What Is Proof of Delivery? [+ Why It’s Essential for Businesses] | OptimoRoute (2024)

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• What Is Proof of Delivery?
• Why Proof of Delivery Is Important
• How You Can Provide Proof of Delivery With OptimoRoute
• Why OptimoRoute Is the Ultimate Tool for Your Business
• Let OptimoRoute Improve Your Delivery With Proof of Delivery

What Is Proof of Delivery?

Then the electronic POD — whether a signature or a picture with delivery notes — is sent to a customer via email or through a downloadable link containing the delivery address and time of delivery. Check out our proof of delivery template here.

How does POD differ from a BOL?

Proof of delivery and a bill of lading (BOL) have similarities. Both are documents that accompany shipments and deliveries, and both can help protect your business from liability.

Why Proof of Delivery Is Important

Proof of delivery is important because customers want to know if and when their products or services are delivered. For your business, POD saves you from unnecessary costs to replace or refund an order or redo a job.

The benefits of POD for customers:

• It makes customers feel in control. With in-person sales, customers control when they get their purchases. With online orders, when and if their products arrive is out of their control. An online shopper report found efficient tracking gives consumers a bit of control and reduces anxiety. And 97% of customers expect to monitor their orders through every step of the process. Along with a packing slip, proof of delivery helps provides customers with peace of mind that they’re getting exactly what they ordered when they expect it.
• POD makes it less likely orders will be stolen. When customers receive their proof of delivery, they can make sure to bring their items in or have a neighbor pick them up if they aren’t home.
• It lets customers know their service is complete. In a world where contactless interactions are in demand and inside delivery is less common, electronic POD is the best way to give your customers the status of their service, and any next steps. For example, after your employee has fixed that broken pipe, they can send the customer a photo to show the job is complete. If the employee recommends any follow-up work, they can add feedback in the delivery notes.

The benefits of POD for businesses:

• POD provides a better customer experience. Sometimes, drivers lose packages and say they were delivered, or they mark them delivered before they are. With proof of delivery, you’ll have better visibility into customers’ orders.
• It improves order accuracy and saves you money. For products, you will have confirmation that customers’ goods arrived and won’t spend money on unnecessary refunds or replacement orders. For services, once completed, customers can sign a POD that says they received and are satisfied with the work, and employees can include a photo of the finished job. This will prevent you from the expense of having to repeat a job.
• Proof of delivery accelerates back-office operations. With our proof of delivery feature, when a product or service is completed, an automated confirmation is sent from the driver’s app to your office. This improves your back-office efficiency by cutting down on paperwork and manual tasks.

How You Can Provide Proof of Delivery With OptimoRoute

Set up proof of delivery in the Web app

• Go to Administration→ Settings→ Proof of Delivery to configure the settings for your drivers. You can configure your settings based on:
  • Order Type – Delivery, Task, or Pickup
  • Order Status – Completed, Failed
  • Proof Type – Signature or Note (This can be a required step, meaning your driver can’t complete the order without this step.)
• In the Live tab, a Proof of Delivery column is available in the order grid, where you can track each completion. Each POD has its own icon. Icons are grey until the detail is filled out. Once filled, the icon turns black.
• You can view POD information by double-clicking an order in Live or Analytics.
• You can send PDF delivery reports to customers by clicking the Export PDF button. You can download partial information, like only the signature or only a photo, by clicking the Download button above the detail.

Using proof of delivery in the Mobile App

• Start by clicking Orders→ Details to configure settings within the mobile app.
• On the Details screen, a new tab titled Proof of Delivery will appear, which shows all the required or optional POD fields.
• Drivers click on the +ADD or Complete button to go to a screen where they can fill out the required or optional fields.
• Completed fields are shown on the Order Details screen.
• On the Add Proof of Delivery screen, drivers fill out all required fields and update the order status as failed or completed.

With our proof of delivery feature, you will have visibility into every step of the delivery process and be ready to respond to customer questions or complaints.

Why OptimoRoute Is the Ultimate Tool for Your Business

OptimoRoute will improve your delivery service from end to end. We do this by calculating the most efficient routes for your deliveries, so you save time planning, and your drivers get to their destinations faster, with fewer miles driven.

• Save hours scheduling your deliveries and planning routes. Just upload your deliveries and our software will automatically calculate the best, most efficient routes. You can include multiple constraints, like time windows, service areas, or skills needed for the job.
• Deliver more products faster with efficient routes and workload-balancing.
• Our real-time route modification means a last-minute order or sick driver won’t impact your deliveries. Inserting last-minute adjustments and routes will automatically recalculate routes.
• Provide customers with real-time tracking so they know when their products or service technicians are scheduled to arrive. Customers get text or email notifications.
• Live tracking lets you know where your drivers are and lets you see their estimated time of arrival. You’ll know when deliveries are on schedule or missing the mark.
• Get proof of delivery so and your customers know their products and service were delivered.

Let OptimoRoute Improve Your Delivery With Proof of Delivery