Virtual Dispatch

Zone or zoneless, and the value of the limit

We have reached the limit. For a limited time only. It is only limited by your imagination. These days it seems as though a limit is placed on everything. In fact, many things do have limits. There are time limits, speed limits, city limits and the limits of imagination. (Those are supposed to be hard to find.) And those are just a few examples of limits. There are many more. Some are cool. Some are not so cool. However, in some cases, limits are of vital importance.

With this in mind, delivery zones, are a good example of the value of the limit. Furthermore, this means that zone or zoneless, is the question. One has limits, and the other doesn’t. Is there an indicator of which is best? It relies largely on the courier. And the courier is the one who will know the difference. It comes from experience.

Thinking about it in this way, means a courier focuses on maximizing earnings. Regardless of zone or zoneless, the courier will be seeking quick completions. Therefore, if the courier is a solo courier using an app, a delivery zone may exist in the app. In fact, one of the most popular delivery apps, divides a given area, into zones.

Zone or Zoneless

The idea of a delivery zone is very much about conserving, or mitigating, resources. For merchants, a delivery zone is about taking care of the customer, and getting the courier back as soon as possible. With this in mind, a delivery zone for the crew courier, is a limited zone.

The limits on the zone, give the courier a quicker turn around. The limited zone can work to the courier’s advantage. Quicker trips equal more opportunities to get paid. This isn’t the same for the zoneless. When there are no zone boundaries, long far away trips, become commonplace. For example, a high mileage delivery. This isn’t a disadvantage until the courier remembers, the return trip. The mileage out to the far away drop-off, is the same on the return.

The mileage adds up. After several runs the courier has more resources invested, than there will be a payout to cover. This is a very general description of a zoneless delivery. Therefore, if the courier is running without a zone, the quality of the offer matters, even more. Furthermore, this can mean a large geographical area of coverage.

The greater mileage traveled in a large area can deplete resources more quickly. Therefore larger payouts are ideal. This requires some queue savvy and is how some couriers balance expenses and earnings. This is part one on this topic. Part two, will be in the next article. Until then, stay safe out there.