective of the contactless delivery system is to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
How Does Contactless Delivery Work?
In a contactless delivery system, the essential services are provided to customers in a protected and bio-secure manner. This includes regular sanitization of the business’ premises, employees, warehouse, and packaged products.
This unique idea makes customers happy safe by avoiding any direct contact, maintaining social distancing.
A contactless delivery system is quite similar to a home delivery system. However, there is one significant difference: in a contactless delivery system, the delivery executive leaves the delivery package outside the customer’s doorsteps instead of handing it directly to the customer.
The customer usually gets notified through a text message, a call, or an email about their delivery status. The payment is also contactless. Instead of paying through cash, customers pay online through contactless payment methods or mobile wallets.
Why Is Contactless Delivery System Important Amidst Covid-19?
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- Winning Customer’s Trust
In these challenging times, customers are very skeptical about dining in or coming in contact with other people. Hence, they have chosen not to venture out in the open in order to stay safe from Covid-19. It is crucial to keep providing your services to your customers while maintaining their trust and enhancing their health security.
Implementing a contactless delivery system in your businesses will win customers’ trust as they will prefer your services and products over others’ as they will consider it safe and secure for them.
By providing your services through a contactless delivery system, you will create a bio-safe environment for your customers, sending the message to the customers that you prioritize their safety above everything else. They will be convinced and satisfied that your business is willing to take steps to ensure their health security.
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- Competition With Other Businesses
Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, managing and sustaining businesses have become an extremely delicate task, as one wrong step can spell the downfall. Many companies are trying to find the best solution for their current problems. They need to change and adapt to the situation to meet the customer’s expectations.
By implementing the contactless delivery system in your business, you will be a step ahead of them, and your business will thrive. Some companies have also already implemented a contactless delivery system, so you should also consider it to remain in the competition.
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- Curbing the Virus
Delivery executives and customers do not come in any physical or direct contact in a contactless delivery system. Customers make their orders and pay online while the delivery executives leave the packaged product at the customer’s doorsteps. Furthermore, the delivery facilities and the business premises are constantly sanitized.
These cautionary measures ensure that no spread of Covid-19 occurs as it is designed to limit contact between delivery executives and customers. As there is no risk of infecting Covid-19, the customer can rest assured about their health status.
Implementing Contactless Delivery System in Your Business
In the current situation, the contactless delivery system is the need of the hour for delivery-related businesses, whether household groceries or food. Here is how you can implement the contactless delivery system in your business.
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- Add The ‘Contactless Delivery’ Option in Your Business Website or App
First of all, you have to add the ‘Contactless Delivery’ option to your business website or mobile app. You can either add an OnClick button or a Textbox that will enable contactless delivery. You can set up the option or the button at your own convenience through any method.
However, it is vital that the option or button for contactless delivery is clearly visible to the customers. You can also inform your audience or customers about this new option so that they know where to look for this option and how to select the contactless delivery option.
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- Constant Sanitization
To ensure that your contactless delivery system is fully bio-secure, you must constantly sanitize your whole business premises, employees, delivery executives, and goods. Every surface of the premises should be treated with a disinfectant, especially the areas with high-traffic counters.
Moreover, it would be best to sanitize all electronic devices, such as printers, computers, phones, and tablets, because these items are touched quite a lot. The delivery executives must also sanitize or wash their hands frequently, especially before and after making a delivery. If the delivery executive is delivering food, make sure that there is no direct contact with the food and that the food is adequately covered.
You can provide all your staff members and delivery executives with masks, sanitizers, gloves, and face shields to ensure added safety. Maintaining good hygiene is crucial for the people handling the delivery services.
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- Training Your Staff Members
Regular Businesses
It is essential to provide adequate training to your staff handling the delivery services in the contactless delivery system. They should be aware of all the safety precautions and Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). It is also necessary to regularly check your staff members to ensure their security and the customer’s security.
Firstly, you should discuss all the bio-security protocols with them. Make sure that they understand why it is essential and hear what they have to say about it. Secondly, you should put SOPs or WHO’s guidelines for combating Covid-19 around the premises. This will constantly remind them of the preventive measures they have to take. You can also organize training sessions with your staff and delivery executives to ensure that they follow these guidelines and regulations efficiently.
In addition to that, you must regularly check their temperature to see if any of your employees, staff members, or delivery executives are feeling unwell. For that, you can install temperature screening points around the premises. If you find any staff member feeling unwell, tell them to stay home until they have fully recovered. It is preferable if they quarantine themselves and avoid any physical contact with other people.
Restaurant Business
If you are associated with the restaurant business, there are additional safety measures. Firstly, you must train your chefs to avoid physical contact with other chefs in the team. They must also avoid contact with dishes that are backed from the oven. They should always use clean and sanitized utensils and must use spatulas and tongs to pack cooked or read food.
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- Contactless Payments
During the Covid-19 pandemic, coming in contact with cash can also be considered dangerous due to the risk of infection. For this reason, you can make your payment method contactless. With contactless payments, your customers will be able to pay for their purchases through their smartphones quickly.
To set up a contactless payment option for your business website or mobile app, you can use Folio3’s Dynamics AX Expense App. Through this app, you will be able to accept payments from your customers and manage all your expenses regarding your business. Dynamics AX Expense App is basically a cross-platform app that will help you develop and design contactless payment options for your business on your website and mobile app.
With this app, you can also gather and view reports regarding all your previous expenses. With these comprehensive reports, you will be able to analyze all the incurred costs against each customer, distributor, and employee.
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- Optimizing Your Online Menu
Optimizing your online website or mobile app is as important as setting up a contactless delivery system. As your customers will place their orders online, it is only better if you have a user interface that is easy to navigate. Usually, customers also choose restaurants or services based on their online availability. A well-organized online menu will cater to all your customer’s needs and tastes and attract more orders.
You can also customize and update your online menu according to various customer’s needs and demands. This will improve your customer’s experience on your website or mobile app and incentivize them to try your services frequently.
How To Make Sure Contactless Deliveries Are Safe?
It is crucial to ensure that the packaged goods and products you are delivering to customers are entirely safe. To do that, your employees, especially delivery executives, must follow the guidelines laid down by the World Health Organization (WHO) that explain how restaurants and other similar businesses can reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection and ensure safe contactless deliveries.
After the food is cooked or your product is ready, make sure it is delivered as soon as possible, without any delay. Make sure that the package in which the products are kept is completely airtight. It is preferable to use tamper-resistant seals on packages. If reusable packages are being used, make sure that they are sanitized and cleaned before usage. Furthermore, the delivery executives should sanitize or wash their hands with soap and water frequently. They should also be encouraged to wear gloves.
What Are the Advantages of Implementing a Contactless Delivery System in Your Business?
- Growing Your Business
When many other businesses are shutting and closing down, a contactless delivery system will enable your business to grow and expand. With the convenience and safety of delivery executives and customers, your customers will be satisfied with the service you provide. They may also refer your services to their family members and friends, resulting in an enlarged audience.
- Employee Safety
It is the business’s responsibility to take care of its employees. Implementing a contactless delivery system will help you do just that as this delivery system ensures the safety of customers and delivery executives, and employees. Therefore, with the contactless delivery system, you will be able to keep your business as well as your employees safe from Covid-19.
- Adapting to the Situation
Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, there has been talk about a new normal. Many experts believe that we may have to live with this virus and adapt to the situation. If that is the case, you and your business will be ready for it. Your business will already have an online presence and a contactless delivery system that will operate well.
Conclusion
Covid-19 has dramatically affected our lives, and no one knows when we will be completely free of this deadly virus. Though, we have to adapt and learn how to live with it. A contactless delivery system is an example of that and a unique way of dealing with the worsened situation for businesses. With this delivery system, you can meet your customer’s expectations and establish an online platform for your business while also being bio-secure and taking precautionary measures against Covid-19.
