Qdrop case study: Bidfood
What the Bidfood team love most about Qdrop
“It’s incredibly feature-rich, but also easy and intuitive to use – leading to a smooth implementation into our business.”
“We’re not drowning in paper anymore – everything is digital and on the drivers devices, so there’s no more manual rekeying of information, making every task quicker, easier, less chaotic, and with fewer mistakes”
“The immediacy of the app’s data updates – our drivers have got all the details of their routes and orders in their hands, and if anything changes both they and the depot team can see it straight away, without having to get on the phone”
“The in-app vehicle-tracking functionality – it’s given the customer care team real-time information at their fingertips, which means we can be proactive about solving problems and letting customers know if there’s a delay”
“The relationship with CSD – we’ve been delighted by the support we’ve had from them throughout the project, and very impressed by their understanding of our operation”
“It’s been like unlocking a treasure trove – we’re now able to see and use a wealth of information that we knew was there but just couldn’t seem to get our hands on, giving us the insights we need to improve over the long term”
Hear from Tony Mackie, Bidfood’s IT Projects Manager, about how Qdrop has revolutionised their business
What made you go looking for a new ePOD system in the first place?
“It was just becoming unworkable that our drops involved so much paperwork and so many slow, manual tasks. We were still using a system where our delivery manifests were all on paper, which meant that if there were any issues at the drop (like shortages or amendments) the driver was having to handwrite that information and then our staff back at the depot would have to rekey it all. That made extra work but also meant that there was a significant time delay between a problem occurring and our customer care team knowing about it. The customer would also sign the paper waybill and then that would have to be scanned later for our records, so yet more work.
And really as well as being time-consuming we just found so many things were getting lost in translation or paper was mislaid, so mistakes were far too frequent. It was clear that we needed to make a significant change, with a focus on automating as much of the process as possible and gaining clarity and accountability.”
Now you’ve been using Qdrop for awhile, what are the things your team most appreciate about it?
“Definitely the fact that we’re not drowning in paper anymore! Everything is so simple and streamlined now, every process so much quicker, easier, less chaotic, and with fewer mistakes. We’ve got over 1,000 drivers all using the Qdrop app daily and it’s completely transformed the way they do their own work and can interact with the team back at the depot. All the details of their routes and orders are on their mobile devices, so they’ve got everything they need in their hands – and because it all updates in real time, if anything changes both teams can see it straight away, without having to get on the phone.
There’s also been huge appreciation for the fact that it’s feature-rich, so its capable of doing everything we need it to, but at the same time it’s so intuitive for our operators. We’ve had no complaints at all, which has never happened before when implementing a new system.
For myself, overseeing the implementation of the app and managing the relationship with CSD, I’ve been delighted by the support we’ve had from them throughout the project – and very impressed by their understanding of our operation.”
How has using Qdrop practically improved the way you work?
“The most noticeable change is how much time and effort we save not having to rekey information and manage issues manually. Everything can be recorded straight into the system on the driver’s device. Also the driver can easily and instantly have contact with either the depot team or the customer themselves, which has massively improved the experience of our customers. It means we can be proactive about solving problems. Having GPS vehicle-tracking functionality in the app has been especially useful, as it’s given the customer care team real-time information at their fingertips. So they can let customers know if there’s a delay and give much more accurate predictions of arrival times.
It’s been great for accountability too. For example, collecting vehicle-checking data is built into the app, so the drivers have to run and log all those checks before they can access the information they need to head out on their routes. And once they’re at a drop the drivers can log any changes to or problems with the order right then and there, as well as capture the customer’s signature immediately with on-glass signing. So the customer is confident that the details of the order have been correctly captured, and also we’ve created an automatic audit trail of that information.”
What kind of impact has Qdrop had on the business as a whole?
“It’s been like unlocking a treasure trove, finally able to see and use a wealth of information that we knew was there but just couldn’t seem to get our hands on before. Obviously that’s hugely improved day-to-day operations, making life easier for our drivers and the depot team, and also giving our customers a better experience. But the most significant thing is that it’s giving us the insights we need to improve the whole business over the long term.
For example, we can now capture customer feedback on the spot, getting a star rating from them directly into the driver’s device, as well as immediately logging the specifics of any problems or queries. So it’s hugely sped up and expanded our understanding of our customers experiences. We can also now see exact driver arrival and departure times, which means we’ve finally got an accurate picture of how long drops take. This has been hugely helpful in making our route planning more efficient.
Ultimately Qdrop has given us so much valuable data, so we’re now a lot better equipped to eliminate inefficiencies, reduce future costs, and improve our customer service.”
Find out how Qdrop helps make your deliveries faster, safer, and easier to track