The failed delivery attempt deserves a better outcome
If a courier stays in the game long enough, sooner or later a few things begin to happen. The first is the feeling of having seen a little of everything. The second is the development of additional instincts. As it is with any job, do it long enough, and it becomes almost second nature. Therefore repeated actions can become habitual, and slowly they hone themselves into useful tools. From there it’s not unusual to see them turn into skills.
With this in mind, the delivery process is the same, from delivery to delivery. However, no two deliveries are the same. Therefore, it is a given that some deliveries are going to be a pain in some fashion. It’s the law of averages. It might be a GPS pin that leads the wrong way, but is in the right place. Or, it might be an incorrect address in the app. Perhaps it’s an invisible driveway out in the country, and although the GPS shows a pin, there’s only trees as far as the eye can see.
Whatever the case may be, the delivery is quickly becoming a failed delivery attempt. This is the exact opposite of a delivery completion. Couriers are not fond of the failed delivery attempt. Mainly because it means the drop-off location was unreachable. Or somewhere else altogether. Furthermore, without that final step of the delivery, the drop-off customer does not get the cargo. And the courier does not get the pay.
The Failed Delivery Attempt
At least, that’s one way it could play out. In fact, the professional courier expects the failed delivery attempt to end with no pay. Hence the not liking it. If there is something that comes from a failed delivery attempt, it will be because the courier put forth the effort to make it so. For example, finally getting contact from a hard to find drop-off customer. It happens. Not everyone is tethered to their phone. Sometimes there’s a delay while waiting for a response.
However, it takes a special set of circumstances for a delivery to fail. There are just so many checks and balances in the delivery app. Furthermore, there are delivery app agents. Accessing them through the delivery app, is a quick way to get real time help. Experienced couriers know about the failed delivery attempt. Furthermore, at least four out of five of them know that a professional approach wins the day, almost every time. It is better than some of the alternatives.
The alternatives in this context are surprising. In fact, they are examples of some of the worst courier behavior. For example, dumping the customer’s food. Or outright stealing it. Both scenarios are unprofessional and couriers can be banned from the delivery app for doing them. However, are there situations where this really happens? The answer is yes. Absolutely. In fact, the longer a courier runs delivery, the more likely there will be a failed delivery attempt.
A Better Outcome
A personal experience: After arriving at the pickup location, the checkin is complete. Now there’s a wait, while the order is prepared. This is routine. While waiting, I noticed a gentleman standing off to the side. He seemed to be waiting on an order. As we waited I noticed the store manager hustling to complete the waiting gentleman’s order. It seemed to be an urgent priority. It turns out that it was.
The gentleman was there to retrieve an order that he used an app to have delivered. Furthermore, he paid a better than average tip. A much better than average tip. However, he did not receive his food. And the courier played a key part in the failed delivery attempt. There was an issue with finding the drop-off location. After several attempts the courier tried to call. Then the delivery customer tried to call the courier. Somehow they missed each other. Repeatedly.
It got so bad the courier dumped the food on the side of the road and split the scene. Now the delivery customer drove from his house, over to the pizza place, and had the food remade. This was definitely a scenario that deserved a better outcome. The courier may have gotten away with the unprofessional behavior but not for long. There will likely be a deactivation of the courier’s account. The recurring issue that tanked the delivery, was that the courier could not find the correct location.
Failed Delivery Attempt
There’s just not many reasons why a delivery location cannot be found. In fact, that’s what the courier does. That’s like nine tenths of the job. Accept a delivery from point A to point B. Then find point B. Even with no communication, there are steps to take that will bring the delivery to a successful completion. The first one is contacting the support agents in the app. The sooner they are in on the problem the sooner it can be resolved. Without dumping the cargo on the side of the road.
This is a rare occurrence although it does happen. Furthermore, it is often part of a scam. There are unscrupulous people who work to game the system. The experienced courier, the professional courier, knows how to resolve delivery issues. Especially those that threaten the delivery completion. Even with a failed delivery attempt, there can still be a happy ending. Stay safe out there.
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