Making The Delivery

When I was working as a manager of a floral shop, getting the merchandise delivered on time was an important task. In the floral industry, orders aren’t made according to how they are taken but how they are to be delivered. When the order was taken by the sales clerk, she had to take a delivery time of when the customer wanted it to go. She had to find out if we were going in that direction or had already gone, how soon it could go out and if it was a rush. If it was funeral work, when the viewing was and then when the funeral home would let us deliver. An order that wasn’t delivered on time meant an irate customer and a possible lost sale.

Holidays were especially tricky because of the sheer number of orders that would go out. We would enlist temporary drivers during this time which could prove to be a headache if they were misrouted. There would be an organized master sheet of where the flowers had to go, the delivery time and then which driver took what. The drivers would sign out what they were taking, sign back in what they delivered or had to bring back. During holidays, there wasn’t ever a specific time for delivery; just a general time as in “deliver am or pm”. Deliveries that weren’t able to be delivered were a different problem in itself. The driver had to leave a door tag stating that they were there and what time. Then they had to bring the order back, tag it and put it back in the cooler. The front person had to call and leave a message with the person it was to be delivered to. Then they had to call the customer and tell them it wasn’t able to be delivered and give them options. Did they want it to be redelivered? Did they have a new time the person would be home? Did they want to pick it up and take it?

We always stressed that our delivery person be dressed neatly, was polite and courteous. They had to have a clean driving record. The van had to be kept washed and vacuumed. The driver realized that they represented the floral shop when they were out on the road and making the delivery. If there were any incidents of bad driving, people would call and mention it. If that happened the driver would be given a warning, three warnings and they were let go.

Making the delivery is a part of the sale. If you can’t deliver what the customer wants on time, then you will lose the next sale. If you go out of your way to accommodate your customer, then they will remember it when they go to place another order. Giving excellent service and keeping the customer happy should be the mainstay of every business. It’s what keeps the sales coming in!