Virtual Dispatch

The schedule. Two words that can easily lead to excellent times. In almost every event that happens daily, there is a driving force pushing an agenda. The schedule.

The schedule is one of the things a courier has in mind, most of the time.Therefore, it’s a part of the job for the solo courier. There are advantages to having control over one’s schedule, and that is also true for the courier.

Couriers that have crew jobs will have a set block of hours for deliveries. Furthermore, the hours will be when business is very strong, or surging. This activity is typically called a rush. The courier will have a start time and a finish time.

This is a preferable setup for some couriers, because there is no need to do any self scheduling. It is also handy for consistent deliveries. And consecutive delivery shifts.

Scheduling

However there are many couriers that do the work part time, or as a sidehustle. Their schedule is often more dynamic, and needs to be flexible.

There could be many reasons why the courier needs the flexibility of self scheduling. One of the advantages of gig-work, is having some control over one’s schedule.

The Doordash app gives the courier a block of available times to dash, for any given day. The courier selects the preferred hours and after accepting the schedule, is ready to dash at the scheduled time.

Ubereats allows the courier to go live at the time most convenient for the courier. Similarly the courier may join the queue or leave the queue at will. Many couriers prefer this level of flexibility, in scheduling.

It is also possible to join the Doordash driver queue when not scheduled. This happens during rush times or surges in merchant business.

The app’s dash now button will be available without scheduling, allowing the courier to go live, and start running deliveries. This will last as long as the courier stays live in that session. The schedule and scheduling, why it’s a thing, stay safe out there.