Three Ways Delivery Businesses Can Reduce the Cost of Food Waste
A whopping $100 billion is lost every year due to food waste, and although 17 percent of food waste is attributed to the amount consumers don’t eat (possibly because of large portion sizes), 70 percent happens before it even gets to them.
There are many reasons for this, including inaccurate orders and delivery delays. Let’s discuss how you can squash food waste and increase your margins—all with tools included with Delivery Biz Pro’s eCommerce subscription delivery platform.
Real-Time Inventory Management
The stock of one of your products can change quickly and frequently, depending on the season, weather, economic conditions, a promotion and more. Trying to manage all of these variables is next to impossible without a robust software solution to help you see what’s going on.
Delivery Biz Pro can help you track inventory in real-time, so you aren’t caught off guard if an unexpected boost in sales depletes your stock. It can also be used to create purchase orders, or you can give your suppliers the power to manage their own inventory and create purchase orders — taking one more task off of your plate.
Ultimate Order Accuracy
If a customer makes an order but it’s not fulfilled properly or if there’s a communication breakdown somewhere between the customer and the supplier, it can lead to an inaccurate order and wasted food. Failing to send written confirmation of the order placed, not notifying customers of the estimated time of delivery, and not confirming order address are all things that can contribute to failed deliveries. Here’s how to keep customers updated, accurately:
Order Change Alerts
Consumers who are ordering their food online want to be able to experience the same kind of flexibility they have when ordering in person. Therefore, you need to be prepared and ready to make last-minute changes. Even if your kitchen can make the requested modification, don’t forget to alert your driver. With our convenient mobile app, you can send driver text messages, modify delivery routes, and even schedule a new pickup location with the click of a button.
Automatic Order Confirmations
Communicate with your customers automatically during the entire order process and send them an estimated time of arrival. Sometimes customers make mistakes when placing a food order, but now both you and your customer will be on the same page when you use our software to send instant notices of order confirmation.
Delivery Reminder Emails
Go one step beyond just sending an order confirmation and send delivery reminders to individual customers. This will reconfirm the items they will be receiving and the time or day they can expect their delivery to arrive. When it comes to successful deliveries, communication is key and Delivery Biz Pro has multiple tools to help you do just that.
Product Management
Sometimes you can deliver the requested items but the way in which the products are received can result in a poor customer experience. For instance, packing hot and cold items together can make for an unpleasant meal. With Delivery Biz Pro, our software allows you to designate certain items to be packed separately from others so salads stay crisp and soups stay hot.
Improve Delivery Times
When you’re in the business of delivering perishable products, time is of the essence. Whether you’re trying to get chilled meal kits or hot dinners to their destination quickly, improving delivery times is a common KPI for many delivery businesses. One of the easiest ways to do this is to focus on route optimization and enhance communication with your drivers.
Delivery Biz Pro gives you a simple, organized way to show what needs to be dropped off, to whom, and at what location. Drivers are given the most efficient route for their deliveries including maps with turn by turn directions. Need to override the system to make a priority delivery? No problem — simply use the manual feature to rearrange stops.
Improve Margin and Grow Your Business With Delivery Biz Pro
Food waste can eat away at a restaurant’s profit margin, and for those in the business of food delivery, it’s no different. Don’t let inaccurate orders, late deliveries, and miscommunication contribute to food waste and a negative margin — enlist the help of customer-focused eCommerce delivery software. Delivery Biz Pro accomplishes all of this, plus so much more. Give us a call or fill out our online form to request your free demo today.
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