Making deliveries during the current pandemic can prove to be exceptionally daunting. Maintaining social distancing to ensure the safety of both drivers and customers is crucial to help prevent viral transmission. In this post, we want to share our 5 tips for making safe deliveries.
A self-explanatory and common-sense practice. If a signature is absolutely required, assure your drivers are taking extra cautionary measures to slow or stop the transmission by supplying them with disinfectant screen/device wipes. Additionally, ask them to not only clean the device/screen post signature, but also pre signature. This will help put your customers at ease and offer confirmation to them that you take their health seriously and are complying with current CDC guidelines.
Lastly, utilizing the photo option from the signature panel will enable your drivers to capture a store stamp on the paper invoice, or allow them to take a photo of whatever is needed to validate the location of delivery. Major courier companies like Amazon utilize this tactic often, when capturing a signature is not an option.
In an effort to safeguard your customers and drivers, while still fulfilling the need for a signature – consider allowing drivers to sign for the customer. The customer will give their acknowledgement of delivery, then give your driver verbal permission to sign for it. This can easily be done while maintaining the current CDC guidelines of keeping 6ft apart from one another.
Our RouteMizer software utilizes Google Maps to track location. This feature can help you capture the latitude and longitude of the delivery during the save of the invoice. This can be especially helpful if there is nobody available for signature, or a customer refuses to sign for delivery to minimize risk of infection.
If possible, you may consider waiving signature requirements for delivery. Although it can be less than ideal, to ensure you fully minimize transmission risk as much as possible it may benefit your drivers and customers to omit signature upon delivery.
bMobile Route Software cares about your business and your customers and wants to help you continue making deliveries safely. With these options, assuring you are keeping yourself, your drivers, and your customers safe is made easy. If you have any questions about these options, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Additionally, if you have discovered even more ways to make deliveries safer, let us know! We would love to hear how your business is taking part to help flatten the curve and reduce transmission.
Today’s post will offer some basic information regarding the new EDI requirements Walgreens has set for their suppliers. Although these changes were first made public by Walgreens in April of 2018, not every store is currently operating under these new requirements. Additionally, we will briefly define the new classifications that Walgreens’ suppliers will operate as.
EDI has always been offered as an option for Walgreens’ suppliers and distributors, however EDI compliance has now become a requirement. The catalyst for this change came in the form of a new partnership between Walgreens and a company called SPS Commerce, that specializes in EDI transactions. SPS Commerce offers Walgreens a full integration with their SAP accounting system and for the last few years, Walgreens has slowly begun implementing this change in all of their stores across the country. So as a supplier, what do these new requirements mean for you? When the Walgreens locations that you deliver to become live on their new SAP system, you will be required to become 100% EDI compliant and registered through the SPS Commerce platform. bMobile makes this transition easy for you by having the capability to become fully integrated and streamlined through this EDI process.
Moving onto the different classifications, Walgreens will now classify their suppliers into two categories - Auto-replenishment Suppler or Rack Jobber. If you are classified as an Auto-replenishment supplier through Walgreens, you will need a more complex and advanced EDI system, as you will be sending various forms through the EDI portal in SPS Commerce. To request product, each location will electronically send you a purchase order clearly detailing an exact quantity of each item they need. A positive attribute to this classification is credit processing by the supplier will no longer be required, as Walgreens will now be in 100% control over what is being ordered. A potential downfall to this new process is that drivers will no longer be able to sell additional product and will not be able to add any additional quantities to the order. Simplistically, what you receive via automated purchase order from each location, is what you will deliver. Any variances will need to be reported via the EDI portal within SPS Commerce.
The second classification will be referred to as a Rack Jobber. This classification is best explained as a standard scheduled DSD stop – a driver will arrive at the location, survey the shelf space, process credits and build an invoice. However, be aware that with this classification specifically, Walgreens will suggest upgrading to a Scan Based Trading (SBT) model system. Since many stores are beginning to favor an SBT model, bMobile has the ability to help you seamlessly implement this type of system. Transitioning to this system is currently not a requirement for this classification and as such, we suggest discussing this option with each location you supply.
bMobile offers solutions to help ensure you are 100% EDI compliant through SPS Commerce by utilizing all forms required by Walgreens. This includes 850 (PO,) 856 (ASN,) and 810 (Invoice/Credit.) By reviewing your classification as a supplier and your volume, bMobile can consult with you the best course of action. Contact us today to discuss available options!
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