Despite students being sent home to conduct their studies remotely, there are still many institutions that are housing students who otherwise don't have a place to go. But new coronavirus-related restrictions have led campuses to think outside the box when providing food service to these remaining students.

Transact is hosting a free webinar, scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 at 2:00 pm EST, detailing this very concern and ways that universities can leverage Transact Mobile Ordering to continue to serve students that have remained on their campuses.

The webinar will draw experiences from a panel of university leaders that are currently using mobile ordering to serve students and faculty. The panel will also discuss how mobile ordering is helping its food service operations to stay within social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Topics covered:

• Key considerations before implementing and adopting a mobile ordering operation
• Best practices and key strategies for implementing mobile ordering on your campus
• Unique uses of mobile ordering beyond campus dining operations

Scheduled speakers:

• Tess Martinez, System Administrator, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Nirmal Palliyaguru, Director, ACCESS Card Office and Property Management, Santa Clara University
• Jennifer Piaotti, Marketing Director, Auxiliary Services, Xavier University
• John Diaz, V.P., Retail Solutions Product Management, Transact Campus

CR80News caught up with Transact's John Diaz ahead of the event to discuss some of the key points that attendees will hear about in the webinar.

What important COVID-related considerations are you hoping to bring to campus administrators' attention?

"Our goal during the webinar is to provide information on how several of Transact’s clients have been addressing the needs of students, faculty and staff who remain on campus during the COVID-19 crisis using Mobile Ordering and other technology."

What role do you see campus mobile ordering playing in the near term with regards to COVID-19?

"Before the COVID-19 crisis, Mobile Ordering was often seen as a nice-to-have offering that made food pickup more convenient, but the current crisis has highlighted the importance of how it can be used to facilitate social distancing guidelines. As we’ve seen both on-campus and in the off-campus world, businesses that already had a Mobile Ordering solution in place prior to the crisis were able to more quickly pivot their operations to pickup or delivery while those who did not struggled to respond and keep up with demand."

How are campuses getting creative with Transact Mobile Ordering to support food service amid COVID-19?

"Transact clients have quickly shifted operations to grab-and-go and are using Mobile Ordering to facilitate ‘contactless’ order fulfillment. They're also using the technology to provide messaging to users including hours of operation changes and other important communications regarding orders. The push notification and other messaging features of Transact’s Mobile Ordering solution provide a convenient way of staying in touch with students, faculty and staff who remain on campus."

Mobile ordering will certainly provide assistance in the near term, but longer term, what role could mobile ordering play in a post social-distancing world?

"Consumer behavior will likely change as a result of this and now that customers have tried Mobile Ordering not only for ordering food, but other items including grocery delivery, they may not want to go back. Having a solution in place also makes it easier for dining and retail operations to be prepared should another crisis that requires a change in their operations arise in the future."