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Accurately quoted delivery times are integral to your customer’s dining experience and the probability of ordering from your restaurant in the future. Here’s how you can use SpeedLine to accurately calculate your restaurant’s delivery time estimates: 

1. Kitchen Capacity

Start by identifying your kitchen capacity. Your kitchen won’t operate at a consistent pace at all times—whether it’s a dinner rush on a holiday weekend or you’re short-staffed, you need to be able to adjust your estimates accordingly for accurate quoted delivery and pickup times.

SpeedLine automatically determines quoted times based on the number and type of orders being prepared in the kitchen and allows you to manually adjust times as needed.

2. Delivery Zone

Consider how delivery zones correlate to driver time estimates. Orders that are two blocks away are going to be much faster than those at the edge of your delivery radius. Test and perfect your delivery zones so that they accurately reflect how much time it will take to complete the order.

Use SpeedLine’s delivery tools to customize zone margins to specific addresses or landmarks and have estimated delivery quotes automatically updated based on the order’s assigned zone.

3. Driver Routes

Traffic conditions change by the hour; what might typically be a 10-minute route can become 30 minutes during rush hour. Your delivery time estimates must account for the latest traffic conditions and alternate routes. 

SpeedLine integrates with Bing to provide the most current drive times and the fastest routes to help you determine an accurate quoted delivery time.

Customer Communication

Even the most sophisticated delivery calculations can’t account for every potential delay, which is why it’s important to update customers when their orders are running behind schedule. Although their order may arrive later or be ready for pickup later than originally anticipated, they’ll appreciate being informed every step of the way, ultimately leading to a better customer experience.