You know the feeling. You order something and immediately start looking for the tracking number. Then, it’s all about checking for updates. You check every day (a.k.a. multiple times a day) to see if it’s arrived yet. And this is how you know that delivery drivers have become an absolutely essential part of your life. Suddenly, figuring out how to support delivery drivers becomes much more important for all of us.
While delivery drivers have become absolutely essential, they can also be challenging to hire and retain. So many companies need drivers that there can be a lot of competition. Many drivers work alone most of the day. The job involves a lot of physical labor in all kinds of weather. And drivers rarely get to see the benefit of their work – they drop off a package at the door and head off to the next stop.
It’s always interesting to me how some of the people we rely on the most are in some of most thankless jobs. So, let’s change that. Whether you’re an employer or you’re the recipient of a delivery, there are things you can do to show delivery drivers that they are valued.
Pay Well
You’ll get the employees you pay for. If you want to hire people who want to work for you and want to do a good job, then pay for it. Otherwise, you’ll get employees who already have one foot out the door for the next company who pays more. Even a small pay difference can cause an employee to leave.
A transportation team I worked with was moving locations and was going to be directly across the street from another delivery company. One of the first things we did was find out what they were paying. Turned out, they were paying more than we were. So, we raised our pay before the team moved, which helped us retain them. Pay matters.
Connect to Customer Stories
Ask your customers for stories of how their delivery drivers made their day. Maybe a swimsuit arrived just in time for a vacation, or a child’s gift (that had to be rush-delivered) made it just in time for Christmas. Or maybe the driver put a bag over the boxes to protect them from the rain. Or patients were able to be cared for because supplies were delivered.
Share these stories with your drivers, and continually remind them of the impact they make. I worked with a laundry department for a healthcare company, and they cleaned and delivered bed linens, scrubs and gowns. The job could seem pretty mundane and routine, so we constantly tied it back to the patient. Without these clean items delivered to the facilities, patients literally could not be cared for. It was that foundational.
And as a customer, take a few minutes to proactively share these positive stories with delivery companies. It’s easy to take the time when things don’t go well. Be sure to take the time when things go great. I find that, the more appreciation becomes a habit, the more I realize how many good things are happening around me. (Read more about how kindness can change the workplace.)
This post is sponsored by Key Software Systems LLC.
Use Delivery Management Software
Set your drivers up for success by giving them routes that are efficient and reasonable. One of the best ways to do this is by using courier delivery software that can help you design the best routes, even taking things like traffic into account. Plus, the more efficient your routes can be, the more product you can deliver to more and more customers.
And if you use a software like Key Software Systems LLC that uses GPS tracking, all the better. Sometimes, this can give people pause because it sounds like micromanaging. And yes, it does provide accountability. But good leaders will be able to use this effectively to bring out the best in everyone. It sets an expectation of excellence. And if drivers have concerns about how long their routes are taking, the software can help you find solutions.
Support Drivers Returning from Maternity Leave
Returning from maternity leave to a labor-intensive job is challenging enough. Make the transition a little easier by providing resources for moms who need to pump.
For those who can easily return to the office to pump, provide a designated mother’s room. But some routes may not lend themselves easily to this, and moms might need to pump in the vehicle. A few simple modifications can go a long way in helping moms feel supported. Make sure the vehicle is equipped with an outlet. Consider removable shades for the windows. Provide something that can help keep the milk cold – perhaps a large cooler bag as a gift for each new mom (non-pumping moms love cooler bags too, so everyone wins!).
Also, make appropriate tweaks in the routes to allow for the time needed to pump. No mom should have to choose between pumping and meeting performance expectations.
Show Appreciation
This one is for everyone! Get to know your delivery drivers. Even if it’s just 10 seconds of chatting every once in a while, you can start to build a friendship that can make a big difference. When Katherine was 2, we had the same UPS driver for months. He was at our house almost every day, especially around the holidays. Katherine loved getting to wave at him and meet him halfway down the driveway to get our packages. When it came time to make Valentine’s Day cards, Katherine said she wanted to make one for him. It made her day to give it to him (and hopefully it made his day too!).
If you go through a season of having a lot of extra deliveries, give your drivers some candy or a gift card to say thank you. We have a bunch of deliveries at Christmastime, so we put out a basket of candy along with a thank-you note.
Bottom line – we all know how important drivers are to our everyday lives. And there are simple, meaningful ways to support delivery drivers. The more we each show how much they’re valued, as a leader or a delivery recipient, the happier drivers will be and the better the deliveries will be for everyone!
Photo credit: From Canva Pro
