The Goal
Automate the flow of orders through our Point of Delivery (POD) units to improve efficiency and sustainability of delivery in the last mile. Integrate a remote access door locking system into our Point of Delivery (POD) units.
The Biggest Challenge
Finding a 3rd party provider who could meet our current needs (allowing us to provide unique, one-off access codes to delivery drivers) that could be managed as part of our central Order Management System (OMS). Although remote access systems have existed for a long time, our requirements are not so common.
The Final Product
Implementation of a remote access system that can be fully managed by the ops team. Integration of POD data (locations and restrictions) into the OMS, allowing orders to be seamlessly directed via POD.
The Key Lessons
This was a very complex integration, requiring a lot of research and planning upfront to develop the strategy and pin down the user journeys. Collectiv Food’s POD system is an important innovation in their supply model, involving a the internal ops team, their warehouse partner, and 3rd party delivery drivers, all working to different timeframes. Ensuring that the pertinent information was available at the right time for each stakeholder without disrupting our regular order management was a real juggling act.