Streamline curbside pickup with Routegy and Trello

This document describes how to streamline your curbside delivery process using Routegy (opens new window) and Trello (opens new window).

Customers pull up, scan a QR code placed on a storefront or curbside, and the staff inside are notified.

Once a customer scans the code and submits their information, Routegy will add a new card to your Trello board that details who just arrived, how they ordered, and where they are waiting.

To get started you will need the following:

1. Routegy account (Create one here (opens new window)).
2. Trello account (Create one here (opens new window)).
3. Tablet, laptop, or other device that you and your staff will use to monitor your curbside delivery board on Trello.

Let's get started!

Creating a Routegy app for curbside delivery

We will start by creating an app that collects information from the customer when they arrive and scan the code. We are going to ask for their name, how they placed the order, and for some details about their vehicle.

Step 1: Choose a workspace

Start by making sure you're in the desired workspace. Open the workspace dropdown in the navigation bar to choose, and then select the Apps tab.

Step 2: Create a new group

Next step is to create a new group for our curbside app. If you already have a group that you'd like to use, you can skip this step and go directly to Step 3.

Create a new group by clicking the group icon or dragging the group icon into the desired parent group.

Then, give your new group a name, description (optional), and click the Create Group button.

Step 3: Create a new app

Create a new app by clicking the app icon or dragging the app icon into the desired group. In this example, we are putting it under the Parking group created in Step 2.

Then, define a name and description for your new app.

Routegy will use the name and description in the header of your new app form as its title and subtitle respectively (see screenshot below). With this in mind, try using short, concise language to provide clear instructions to your customers (i.e., a simple call to to action).

Step 4: Define an app pattern

Next, we are going to create an app pattern. The app pattern defines the data to collect when a customer interacts with your app.

To get started, select Define your own pattern from the Pattern dropdown list, and name your new pattern.

Routegy patterns are defined by a JSON Schema (opens new window) document in YAML format. To collect customer's name, car information, and order type, we are going to use the following pattern:

type: object
attrs:
  successMessage: Thank You!
order:
  - order_type
  - name
  - car
required:
  - order_type
  - name
  - car
properties:
  car:
    type: string
    attrs:
      placeholder: E.g. White Honda Accord
    title: Please give us some details about your car
  name:
    type: string
    attrs:
      placeholder: E.g. John
    title: What is the name on the order?
  order_type:
    enum:
      - By Phone
      - Online
      - GrubHub
      - Other
    type: string
    attrs:
      type: radio
    title: How did you place your order?

This YAML document defines a simple pattern with car, name, and order_type fields, and it can be easily tailored to meet the needs of your business. For instance, you can modify the titles of these fields by changing the title attribute under each individual field.

To apply this document to our newly created pattern, scroll down to the Definition (YAML) section of the form, and copy/paste the YAML code above replacing the default pattern YAML.

Once done, you can click the Preview tab to inspect the contents of the pattern form.

Step 5: Save and test your app

Once you are happy with the name, description, and pattern, click the Create app button to save your changes. You will be presented with a QR code and a URL for your new app.

Click the link or scan the code with the camera app on your phone to check it out! Want to make some changes? Don't worry, you can edit it anytime.

Setting up your Trello board

Next, we are going to configure your Trello board. In order to keep track of arriving customers and delivery status we are going to create a Trello board with two lists:

• Waiting Curbside Customers
• Delivered Curbside Customers

Routegy will automatically add a new Trello card to the Waiting Customers list every time a customer interacts with the app that you defined earlier. Then, you and your staff can move these cards to the Delivered Customers list as orders are fulfilled.

Creating your first board and list in Trello is very straightforward and well explained in the official guide (opens new window).

Once you have create your lists, you'll need to collect two bits of data from Trello that are required for the integration with Routegy:

• Your Trello API Key and Token
• ListId of your Waiting Curbside Customers list

Finding your Trello API Key and Token

You can find your Trello API Key here (opens new window) under the Key section.

Once you have recorded the key, click on the Token link to generate your Trello API Token.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, click Allow, and you should be able to see and record your API Token.

Finding the ListId for your Waiting Curbside Customers list

To find the ListId, perform the following steps:

• Open the board that contains the list you wish to use. In the address bar, you will see a URL like https://trello.com/b/DRzgczUF/customer-waitlist.

• Change the value in your address bar to https://trello.com/b/DRzgczUF.json?fields=id,name&lists=open using your unique board identifier.

• This URL will display all open lists on your Trello board. Choose the one you want and capture the id value. In this example, we're using the Waiting Curbside Customers list with an id of 5eb4674aed5ff17eae53760f.

The board ID is unique to you!

• The DRzgczUF value used in this example is a unique board identifier and the value for your Trello board will be different.

Putting Routegy and Trello together

The final step is to connect Routegy and Trello using a action that will create a new Trello card every time someone interacts with your app.

Step 1: Create an action

Go back to your Routegy workspace, select the Actions tab, and click the Create action button.

Give your new action a name and description, and choose Trello from the Action Type dropdown. Next, enter your Trello API Key, API Token, and ListId that you captured when configuring the Trello board earlier.

Finally, scroll down to the Card name field, and replace its value with the following template:

{{ name }} is waiting in {{ car }}, ordered via {{ order_type }}, arrived at {{ context.event.created_at | date:"g:iA" }}

The Card name field controls how Routegy will name Trello cards that it creates. The template above customizes the name so it will contain information about arriving customers (e.g. Pawel is waiting in Red Honda, ordered via Online, arrived at 5:42PM)

Click Create action to save all changes.

Step 2: Attach the action to your app

Go back to the Apps tab and click on your curbside pickup app to open app details.

Click Edit and add your Trello action to the app using the Action field. Just click on the field, start typing your action name, and then choose the action from the list.

Click Save changes to save your app.

Step 3: Test

Now that everything is ready, let's test it out. Click the app link or scan the QR code with your phone, fill out the form, and a new Trello card will automatically appear in your board.

If you would like to learn more about Routegy, this tutorial (opens new window) is a great place to start.