This article will guide you through the entire bare-bones setup process for creating an item and getting it into the hands of an online client.
Specifically, this article will help you create a location, set up appointment availability for that location, create an inventory item model, assign it to an item type, receive actual quantities of this item to a location, log in as a dummy online client, schedule an appointment at a location, add the item to a cart, and then check out.
Perform all the Setup Instructions sections listed below to create an item and deliver it to a dummy online client:
Simple Location-and-Schedule Creation
Lexicon
Ensure you understand these key scheduling and location terms:
Locations. A Location in PantrySoft is (optionally) a container for inventory items. Locations are linked to Visit Types, which have their own availability patterns (Schedule Templates).
Visit Type. A Visit Type is normally used throughout the app as a stamp for categorizing visits, but for appointment purposes they are also the entity to which you attach availability patterns (Schedule Templates). To create appointment availability for the online store, you need at least one location paired with at least one visit type, which in turn "owns" its own Schedule Templates. Visit Types can only be paired with one Schedule Template for a given span of real time.
Schedule Templates. Schedule Templates are a pattern of availability tied to a single Visit Type... and active during a specific period of time. You should name them after the pattern you intend, for instance, "Distribution@Main - Standard Schedule".
Alternate Schedule Templates (for a given location-and-visit-type combination). You can create a backup or alternate schedule for a Visit Type, but you'd typically only do this when you need to toggle between different patterns of availability (for instance an alternative "Distribution@Main- Summer Schedule" that you'd activate only during the summer season). In this example, both "Downtown Location Standard Schedule" and "Downtown Location- Summer Schedule" are tied to the Downtown location, but you'd assign them to different time spans. (See Alternating Schedules)
Setup Instructions
Perform the following steps to create a location and assign it a schedule template.
- Add Visit Types for Each Distribution Site
- Go to Setup->Question Picklists.
- Find the Picklist 'Visit Types'. Click the Edit button to view all current Visit Types.
- Click Add an Item to create a new Visit Type. Click Save Picklist when you are finished.
- Add at least one Visit Type to describe each storefront pickup site (for instance, if you give food away at your main site and at a local school, make a "Distribution@Main" and "Distribution@Elementary").
- Edit the Default "Main" Location and Assign it Visit Types
- Click on your Profile at the top-right of the menu and select Account Settings.
- Click on the Edit pencil beside the "Main" location. This is the name for the place that houses your inventory.
- Assign your "pickup" Visit Types. Click on all of your pickup site Visit Types (i.e. the "Distribution@Main" and "Distribution@Elementary" above)
- Save and Exit.
- Create a Schedule Template for the New Distribution Sites
- Go to Setup->Schedule Templates.
- Click New Template.
- Select your new location for the Location field.
- Select one of its linked Visit Types
- Describe this availability pattern for the name, and make sure you include the name of the location in the template name (i.e. "Distribution@Main- Standard Schedule" ).
- Set the Start Date for before today and the End Date for some time in the distant future.
- Save and Exit.
- Add Availability Blocks
Add at least one schedule block to the template. (see Setting up the Scheduling Calendar)
Simple Inventory Setup
Setup Instructions
Perform the following steps to understand how to create and receive an item into inventory to it's available to your online store:
- Create an Inventory Source
An Inventory Source in PantrySoft is an entity from which you receive items. This can be a private donor or an institutional donor ( functionally there's no difference between the two). You need at least one of these to perform an Inventory Receive. (See Inventory Sources)
Go to Inventory->Inventory Source and create a new source. Now you're ready to receive items from somewhere (see Inventory Receive below). - Create an Inventory Item Type
An Item Type in PantrySoft is a category, or a bucket for specific inventory items. In PantrySoft, every item is associated with a type. What good are they? In Inventory Item reports, you can filter by Inventory Item Type. In the online store, items arrange themselves into Item Type rows on the shopping screen. (See Inventory Item Types)
Go to Inventory->Inventory Item Types and create a new type. Now you're ready to create a (model) inventory item (see Inventory Item just below). - Create a (Model) Inventory Item
An Inventory Item in PantrySoft is only a model item, and you use this model to later manifest quantified items in a Receive or a Client distribution. You have to make an item model (add it to your "menu", if you will) before you receive or distribute actual quantities of that item. (See Inventory Items (Item Templates))
Go to Inventory->Inventory Item and create a (model) item to your specifications. If you want this item to appear as an online shopping choice, ensure the "Show on Store" checkbox is checked. Once you're done creating a (menu) item, Pantrysoft recognizes that this item exists as a possibility. - Process an Inventory Receive
An standard Inventory Receive in PantrySoft is a movement of inventory item quantities, specifically from an Inventory Source and to one of the pantry's Locations. (See Inventory Receives)
Go to Inventory->Inventory Receives and create a new Receive. You can now receive quantities of the model item you made. - Verify Current Inventory Quantities
Current Inventory in PantrySoft is a ledger of rows; one row is the count of a specific item at a specific location. (See Current Inventory Screen)
Go to Inventory->Current Inventory. If your inventory was blank before you started this process, you should see the quantities of your new item that you just received from your new Inventory Source and into a specific location.
Online "Customer" Creation
Setup Instructions
- Create a Dummy Client
Load or create a dummy client in the dashboard (See Clients for client-creation instructions). -
Create Login Credentials
Give the dummy client its own online access by creating a "Customer" record. (See Customer Logins- Manual Management ) - Logout
Logout of your PantrySoft app.
Create a Dummy Client entirely through the portal. Alternatively, you can create a client and its online credentials from scratch through the online portal. See Client Portal: Signup & Sign-on.
Online Appointment and Visit Creation
Setup Instructions
- Go to Your Online Portal
Navigate your browser to the URL for your online portal (i.e., type into your browser: app.pantrysoft.com/login/yourpantryname) - Login
Log in with your credentials and complete the Registration page if it appears. This will direct you to the Appointment Page. - Select Location
Select the Location you set up earlier. You'll notice the appointment screen change to match the availability you set up in that location's schedule template earlier. - Select an Appointment Time
Select the "+" next to a desired Appointment by clicking on one of the appointment times. These correspond to the availability blocks you set up earlier. This will navigate you to the online store page. - Locate Your New Item
Locate the item you created earlier. You'll find it on a row labeled with the Item Type you associated the item with earlier. - Add Quantities to Your Cart
Click the "+" next on the item tile and watch your chosen quantities increment. Note also that the checkout cart icon pulses at the top right of the screen. - Checkout
Click the shopping cart and click Checkout. You'll be navigated to an appointment reminder screen that shows the date of your appointment and the items you've selected.
Online Appointment and Visit Verification
Setup Instructions
The online choice pantry creates an Appointment record and a Visit record for the client who made their selection and checked out. At this point in the process, admins can go directly to the client record and see the visit and the appointment in the right-most column of a client's dashboard page. But what about when you don't know who specifically has requested an appointment and/or chose pickup items?
A more popular workflow to verify client online activity involves using reports to ascertain everyone with an appointment or a visit on a certain day. Here we'll demonstrate this method of checking reports to verify appointments and visits made with the online store.
Perform the following steps to find the appointment and the visit we just made in the online store using reporting tools:
Verify the Appointment
- Navigate to Schedule Reports
Go to Reporting->Schedule Reports. - Select the Dummy Appointment's Day
Narrow the date range to the single day of the appointment just made. - Select the Dummy Appointment's Location
Filter for only the Location for the appointment just made. - Run the Report.
Verify you see the appointment just made. This is the process your packing employees will use at the start of every day.
Verify the Visit
- Turn on Inventory Fulfillment
Ensure that Inventory Fulfillment feature is turned on. Setup->Storefront Settings: Enable Item Fulfillment. - Navigate to Fulfillment Reports
Go to Reporting->Inventory Reports. Choose Inventory Fulfillment.
Click the "Hide Fulfilled Items" checkbox. - Select the Dummy Appointment's Day
Narrow the date range to the single day of the appointment just made. - Select the Dummy Appointment's Location
Filter for only the Location for the appointment just made. - Run the Report
Verify the visit just made. You'll notice you can check individual items, or else entire orders and mark them fulfilled. Once you do, you can reload the page and fulfilled items or orders will disappear.