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WorldExecutivesDigest | How to Run a Successful Delivery Company During COVID-19 | The COVID-19 outbreak has completely changed the way we live, the way we do business, and therefore the way our economy functions as an entire. many nations are still in lockdown. More people are being asked to figure from home. Video conferencing and Zoom have replaced face-to-face interactions.
And with numerous people being asked or choosing to spend the bulk of their time reception, it’s been an especially difficult time for several small businesses.
But there’s one business model that’s booming within the midst of the coronavirus crisis—and that’s home delivery.
More consumers than ever are turning to delivery services to urge the products they have (for example, downloads of the grocery delivery app Instacart increased a whopping 218 percent from February, before the pandemic really hit within the US, to March, when occupying home orders began to roll out across the United States). So, if you would like to still drive sales, you ought to definitely consider pivoting your operations and moving towards a delivery model to raised serve your customers.
But how, exactly, does one do that? Let’s take a deep dive into how business owners can run a successful delivery company during the COVID-19 crisis (and still drive sales and revenue as we navigate the new normal):
Figure out the way to pivot your business model to delivery
If delivery is uncharted territory for you and you’re offering delivery services for the primary time, the primary step to running a successful delivery company? find out the way to pivot your current business model to delivery.
How to successfully pivot to delivery goes to depend upon your business, your customers, and your bandwidth, but some questions you’ll want to stay in mind when deciding your delivery strategy include:
How will we deliver to our customers? Are we getting to partner with a third-party delivery service or are we getting to handle deliveries in the house?
Are we getting to be delivering our full product offerings or selected products? So, for instance, if you’re a restaurant, are you getting to offer your full menu for food delivery or a limited menu of delivery-only items? Or, if you run a sequence of grocery stores, are you getting to list every item in your store for delivery, or are you getting to focus your delivery service on surplus inventory?
What additional support can we got to pivot to delivery services (for example, additional staff, delivery bikes or vehicles, packaging, etc.)
What quite an opportunity does delivery increase my business? For instance, if the bulk of your customers are within a five-mile radius of your business, there would be tons of monetary opportunity in delivery services — but if your customers are spread throughout the state, building an e-commerce website and shipping your products might make more sense.
Handle the logistics
Once you’ve found out the way to pivot towards delivery, it’s time to tackle the logistics of adding delivery services to your business.
While every business will have different logistical issues, a number of the logistical tasks you’ll definitely want to tackle before launching delivery services include:
Figure out your costs. Your delivery business isn’t getting to be sustainable if you’re spending the extra money to deliver your products to your customers than you’re making on each sale; you would like a positive income to form it works. check out all the prices related to making deliveries (including gas and labor) to work out the minimum order amount and maximum delivery area that creates sense for your business. So, for instance, you would possibly deliver within a 5-mile radius for orders over $15—and any orders below $15 or outside of your delivery area would only be eligible for pick-up/take-out.
Adjust your inventory and provide chain management as necessary. Once you move your business from an in-person to a delivery model, you would possibly get to adjust your inventory and provide chain management to support your new business needs. So, for instance, if you run a clothing boutique, you’re not getting to need as many in-store display items (like hangers or racks)—but you’re getting to need more boxes and bags to package your deliveries—or if you’re a restaurant and you’re shifting towards a limited delivery menu, you’re getting to got to adjust your ingredient ordering to support your new dishes.
Figure out staffing. a bit like your supply needs may change once you pivot to delivery, so might your staffing needs. As you’re moving towards a delivery model, check out your current staffing and scheduling and determine how you’ll get to suits support your delivery services (for example, hiring delivery drivers or scheduling more staff to fill delivery orders during busy shifts).
Look into additional insurance needs. If you’re getting to be handling deliveries in-house and transportation wasn’t a neighborhood of your prior business model, you’ll get additional coverage to hide yourself and your business within the case of an accident or injury. ask your insurance firm to ascertain which option is the best fit for your business.
Develop a system for managing delivery orders
When it involves deliveries, there are tons of moving parts; you would like to stay track of your orders, collect payment, assign orders to delivery drivers, and confirm that every order is making it to your customer quickly, efficiently, and with each item they ordered and purchased. Without a transparent system for managing your delivery orders, things can quickly devolve into chaos.
Which is why you would like a system in situ from the get-go. Before you launch your delivery services, you would like a transparent plan in for:
- How customers submit orders (for example, will you be taking phone orders or should customers place delivery orders for your website?)
- How customers submit payment
- How orders are fulfilled (for example, who is responsible for fulfilling orders as they are available in? How long are you estimating it’ll fancy fill orders?)
- How to assign delivery times
- How to check orders are accurate before they’re sent out for delivery
- How to assign orders for delivery drivers
- How to confirm orders are delivered and received by the customer
Once you’ve developed your delivery system, it’s important to form sure you implement any necessary technology (for example, secure payment processing or an order processing system) and train your staff. That way, once you launch your delivery service, everyone knows exactly the way to take, fulfill, and deliver orders to your customers.
Spread the word about your delivery services
You can’t run a successful delivery company if nobody knows you’re offering delivery services. So, one among the foremost important aspects of launching delivery? Getting the word out.
If you would like your delivery services to require off, you would like to let people know that you’re offering delivery. If you’ve been closed, email your customers to allow them to know you’re reopening as a delivery service. Share discount codes on your social media profiles to encourage your customers to order delivery. Search for creative ways to get buzz around your new delivery services, like partnering with other small business owners to deliver local product packages or offering free delivery for frontline healthcare workers.
The point is, a transparent marketing strategy may be a key a part of building any successful business—and if you would like your delivery service to succeed, you would like to spread the word to as many purchasers as possible.
Implement safety measures for your customers and delivery staff
The well-being of your customers and delivery personnel must be top priority when you’re delivering within the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — and meaning taking the required safety precautions to guard them.
Make sure your team is practicing social distancing and taking proper sanitation measures when fulfilling delivery orders. Provide face masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves to your entire delivery staff. Offer contactless delivery options to attenuate exposure between delivery personnel and customers.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, you can’t be too safe, so confirm you’re taking any safety precautions recommended from the CDC and World Health Organization and do everything necessary to guard yourself, your staff, and your customers.
Deliver your thanks to a more sustainable business
There’s no denying that tiny businesses are hit hard by COVID-19. But by adding delivery services to your current business model, you’ll build a more sustainable business to hold you thru these uncertain times—and emerge stronger on the opposite side.
This article was contributed by Deanna deBara and originally posted on Hourly.io
