Problem

A leading quick-serve restaurant (QSR) chain had recently established its own internal distribution business to support sustained accelerated growth. This new distribution business ran a state-of-the-art facility and invested in innovative tools to streamline communication with the restaurants it served. However, the delivery driver, a critical front-line service role, still lacked direct access to the systems and communication tools to work with the restaurants directly, which posed several problems:

• Out-dated Delivery Instructions - Drivers depended on printed laminated restaurant profiles for proper instructions to each specific location for tasks such as parking and unloading. Restaurants change and make improvements regularly, which are not reflected in the distributed materials resulting in confusing time-consuming scenarios.
• Missing Critical Information - Drivers often have information required to resolve issues with delivery, but weren’t equipped to share directly with the system.  Additional issues and reports were often submitted without full awareness to delivery details, contributing to increased resolution times and confused restaurant managers.

The QSR quickly realized it needed to include delivery drivers in the streamlined communication flow with restaurants to fully realize the benefits of its internalized distribution strategy.

The QSR engaged Artisan to create a mobile app that would close the identified communication gap by including delivery drivers into the real-time conversation flow. The goals were to provide dynamic restaurant profiles, include delivery drivers in the flow of communication with restaurants, leverage delivery drivers’ advanced knowledge of delivery related issues to further improve on customer service response times and simplify common tasks through a modern digital tool.

Solution

We began with an Understand phase, a process where we learned from subject matter experts, hosted driver focus groups, rode along with delivery drivers on their routes and helped unload trucks to gain a deep understanding of our users’ pain points. The Understand phase resulted in a conceptual design prototype that included delivery drivers as important members of the conversation with restaurant managers.

Using the conceptual design prototype as a long-term vision, we worked with the QSR to define a minimally viable product (MVP) that could be launched quickly and become the basis for rapid incremental improvements driven by continuous driver feedback. We continued to refine the concept during the Build phase of the MVP, keeping delivery drivers actively involved and at the center of the process. Ultimately, we launched the MVP ahead of an aggressive schedule, which included:

• Improved Transparency - Dynamic restaurant profiles with a feedback mechanism for suggestions and updates if improvement possibilities or discrepancies are recognized
• Open Communication - The ability to respond directly to delivery issues reported by the restaurant
• Efficient Issue Resolution - The ability to proactively report delivery issues on behalf of the restaurant teams
• Automation - Automation of key manual processes

"The increased communication with the Restaurants and Customer Support makes the Drivers much more efficient." --Distribution Supervisor