Front Desk

• Client Appointments
• Client Checkin Duties
• Additional Resources for Clients
• Snow Day/Shift Cancellation
• Front Desk Job Responsibilities

Client Appointments

Client Appointments

To access client appointments you need to log-into the system as an agency.

• Go to freshstartfurniturebank.org
• Select For Agencies from the menu bar
  
• Scroll down to Hudson in the city list
  
• Select FSFB
• Select your name
• Log in
  
  

To schedule or cancel an appointment

• Scroll down to the icons at the bottom of the page.

• Click on Schedule Appointment or Cancel an Appointment.

  • It will bring you to the Main Menu where all open referrals are listed.
    
    

To cancel an appointment

• • Select the Cancel Appointment button.

To schedule an appointment:

• Click on Schedule Appointment button

• A list of available appointment dates will be shown
  • If no dates appear, the referral will close before an appointment is available.

• Select the desired appointment date
  

• Select the appointment time
  

• Click the Schedule Appointment button.
  
  
  

• Once the appointment is scheduled, you will go back to the Main Menu.

• Below you can see that an appointment for AA AA was scheduled for August 31st at 9:15.
  
  

• If you click on the client's name, it will bring you to the Client Detail page.
  
  
  

Extending a referral

If you need to extend a referral:

• Open the client's referral
• Press the Extend Referral button, 
  • This will extend the referral by 15 days one time.
  • If you need to extend the referral longer, edit the "Expire on" field and Update the referral.

• Go back to the main menu and refresh the page.

• You should now be able to make an appointment.

Client Checkin Duties

• Greet the Client.
• Verify the client's name, address, and contact info on the referral form.
  • Note on the referral form that information is correct or which items need to be updated.
• Write vehicle/truck size on the whiteboard and the green check-in sheet.
• Determine if the vehicle is empty. If not:
  • Make sure that the shopper knows this and adjusts the available space accordingly.  For example, if the truck is 1/2 full, the shopper must stop adding items when they hit 35% instead of the usual 70%.
• Give the client a Target gift card and record the card # on the green check-in sheet.
• Review the list of shoppers and determine which shopper is available. Assign a shopper and write the shopper’s name on the whiteboard.
• Explain bonus items to the client and give the client a bag to shop for these items.
  • Ask the client to take these items to their vehicle before meeting with their shopper.
  • If the shopper is ready, the bonus items can be shopped for at the end of their visit.
• Introduce the client to their assigned shopper.
• Put an orange tag with the client’s name on the back of their vehicle.

Additional Resources for Clients

Clothing

Berlin: Many Hands Thrift Shoppe – 24 Central St. (Rte. 62) (508) 838-2575

Marlborough: Our Lady Thrift Shop – 197 Pleasant St. (508) 481-1284

Savers – 222a East Main St. ( 508) 485-5191 https://www.savers.com/

Marlborough Food Pantry – 255 Main St. (508) 481-4080

Framingham: Savers – 500 Cochituate Rd. (508) 875-0225 https://www.savers.com/

Hopkinton: Project Just Because- 109 South St. (508) 435-6511

Worcester: Savers- 490 Lincoln St. (508) 853-3653

Mattresses

Acton: Household Goods * 530 Main St - 978-635-1710 http://householdgoods.org/

Chelmsford: The Wish Project – 166 Middlesex St. North – 866-947-4360 http://thewishproject.org/

Walpole: New Life Furniture Bank – 102 Elm St – 774-316-NEWL https://www.newlifefb.org/

Futons, Sleeper Sofas &Newer TVs

Acton: Household Goods 530 Main St. (978) 635-1710 http://householdgoods.org/

Baby Furniture, Car Seats, and Strollers

Acton: Household Goods– 530 Main St. (978) 635-1710

Chelmsford: The Wish Project – 166 Middlesex St., North (866) 947-4360

Additional Furniture and Lamps For Sale at Discount Prices

Habitat for Humanity Restore Donation Centers: http://www.habitat.org/restores/

Ashland- 310 Pond St. (508) 799-9259 x-204

Leominster- 637 Lancaster St. (978) 227-5556

Worcester- 640 Lincoln St., Suite 100 (779) 236-6283

The client will need a referral to visit the above organizations.

The above information came from these group’s websites, so call ahead to double-check what they take.

Snow Day/Shift Cancellation

Procedure for a Snow Day/Shift Cancellation

In the event that a shift will be canceled due to a snow day or some other reason, the following steps will be followed:

1. If it is a weekday, a volunteer will check whether the Hudson Public Schools are closed and if so, the store should also be closed.
2. If it is a weekend (or a weekday where we have decided to close the store independent of HPS), then a store manager or volunteer will determine that the store should be closed.
3. The volunteer will send an email from within the scheduling system to all volunteers signed up for the shift alerting them that the store will be closed. [Schedule Details -> pick date -> 'send messages' (at bottom of page) -> select only 'signed up' and 'any group' -> 'find volunteers' -> write email -> 'send email']
4. The volunteer will update store closed dates in the system so that the web page and voice mail system reflect the store closing. [Call Center -> 'update store closed dates' -> enter date -> 'create']
5. The volunteer will notify the social media person and ask them to post news about the closing on social media.
6. The volunteer will note which clients are affected by the store closing (as this information will be lost once appointments are cancelled).
7. For each client,
   1. The volunteer will call the client to let them know about the closing. If the volunteer is unable to reach the client, they will leave a voice message and also send an email, if possible. They will document their efforts in the client's records. [Select client on scheduling page -> Client Details page lists the phone # and email of the client -> 'add note' to document contact attempt(s)]
   2. The volunteer will extend the client's referral expiration date by up to a month, if necessary. [On Client Details page -> change expiration date -> 'update']
   3. The volunteer will then cancel the client's appointment in the system so the client is able to reschedule. [Schedule Details -> pick date -> 'cancel appointment' for client]
   4. The volunteer will check to see if there are open appointments in the next few weeks. If there are open appointments, suggest that the client reschedule their own appointment.
   5. If the next few weeks are fully booked, the volunteer will offer to open up a new appointment on an already full day. They will schedule the appointment. [To open appointment slot, Schedule Details -> pick date -> 'enable slot'. To then make an appointment for the client, sign in as agency FSFB -> 'schedule or cancel an appointment' -> pick client -> 'schedule appointment'] (Note: If you are adding an appointment onto an already full appointment date, do not offer that same date to more than one client.)

Front Desk Job Responsibilities

Front Desk and Client Check-in Duties

Tasks associated with the front desk and client check-in are as follows:

1. Get gift cards from the safe for the number of clients MINUS any refugee clients handled through he various agencies (they don't get gift cards). Put them in the bank pouch in the desk drawer or in your apron/pocket. Do not leave them unattended on the counter or desk.
2. Update the white board with the client names and towns, if it's not already set up. Write out two sets of truck tags for each client's last name, and tape one to the board and put the other set in the binder clip on the nail by the mover's board/display.
3. If you see volunteers are in the store but they haven't checked in, check them off. If any volunteers come in who had not signed up, add them to the shift in the volunteer scheduling system.
4. Scan the notes and family size info for the day's clients and have a general idea which personal shopper you are going to have shop for each client.
5. For each client that arrives:
   1. Greet the Client.
   2. Verify name, address, and contact info on referral form. Note on the referral form that information is correct or which items need to be updated.
   3. Write vehicle/truck size on the white board and on the green check-in sheet. Determine if vehicle is empty.
   4. Give client a Target gift card and record the card # on the green check-in sheet.
   5. Review list of shoppers and determine which shopper is available. Assign a shopper and write the shopper's name on the white board.
   6. Explain bonus items to the client and give the client a bag to shop these items. Ask the client to take these items to their vehicle before meeting with their shopper. If the shopper is ready, the bonus items can be shopped for at the end of their visit.
   7. Introduce the client to their assigned shopper.
   8. Put the orange tag with the client's name on the back of their vehicle.
   9. Be available for the shopper if they have any questions.
6. If a client wants to shop remotely, make sure you know whether the truck is coming and if so, have the shopper call the client at the appointment time. In that case, the shopper will fill out all three sheets. Put the gift card in an envelope with the client's name and give it to the QR person to put it in the dish set.
7.  Keep an eye on the clients' carts to make sure the shoppers have all the correct bed parts and are keeping to the established limits.  
8. Two to three days ahead of each shift, go to the Client Appointments or Schedule Details app and click on each client and check their notes to see if there are any matching names/previous visits/strange circumstances, etc.  If this is a second visit from quite a while ago, we usually let them come again but we print out the list of what they got the first time.  If it's a second visit from quite recently, unless it's for one item, we usually cancel the appointment and reach out to the agency explaining it's one visit only.  Sometimes a duplicate name can be confusing especially for nationalities that use several different last names.  Usually checking the cell phone or address makes it clear.  If we have to cancel an appointment due to it being a second trip, we usually suggest Household Goods to them.
9. At end of shift, go to the Client Appts app and check "visited store" for each client who has come in. For any client no-show, check 'no-show'. If they didn't call to explain, go into the database and close the referral. If they did call with a reason, go into the database and make a note of the reason that they missed their appointment and leave their referral open for one more try.
10. Get all the white sheets for the day (you may have to retrieve some from the shoppers or they might be on top of the file cabinet next to the desk) and put the no-show sheets on top - write no-show on them - and then staple the whole days' worth together and put it in the front of the accordion file on top of the white desk. We save these for a month or so in case we need to look back at anything.
11. File the volunteer sheet in the folder on the desk. These are saved for a month in case we need to refer back to them for exposure to sickness on a certain shift, etc.
12. Return any unused Target gift cards to the safe, and count the total number of gift cards, and compare it to the number in the system (inventory #4621). Write that number down on the post-it in the safe and if it matches check it off. If it does not agree, you need to review the order for each client visiting the store to ensure that the shopper correctly added the Target gift card. We are doing this after every shift to make it easier to catch mistakes.
13. Go to the very back of the storage area and get the mail from the tray that is by the back right door. Bring it up to the desk, open everything, and if there are any checks stamp the back with the deposit stamp in the drawer. Put any mail that needs to be dealt with in the safe for the financial person to handle.
14. Erase the board, clean it if necessary, and set up the client list for the next shift.