A safe environment for better delivery drop-offs
Some places are better than others. For example, a warm sunny beach is better than the ice cold ice sheets of the antarctic. Of course that is an opinion. However, it’s a fair assessment. Furthermore, one courier may feel at ease in some delivery locations, while other couriers may not. This has everything to do with personal safety. Couriers must consider and prepare for personal safety at every single drop-off.
It has much to do with the job. Solo couriers do have some control over their areas, or zones of delivery. However, there is no guarantee of a specific drop-off location. The delivery drop-off address, is not visible in an offer from the delivery queue. Only the general area is visible. The courier can zoom in on the pin, but not by much. Therefore, the actual delivery address is not visible. And a safe environment can only be presumed. This might sound unusual. However, it’s better than it was several years ago.
Once upon a time (in some apps that are now obsolete) the drop-off location was a complete mystery. The courier would have no idea where the drop-off could be. In fact, it could be anywhere. This led to trip issues from the start. A courier’s function is to pickup something from point A, and take it to point B. The straighter the route, the better the time. However, that is exponentially more difficult if the courier doesn’t know the location of point B.
A Safe Environment
The safe environment is where the courier believes it to be. That is a matter of personal safety. It goes back to the point from earlier in this article that one courier’s safe zone may not feel the same to another courier. No courier, new or experienced, wants to run into trouble. Crew couriers, driving for a brand, have things like vehicle toppers. Likewise, they have uniforms and a home base with a local merchant. In other words, they are a part of their community.
This goes a long way when traveling through an unknown area. Neighborhoods can see the lit up car topper. Furthermore, when the delivery driver gets out of the vehicle, in uniform and in contact with the merchant, it’s all about professionalism. All of this goes toward creating a safe environment for the courier.
Yet, even with all the additional help, couriers can still find themselves in areas or situations, that push the envelope on safety.
With this in mind, courier safety needs to be a proactive process. It’s personal safety to search for, or create, a safe environment. For the courier this begins with being selective in the queue. And this relates to the more experienced couriers. New couriers may find it difficult to gather all the info needed from the forty second offer window. It takes time and some experience, for that to become more natural.
Better Delivery Drop-offs
A better delivery drop-off is the ultimate goal. If the courier drives into an unknown area, especially at night, it can create a feeling of anxiety. Therefore, selecting the best offer from the queue is important. There are a few quick tips that can help with selecting the best offer from the queue.
However, it’s important to remember the best offer from the queue, is the one that works for the individual courier. Every courier has different circumstances. Being able to quickly sift through the information in an offer from the queue, is a benefit for the courier. It saves time and resources. These are things every courier should try to conserve.
Safe Environment from the Queue
An offer from the delivery queue, in a delivery app, does not last long. It is there for roughly forty seconds and then disappears back to the queue. Furthermore, an offer doesn’t wait for the right time. They happen while the courier navigates traffic. Or when at a red light. Sometimes they happen when picking up a previously accepted delivery. Or in an elevator.
The point is, the courier only has a few moments to gather enough information for an informed decision. This can feel especially frustrating to new couriers, or side hustle couriers that only take a few deliveries at a time. Therefore, listed below, are a few strategic ways to cipher through relevant details in that flash offer from the delivery queue.
Queue Tips
- Orient to the map. Delivery apps have a map that shows the courier the point A and point B locations when an offer pops up. Knowing the zone, helps the courier orient to where on the map the drop-off will be. As well as if it’s a safe environment.
- Check Estimated Mileage Next. Quickly check the estimated mileage. This is helpful for the math, but also for confirming where the delivery drop-off actually happens.
- Compare Money. Although money isn’t a huge factor in a safe environment delivery, it matters in a delivery context. If the money offer is too low there’s no need for further consideration. Best to decline the offer.
- Merchant Location. The location of the pickup is just as important as the drop-off. Once again it’s up to the courier if an area feels like a safe environment.
- Double Tap. This means double check everything. It is a best practice to go quickly through the list until this point. In that way, there is enough time to double check everything. For example, is it one delivery, or two deliveries?
The thing about the double tap, is that it saves the courier, more often than not. It’s easy to miss a detail, or two, when quickly scanning. Therefore, a quick double check reveals previously missed details. Those missed details can easily turn into unplanned miles, and unavoidable delays. This is why Double Tap is one of the most important strategies for selecting the best offers from the delivery queue. Stay safe out there.
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