Delivery is integral to the pizza industry. As a restaurant owner, providing efficient deliveries is crucial for customer satisfaction, operational effectiveness, and overall success. To help you streamline your delivery process, we’ve compiled seven strategies to help ensure you’re getting the most out of the delivery orders flying out your door.
1. Hone Your Delivery Packaging
According to Technomic, 74% of consumers value secure and well-packaged meals when they order delivery. Invest in sturdy, tamper-proof packaging to ensure your food deliveries arrive in perfect condition. For example, use insulated bags for hot items and separate compartments for other dishes to minimize the chance of leaks, soggy food, or damage during transit.
2. Implement a Delivery Management System
A robust delivery management system can significantly enhance delivery efficiency and overall workflow when used to its full potential. A good system automates order processing, dispatching, and tracking while enabling real-time updates for customers and staff alike.
3. Optimize Delivery Routes
By setting up delivery zones, you can help control the fees associated with deliveries to certain areas. After all, a customer who lives down the block from your store doesn’t need to pay the same delivery fee as someone who lives at the perimeter of your delivery zone. Delivery rates based on delivery zones ensure that every delivery order is worth your time while making it easier to dispatch drivers using the most efficient route.
SpeedLine's Visual Dispatch function allows dispatchers to easily group orders together for delivery by touching pushpins on the map. Estimated driver return times are displayed on the screen to help managers time orders to be ready when drivers return.
4. Streamline Online Orders
Implement an ordering site that allows customers to place their orders quickly and easily. This system should seamlessly integrate with your delivery management system, reducing the chances of errors or miscommunication. That means offering a mobile-first interface, quick loading times, and proportionate image and text scaling.
5. Collaborate with Third-Party Delivery Partners
By partnering with third-party delivery services, you can expand your reach and offload some delivery responsibilities. DoorDash alone, for example, has a user base of 18 million people. Even the most popular small pizza chains can’t compete with that! However, when collaborating with third-party delivery services, they must integrate with the infrastructure of your POS properly. With SpeedLine's pizza POS, all third-party delivery orders are synced in a centralized location within the system to ensure no orders are lost or forgotten in the process.
6. Offer Incentives for Pickup Orders
In some instances, the demand for delivery can be overwhelming. What could easily become a logistics and staffing nightmare can be transformed into a marketing opportunity. Since every customer loves a good deal, test different promotions and offers specifically for customers who pick up their orders at your restaurant. Pickup-only promotions will help reduce the demand for delivery while leaving your customers with a positive experience by getting a good deal.
7. Conduct Regular Performance Audits
Regularly analyzing delivery performance metrics can help you identify bottlenecks and areas of opportunity. SpeedLine's Cloud Reporting & Analytics allows you to collect data on delivery times, customer feedback, and order accuracy to spot trends and make informed decisions.
Conclusion
Implementing the right strategies is essential for boosting delivery efficiency and staying ahead in today's fast-paced business world. The seven strategies discussed above have proven to drive results and streamline operations. By optimizing your delivery processes, you can enhance customer satisfaction, increase productivity, and reduce costs.
To learn more about what every restaurant needs to offer successful food delivery services (or to help evaluate your current system), complete our Restaurant Delivery Audit.
