Maximizing Delivery Efficiency Across Multiple Locations

Maximizing your delivery efficiency is key to running profitable multi-unit operations. Failing to streamline your approach will lead to higher costs due to delays and may undermine your ability to manage multiple locations' menus and inventory. 

Advanced delivery management systems (DMS) can increase your operations' efficiency by simplifying complex orders and improving data management related to key variables like inventory levels, staffing, and contractor management. Robust DMS platforms can also aid your efforts to boost order fulfillment efficiency and drive online sales. 

Advanced Delivery Management Systems

Advanced DMS apps do more than track orders and produce financial reports. They optimize your delivery logistics and ensure that all your stakeholders are on the same page when a new order comes in. This is particularly important today, as demand is only growing.  

Importance of Technology

A recent McKinsey report highlights the reality that the way the world eats is changing. Today, the global delivery food market is worth $150 billion—a threefold increase since 2017. Your restaurant needs a user-friendly, all-in-one DMS to handle orders, manage contractors, and boost efficiency. 

Embracing DMS technology is particularly important if you operate a dark kitchen and want to increase the profitability of locations that do not have a front-of-house presence. Leaning on DMS platforms gives you more ways to sell and helps you connect with cost-efficiency delivery drivers for order fulfillment. 

Implementation Strategies

Implementing tools like Deliverect needn’t take months of onboarding and education. User-friendly APIs make apps like Deliverect easy to use thanks to intuitive design. You can implement DMS platforms like Deliverect Restaurants today by: 

• Using a DMS to centralize orders from delivery services like Uber Eats and Deliveroo;

• Automating order collection and the fulfillment process to minimize the risk of overlooked or incomplete orders; 

• Installing a DMS that can update your menu in real-time, complete with features like specials and changes to pricing; 

• Driving growth with a DMS lowers your wait time and helps you collect data that can be used to create relevant promotional offers to draw consumers to your business. 

Implementing a DMS can bolster your operational efficiency and handle the heavy lifting of managing multiple locations. This is key if you’re aiming to expand your premises and are interested in increasing your profit margins while increasing your sales volume. 

Benefits and Risks

Making the digital transformation can feel like a big risk if you’re used to managing incoming orders with outdated tickets and completing sales manually with phone calls. However, you can manage risks associated with the digital transformation by using a DMS that: 

• Protects your firm against breaches with top-of-the-line cybersecurity protection;

• Integrates with your tech stack to increase operational efficiency; 

• Is intuitive and appeals to employees who are typically resistant to change; 

• Comes with guidance, support, and training programs.

Making the digital transformation with a powerful DMS is in the best interest of your business when attempting to manage multiple locations. Even simple changes, like opting for an API that makes sense, can improve uptake and enhance operational efficiency.

Employee Training

Installing a new DMS is a step in the right direction when attempting to maximize efficiency across multiple locations. However, you'll need to invest in employee training to get the most out of your new program. 

Training Programs

Regular training is key to rolling out a new DMS. However, for training to be effective, you likely need to focus on training staff to use point-of-sale systems (POS). POS systems are simplified for easier use and will aid efforts to get the team comfortable with your DMS sooner. 

You can maximize the profitability of the Deliverect suite and train employees properly by: 

• Ensuring the DMS is properly integrated before turning the system over to staff who work at the POS;

• Work with vendors like Toast to ensure back-of-house integration systems track data points like inventory to improve stock management;

• Use relevant tools — like the Delivery Manager App — to ensure folks only have access to systems that are relevant to their tasks and reduce confusion;

• Grow order volume sustainably so folks can get used to the API before handling peak order volume. 

Properly integrating your restaurants with third-party tools can maximize the effectiveness of your DMS. This will help you build a DMS program that improves delivery efficiency by offering heightened order accuracy, improved quality control, and optimized routes during rush hour.  

Best Practices

After you’ve trained your team, you must ensure that they continue to follow best practices. This is crucial to your long-term success, as some staff may be hesitant to use the new tech and could fall back on outdated manual order fulfillment. 

As a leader of multiple locations, use feedback forms to understand better how the new DMS is being used. This may help you tweak your user interfaces and find new ways to integrate the service into your wider API ecosystem. 

Impact on Efficiency

Leveraging an effective DMS like Deliverect massively improves your operational efficiency by alleviating common pain points. DMS platforms like Deliverect can: 

• Enable consistent menu management across locations;

• Simplify complex order fulfillment;

• Identify and address inefficiencies related to ordering problems and manual inputs;

• Increase data availability for better decision-making;

• Enhance online presence in the area;

• Streamline delivery options and routes.

Installing the right DMS can aid your expansion efforts and transform your restaurant into a major player. Deliverect can improve communication with external stakeholders like contractors by improving data availability and visibility.  

Learn more about Deliverect Restaurants

Improving Communications with Contractors

Managing a modern multi-location restaurant requires excellent communication. Fortunately, DMS platforms can centralize coordination efforts with contractors and immediately boost delivery efficiency. 

Communication Tools

Today, you can lean on various tools to communicate effectively with contractors. Rather than using outdated POS systems, consider utilizing delivery pickup managers that offer real-time communication and clarify order status. This saves time and ensures your internal team can focus on doing what they do best: making great food. 

Tools like delivery managers integrate with kitchen displays, too, meaning your team always has the information they need should a query be raised when external stakeholders like delivery drivers come to pick up orders. 

Monitoring and Feedback

Modern DMS platforms are data-driven and give you access to important analytics like average fulfillment time and customer rankings. This is crucial when managing multiple locations, as you need qualitative data to identify operational inefficiencies. 
Rather than working on generalized data points like revenue and profitability, dig deeper into your efficiency by using Deliverect Restaurants to track customizable channels relevant to your restaurant. This will identify areas for improvement and ensure all locations meet their potential.

Best Practices for Multi-Location Delivery Operations

Standardizing procedures is essential when trying to grow your business. Customers expect to receive the same level of service wherever they go and will opt for competitors if they detect varying quality between your locations. 

Coordination and Collaboration

Using a DMS to automate the order fulfillment process can coordinate your efforts and boost collaboration between locations. This is crucial, as you shouldn’t expect smaller locations to handle massive order volumes during peak times. Instead, use a DMS like Deliverect to improve your order dispatch and spread order volume to dark kitchens and less busy locations in the area. 

Utilizing Data

Properly leveraging data can also improve your ability to track performance and make better-informed decisions. For example, if you have a broad goal to increase order volume but are struggling to increase demand, you can use your DMS to determine which locations are falling behind. You can then use these insights to make data-driven decisions that enhance kitchen efficiency and partner the right drivers with restaurants in multiple locations. This increases your chance of landing repeat orders and secures higher order volume. 

Expansion and Logistics Management

Expanding your business is a sure sign that you’re producing great food that meets customers' expectations in your area. However, for your expansion to go smoothly, you’ll need to use a DMS that can help. 

Planning for Expansion

You can plan for expansion and open a second location without breaking the bank today by: 

• Opening a pop-up shop or dark kitchen at a lower cost;

• Collaborate with partners in the area to co-rent a space;

• Take your business on the road with a food truck;

• Work with a constructor who specializes in pre-fabrication to reduce building costs.

It’s worth noting that opening an additional location will temporarily strain your finances. You’ll need to forecast set-up costs and use data to determine whether the new location will break even quickly enough to meet your needs. 

Scalability

As your firm grows, you’ll need to pay closer attention to how you manage costs. It’s easy to lose track of your budgets when demand is high, and you may find that scaling up puts pressure on your profit margins. 

Rather than using guesswork to drive decision-making, lean on a DMS that can scale alongside you. For example, use Deliverect Direct and expand into selling on social media. You should use a social media ordering platform that can meet your demands. DMS platforms like Deliverect can expand in line with your delivery orders and will track incoming orders while supporting your kitchens properly during periods of growth. 

Conclusion

Maximizing delivery efficiency across multiple locations requires a data-driven, high-tech approach to restaurant management. This approach can instill a culture of continuous improvement and will aid efforts to manage your kitchens properly. A great DMS will also improve communication with external stakeholders like delivery drivers while keeping your internal employees focused on the task at hand. DMS platforms like Deliverect are intuitive and easily scaleable, too, meaning you can roll out a new program that supports your team properly during periods of growth.