Hoping that I can get a couple ideas/opinions from the other DELCO operators on the TT.
Here’s the problem - Incomplete Delivery Orders. Basically my drivers are walking out the door without the additional items ordered by the client. We have a POS system that prints the additional items on the last label of the order (so basically the items are right there if the drivers would pay attention). This isn’t a huge problem (not endemic of our services) but certainly one that creates tremendous ill-will with the client and I’d like to find different strategies to decrease teh problem.
While there are the general things that we could implement:
Bonuses (carrot)
Fines (stick)
Training
Anyone have any other hands-on, definative strategies designed to counteract driver “forgetfullness”?
Well it will only taking firing one driver and they will all get it pretty quick!
Check out your system. Could you have a driver coordinator who gets stuff togehter? During the other times this person could answer phones or something.
Call out when a driver is leaving store…“Got your sides?”
Signs hung up to remind them
Sign in their car
We don’t pay an extra delivery charge if they forget something and have to go back…
Our POS allows me to “flag” items in the menu that will cause the driver to be reminded (with a pop up window) when he/she dispatches an order containing those items. That has totally eliminated that issue for us. Maybe yours will do the same.
Otherwise, there is no real answer other than firing the people doing this. Making the original driver redeliver the items doesn’t really solve anything - makes the customer even angrier for having to wait so long, and causes subsequent deliveries to wait longer.
I would not penalize the customer for your drivers mistake. The minute we realize the diver forgot part of an order we send it out IMMEDIATELY with the next available driver. Why make the customer wait an extra 10 or 20 minutes due to our mistake?
I agree with perfect pizza about sending out the missing items asap. I also agree that the original driver should be the one since he/she forgot it to begin with but the customer needs to come first. Just can’t have it both ways. I would give any delivery charge too the 2nd driver not the first. I also posted on the delivery board and the just of it is that this is costing money in both extra runs to the customer and lost sales from the bad image this customer will pass on to people they know. A warning the first time…and a second… but if 3 times this happens… I would fire on the spot. This is nothing more than an employee not taking responsibility for their job and making you, the pizzeria look bad.
Oh, and before it is said… make sure your drivers know that they are delivery drivers… not “Pizza Delivery Drivers!” I can just see someone saying it is not in their job description. Have seen that on here before. :roll:
Our drivers are responsible for checking everything is in the bag before they leave. They are also responsible for getting drinks for the order. If they leave anything behind and have to go back they don’t get paid for the delivery (and we pay between $2.50 - $4 per delivery).
If they problem is from make staff etc then the drivers get paid for doing the correct delivery as well as the original one. I wear that cost.
We also set our POS system to print a separate label for every side. The labels go on the pizza box. (Yes, sometimes the box has 3-4 labels on it) The pizza label goes on the far right. Sides go on the left. Much easier to spot and remember the label than it is the small print.
PP, I hear you on the customer… but it is not like this comes up a lot and the other posters are right too when it comes to one driver paying another… you can not do it. We make the original driver do it.
Different story if the mistake is in the kitchen… wrong pizza in the box. Wrong side etc. We do send that on the fly with another driver.
This happens more often than the driver mess up. Wish there were never mistakes, but on a crazy night with perhaps 400 pizzas plus all the the other stuff, my guess would be we are going to screw up one order on average.
The bottom line is that unless it is an order change that happens after the driver has left the store… this is 100% the responsibility of the delivery driver. It takes a few seconds too make sure the correct pizza is in the box and that you have all items that are listed on whatever form of ticket or receipts you may use. There is no excuse why an order should leave incorrectly. Even more so when you are busy as you do not have time for stupid mistakes… that is where being responsibly and taking the extra steps will pay off for you in tips and for the store in general. If you have employees that are not capable of doing their job… replace them with ones that can. There are plenty of people that will gladly do this job…making quite a good wage per hour when you average things out. There are not many jobs out there that you can make $20+ an hour on average and work part time hours. Oh, and please, before all the driver’s voice their overworked and underpaid crap… I am not in the mood too hear it again. Post it on the delivery board. :arrow:
one of my biggest pet peeves especially when our POS has a summary line on the bottom of each receipt (2 Pizzas, 1 Salad, 1 Soda, etc). Fortunately I stage most deliveries and assign most of them as well so when this happens I make it right with the next driver heading in that direction. Just like the drivers, I tend to know which deliveries are the good one (big tips) so they know they will not be getting those for the rest of the night unless there is nobody else waiting…just like when employees are late to a shift I usually cut their hours the following week because their pocket being lighter is the best motivator I have found…then again everyone makes mistakes (even me), so you forget about it and move on but there has to be some accountability
I think to help answer your question… Break down what you said in your original post. Reward? Fine? Train? This is just the most basic form of the delivery driver’s job description. DELIVER WHAT IS ORDERED! It is that simple. There are plenty of reasons to reward good employees but this is not one. Reward those that just do their job? Is that not what they are paid for in the first place? Their reward is having a job and getting a paycheck. So lets go back too your list. Train! Go over with all drivers…new and old… that it is their responsibility to make sure the order is complete when going out the door. If they cannot make that happen…and yes everyone makes the occasional error… but if you cannot do this 99.9% of the time… then you will be replaced. Now even though a fine or punishment sounds good…it will probably not benefit you or the customers any. If the same driver is constantly forgetting items… then a fine will not stop that as he/she just does not care enough about their job or your company to take the slightest of time to make sure that the image of quality is upheld with every order. This should not be a problem because any employee that, and I won’t say cannot, I need to say WILL NOT do their job needs to go. This will filter out bad employees and lead too less headaches and problems for you as an owner/manager and better image for the company.
Something I learned long time ago that helps me decide what level of discipline to take.
There are only 3 reasons why a person does not do what they are told:
They are not physically able to complete the task.
They have not been properly trained to complete the task.
They have made a conscious effort to not complete the task-this is probably 90% of the time.
So…take the problem driver, explain in great detail what his job consists of doing. Have it written down so you don’t forget anything. Then have him sign the bottom of the sheet that has the requirements on it. Make a copy on your fax machine and give it to him. The original copy goes in his file for future reference.
This now eliminates #1.
If he completes the task for a few days…this eliminates #2.
If he does it again, you now have a different conversation with him.
Just a few thoughts running through my empty head.