Virtual Dispatch

Crew couriers have some job conditions the solo courier does not. One of these conditions is a static delivery zone. With this in mind, it’s a good time to talk about the delivery zone foothold, and how to prosper from it.

Gaining a foothold is no small feat. It is usually a drawn out struggle. Mountain climbing comes to mind when thinking of footholds. Not only are they valuable, but they also have to be earned. With this in mind, it’s possible to apply this reasoning, to deliveries.

So what is a foothold with regards to deliveries? Furthermore, how does it help in a rush? These are good questions and for the answers we need to examine the delivery zone.

The delivery zone

A delivery zone is an area that is a high demand area for delivery requests. For the crewed courier this zone is fixed, and remains the same, daily. The solo courier using an app will also have zones. The doordash app offers deliveries in preset zones. Not only will the courier be able to select a zone ahead of time but also schedule to run at certain times.

For the intent of this article, Doordash will be the example app. They have the clearest marked and most pronounced zones. Furthermore, the app has maintained the zones for a period of years now. With this in mind, the courier can benefit.

Benefiting from an established delivery zone is possible through consistent work and feedback.

Consistent work is all about on time deliveries. Not only on-time drop-offs but also merchant pickups. With delivery times in acceptable parameters day after day, consistently, with courier feedback. Is a solid way to gain a foothold in a zone. Additionally the courier will notice that the zone becomes a consistent earner. Especially during a rush.

This has a lot to do with feedback. The algorithm benefits from feedback, which benefits the courier. For example, the courier accepts an offer that has a good chance of being profitable, and it is. On a subsequent night the courier gets the same offer again, to the same customer. Another opportunity to prosper, on a previous good run.

This process takes place over time for the solo courier. Obviously there are many other delivery apps. This strategy of consistency and feedback is workable across different apps. Even if the app isn’t using an algorithm the process still works. Positive courier feedback goes a long way. Stay safe out there.