Is your delivery operation as efficient as it could be?
Trim delivery labor costs systematically with a point of sale system designed for pizza and delivery.
Check these driver-related settings in your POS system:
Send Delivery Instructions to Drivers’ Phones
Reduce delivery times and prevent lost drivers by automatically sending a link to a map of the best route directly to your drivers’ smartphones. Even new drivers or “fill in” staff can use this feature to deliver like pros when it’s busy and the pressure is on.
Dispatch Smarter with Visual Dispatch
Dispatchers can group and assign tickets more efficiently when they can group delivery orders on a live map. With SpeedLine LiveMaps, the map also shows current traffic and the shortest route between stops. The POS displays the ETA for each stop, and the expected return time of each driver, so expeditors can plan ahead.
Pay Driver Fees by Distance Driven
Some mapping software, like SpeedLine LiveMaps, will give you the option of paying drivers by distance driven according to the best route between delivery stops, rather than relying on ticket percentages, flat rates, or manually entered odometer readings. This means drivers are fairly compensated, but you are not paying for side trips, scenic drives, or fudged odometer numbers. Most delivery-specific POS systems will offer you a choice of several ways of paying driver fees, so you can pick the method most appropriate for your business.
Pay Alternate Tipped Wages
If you operate in a jurisdiction that allows a tipped wage, use your POS to track when your drivers are out of store, and automatically pay them the lower tipped wage when they are out on deliveries. This in-store/off-premise tracking can also help you reduce your workers compensation premiums by paying the off-premise driver premium rates only for the hours your drivers are actually on the road.
Track Delivery Drivers’ License and Insurance Expiration
Point of sale systems designed for delivery can keep track of the expiration dates for driver credentials like insurance, vehicle registration, and driver’s license. If the employee attempts to clock in on or after the expiration date, they will need a manager override.
Bill Siwicki, owner of Pizza Works, does regular checks on his drivers' insurance: "We do a check every six months like clockwork on their insurance to make sure they have their insurance up to date, their license, make sure they stay under two points."
Enforce Tip Reporting
Set a tip prompt to appear when your drivers clock out for easy tip reporting. Since employees are often reluctant to report cash tips, set up your POS to suggest a minimum tip amount (usually a percentage of the orders assigned to the driver). The POS can require a manager override to continue without reporting a minimum tip amount (saving you the hassle of tax audits).
When we surveyed delivery restaurants, 45% of them reported that most of their customers tip online before the delivery. Those tips are easy to enforce reporting of, because they show in your system. In that same survey, 68% of pizzerias reported that their drivers earned an average tip of 10-15% on deliveries. That's something to keep in mind when looking at how much your drivers are reporting in tips.
Cash Out Drivers on Return
If you use a delivery service, select this setting in your POS to force drivers from the service to drop payment to a bank when they return from a run.
