How to avoid the bottleneck effect for on time delivery
It can happen on any delivery. And it can happen in different ways. However, when it happens it can slow an entire delivery down to a snails pace. Every courier knows about traffic jams and merchants that run behind. Or maybe it’s the wrong address and getting the right one, has been time consuming. The delay changes the delivery. It’s as though there’s an invisible emergency timer, that ticks louder, the longer the delay lasts.
Every waiting courier can imagine that timer. Especially if it’s an unexpected delay. Or something beyond anyone’s control. Such as a bottleneck effect. That one scenario can really put the brakes on a delivery. Although it is uncommon it happens. For example, deliveries on Christmas day were a good example of the bottleneck effect. Almost every merchant open on Christmas day had an influx of orders. At the same time. For an extended time.
With this in mind, couriers were stuck in a bottleneck of orders. In other words, the amount of delivery requests were overwhelming. And the merchant’s kitchen staff couldn’t keep the queue from building up. This would have been painfully evident the moment the courier walked into the pickup location. If there were more than five couriers waiting for pickups, it was the bottleneck effect.
The Bottleneck Effect
Seeing one, or two couriers waiting, isn’t out of the ordinary. But six or seven waiting couriers is a log jam. Nonetheless, it’s a common sight on the biggest holidays. Especially the holidays where only a few merchants are open for business. It’s supply and demand. If there is a lot of demand and not enough supply, there will be delays. The same thing is true when restaurants become overwhelmed with orders.
It doesn’t take long for orders to stack up. Therefore, it doesn’t take long for couriers to stack up. There are not many options for avoiding the bottleneck effect. Since it’s a holiday there are only a few merchants open. The approach that usually works best in this scenario is the direct approach. The courier must get the pickup name in front of the merchant staff as quickly as is reasonably possible.
Keeping in mind that a professional approach will likely get a professional response, the courier must advocate for the customer. The goal is to get the pickup, and get moving. Even though a merchant might be dealing with a backlog of orders, it’s something they have experience with. The courier need only be patient and stay alert for the opportunity.
The On Time Delivery
Even with a timely response at the merchant, the courier must remain diligent. This form of alertness is helpful in extreme traffic situations. For example, the bottleneck effect in a traffic jam. This one is sneaky fast. It can happen out of the blue and usually does. Furthermore, it is often on major highways. Highways that have four or five lanes of one way highway traffic.
Then, there is an unexpected and sudden, slow down. It happens across the highway and has a ripple effect depending on traffic volume. However, in the moment, it is a sudden all-stop. Then the bottleneck effect becomes clear. All the traffic is being funneled into one lane. This particular delay can be extreme.
Furthermore, depending on the traffic volume, it’s a contact with the customer scenario too. The courtesy contact alerts the delivery customer that there is an unforeseen delay. This keeps the customer in the loop. Idle time on the GPS map now makes more sense. This allows the delivery customer to be a part of the delivery. Especially when delayed. Communication is the key. Stay safe out there.
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