Delivery drivers are the backbone of your company, giving their best to ensure flawless delivery. If you’re seeking drivers right now, ensure they’re competent in understanding consumer needs. To know more, check out https://earndriver.today/
Nowadays, thousands of organizations offer last-mile delivery services, but more is needed; you must also provide a superior client experience. You’ll need a team of professional drivers and effective route-planning software to do so.
According to a recent survey, delivery drivers waste 4-6 minutes looking for the correct drop-off site, costing the organization money. As a result, even if you hire an average delivery driver, your task still needs to be finished because you may also require a delivery route planner.
This article reviews how to identify and hire delivery drivers and make on-time deliveries without wasting time on the road.
Finding Professional Delivery Drivers: A Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these measures while employing fresh recruiting tactics to find the appropriate delivery driver.
Step 1: Create a Job Ad
To begin employing qualified delivery drivers, create an appealing job posting and distribute it through several online job sites or offline channels. Then, following market research, you can place a “Want drivers” signboard on the front gate of your organization.
Alternatively, you can use a main social media networking site to recruit a full-time driver or freelancer.
If they promote their service, you will likely locate delivery drivers here. You can also write a post based on driver recommendations.
a) Guidelines for Writing a Job Post
When creating a post, you can refer to the delivery driver job description template to hire a qualified and skilled individual. It should be concise about the role you’re offering and the talents you’re looking for in possible candidates.
During the process, you can underline keywords such as recruiting quickly, delivery driver wanted, or driver opening. This will encourage potential drivers to contact you for further information.
The following are some items to consider putting in your delivery driver job posting.
b) Consideration list for the recruiter
- Define your delivery driver’s job, role, and obligations ahead of time.
- Arrange their shift schedules.
- Determine if the driver will be working full-time or part-time.
- Check to see if a candidate has a clean driving record.
- Which company vehicle will a new driver be assigned to?
- Determine a payroll, incentives, and compensation range.
- Is the driver acquainted with the designated service area?
Step 2: Adhere to the novel hiring procedure.
As the next stage, consider a creative employment procedure, such as social recruiting using social media platforms. It would attract more than half as many candidates as the conventional way. You can build a network on Linkedin or Instagram using company information to identify the ideal candidate for the available position. A Hiring Manager should be on hand to promote the brand and manage social media recruiting.
The hiring process can be used in the following ways.
- Make a profile on any social media platform.
- Create a new job posting for a delivery driver.
- Respond to followers’ queries to engage them.
- To describe the company culture, use photographs or videos.
- Respond to inquiries through personal messenger.
- Inform your present staff about word-of-mouth referrals.
Push for an online, telephonic interview if you have found the ideal candidate through a successful social media campaign.
a) Perform a delivery driver competency test
Competency exams are typically used to assess the skills and abilities of shortlisted applicants. This phase will determine whether or not you should keep a potential behind the wheel. So, request that they take competency exams and confirm the test dates and times beforehand.
When organizing examinations, ensure that all necessary items are available to applicants. Create an environment where people feel like they are experiencing another routine day at work.
After passing the competency test, the last round of interviews begins. The in-person interview is a fantastic approach to ensure the applicant is qualified. It is a perfect moment for you to persuade them to become a vital team member.
b) Arranging an interview over the phone
A simple phone interview will assist you in weeding out some qualified delivery drivers eager to work. A phone interview lasting 20 to 25 minutes will help you determine if the candidate is a good fit for the open position.
You can ask the following fundamental questions during an interview:
- Do you have a valid driver’s license?
- What is the expected salary?
- How long have you been in the business?
- What is your previous work experience?
- What was the cause of your departure from your former employer?
During the phone contact, inquire about a job seeker’s average wage expectations, flexible working hours, qualifications, and previous work history.
c) Carry out a delivery driver proficiency test.
A competency exam is typically administered to shortlisted applicants to assess their skills and abilities. This phase will determine whether or not you should keep a potential behind the wheel. So, request that they take a competency exam and confirm the test dates and times beforehand.
When organizing a test, ensure that all necessary items are provided to the candidate. Create an environment where people feel like they are experiencing another routine day at work. Look into the Best info about delivery driver.
After passing the competency test, the last round of interviews begins. The in-person interview is a fantastic approach to ensure the applicant is qualified. It is a perfect moment for you to persuade them to become a vital team member.
Step 3: Orient your new delivery personnel.
If a candidate has passed the necessary exam, bring them on board to teach them about the company’s SOP. Take note when drivers express concerns about feeling uncomfortable in certain neighborhoods or when delivering to specific customers.
As safety procedures, do not encourage speeding or risky driving habits (such as texting and driving). Many delivery companies ask drivers to check in regularly if they have not heard from them in a specific time.
It would help if you encouraged them to fulfill their tasks on time and deliver goods quickly. You should supply them with valuable resources like navigation apps, communication gadgets, and route planner apps if necessary.
You can schedule several driver safety training sessions when onboarding is complete. It would assist both new and established drivers in taking on responsibilities.
Step 4: Schedule driver training sessions.
Now that you’ve discovered the appropriate candidate, it’s time to teach them about the company’s policies. Even the most experienced worker can achieve their deadlines if this is done. As a result, suitable delivery driver training sessions are required.
a) Software instruction
Allow your new drivers to learn to use advanced software such as route planners, Google Maps, and Apple Maps. It eliminates the need to manually navigate to an address or decide which stop to visit next. While on the road, your delivery workers may relax and concentrate solely on driving. This is just the beginning of making their job easier.
Furthermore, you can teach them how to capture the e-signature as delivery proof so they don’t have to carry the manifest all the time. They also save time by not traveling from one location to another to submit signed documents using the automated method.
These are just a few examples of how a good delivery planner can help multi-driver teams and professional drivers simplify their duties.
The most excellent part about such software is that it eliminates the need for delivery drivers to switch between platforms. Unfortunately, as a result, you must hold frequent training sessions for new and experienced drivers.
b) Customer service education
Drivers require top staff instruction on keeping customers pleased because they serve new clients daily. As a result, they should learn how to interact with clients via phone calls or text messaging.
If a consumer complains about late delivery, drivers should be educated to handle such complaints. It would help if you also taught them how to take parcels during safety training sessions. In addition, they may need to reduce on-road time to serve their consumers better.
If you need to answer more calls while making deliveries, choose automated delivery rather than manual service. Implementing sophisticated approaches would eliminate the need for an additional customer service training session.
It is included in the software training session. In addition, your drivers would not have to interact with clients personally because the program would automatically provide delivery updates to buyers.
Actual Case Studies of How Upper Route Planner Helped Businesses and Drivers
1. Chef Nicole served more customers using the same number of drivers.
Chef Nicole, a healthy meal delivery service based in Miami, needed help handling customer orders through manual planning. The main concern was delivery drivers arriving late for deliveries. As a result, managing various delivery orders proved challenging.
A business owner soon discovered the lengthy delivery process, in which delivery drivers take pictures more and determine the optimal routes. So instead of hiring extra drivers, he chose Upper Route Planner to streamline several deliveries.
Chef Nicole benefited much from using Upper Route Planner.
- Planning time was reduced from hours to minutes.
- It was easier to coordinate several deliveries when delivery routes were exact.
- Stop information and delivery time windows were known to delivery drivers.
- Delivery drivers prioritized priority orders.
- They are no longer required to make frequent phone calls to the dispatching staff.
Furthermore, the drivers could readily take images of the delivered products using their mobile devices.
2. Make a wishlist. Delivery Maker reduced driving time and made drivers’ jobs easier.
Wishlist. Another great example is Delivery Maker, which used Upper Route Planner to flip the tables. Unfortunately, they had to rely on guesswork previously because no route optimization software was available.
Challenges
- They used Google Maps to find routes, just like other delivery firms.
- They dropped sort of finishing same-day deliveries as they grew in a year.
- Delivery drivers needed help to get to the exact drop-off location.
In actuality, Google Maps’ constraints limited them to 200+ deliveries. Without a delivery route planner, who could have made it possible?
Upper offers solutions
Regarding the number of deliveries, it was supposed to be the Upper Route Planner. However, they completed time-sensitive deliveries with minimal delivery staff after switching to a wholly automated delivery operation. What do you think about job in San Francisco.
They no longer needed to arrange manual routes for each driver after they began utilizing Upper. When the company grew, it abandoned “guess-and-check” techniques and employed drivers to satisfy consumer expectations.
Qualifications and Skills to Look for in a Delivery Driver
| Required skills | Preferred skills |
|---|---|
| A delivery person should be able to carry heavy-weight packages in the required time. | Qualified delivery drivers in the delivery industry |
| Valid driver’s license along with a clean record | Proven record of time-sensitive deliveries |
| One who has excellent communication skills and works in an organized manner. | Familiarity with local streets of the designated area |
| Ability to resolve a customer dispute | Experience in dealing with financial matters |
Conclusion
Customers like delivery as soon as the driver leaves the facility. As a result, you require an excellent delivery driver who can provide an exceptional customer experience. All you have to do is follow the processes outlined above, and if you locate a suitable individual for the open position, pass along the employment offer letter.
We hope that employing delivery drivers is now easier for you. Following the hiring of drivers, we recommend you build a long-term relationship by providing the appropriate delivery tool. Also, under the supervision of an experienced person, provide professional training for a customer-friendly attitude.
If you are considering a driver app after hiring, we recommend Upper Route Planner (route planning software + free driver app). Schedule a demo with Upper to streamline your delivery process.
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