If you run a restaurant delivery service, you’re in the logistics business. Your customers expect you to be a restaurant delivery expert on day one. So…
Are you an expert? Do you have time to become an expert?
In 2010, Jack Levis, a senior engineer at one of the largest transportation companies in the world (UPS), had a large problem. He wanted to implement a new system for dispatching delivery drivers with the use of Artificial Intelligence, or AI. He recounts in his TED Talk, how it took 5 years for him to develop and sell senior management on a prototype of his idea. It would take even longer to create and implement it.
Fast forward to 2020, and you can have the same kind of capability within a matter of minutes when you log onto a food delivery software for restaurants like DataDreamers. Whether it’s delivering 20 million packages a day, like UPS, or twenty food delivery orders, the concept is the same:
AI will make you an instant restaurant delivery expert
Of course, you have to learn the software, and set up may take a day or two, but the logistics expertise is there the moment you log in. And it’s much easier than you think.
In case you’re wondering, many restaurant delivery software companies don’t have AI baked in. And those that do, often have not developed the kind of seamless interface that works in harmony with the way your work actually gets done.
Artificial Intelligence as a concept is easy to understand. A macro in Microsoft Excel is an example of a basic version of AI, but a more advanced form could create its own macros.
Although some may fear the robot takeover, it’s far more likely that we will all continue to benefit from AI. The concept has been around for decades, but the speed of its development is staggering.
For example, IBM Watson holds 40 million documents and crunches an additional 27,000 new documents per day. After only a year, Watson’s lung cancer diagnosis was accurate 90% of the time, compared to 50% for human doctors.
Better to consider it an ally than an enemy.
After all, even Luke Skywalker needed a little help from AI to fight the Evil Empire.
And you don’t have to be an AI expert in order to be a restaurant delivery expert. We moderns rely on countless conveniences, tools, and luxuries that are beyond our understanding. Like the device you’re using to read this post, for example.
Here are three benefits of AI the Datadreamers restaurant food delivery software uses to transform your restaurant delivery business.
Simultaneous cost reduction service improvement
A strong AI component, like WISDOM – the brain of the DataDreamers system – helps you reduce cost in your delivery operations by coordinating food preparation time and delivery time. It also improves your customer’s experience.
Just as importantly, your drivers will be freed up to provide better service. Besides, drivers don’t like waiting for restaurants to complete orders. They don’t enjoy working with ineffective systems and processes.
While you’re reducing the cost you’re also freeing up the energy of your employees to do their best work.
There’s a psychology term called “discretionary effort” that’s used to describe the difference between employees doing the minimum to get by and doing their very best. Similar to discretionary spending, it speaks to the idea that effort is an expenditure. The less effort necessary for basic job functions, the more your employees can focus on the important but subtle stuff, like delivery with a smile.
Although it may not be realistic to expect 100% effort from every employee at every moment, making it easier to do the job will increase the probability.
Providing a great employee experience is the straightest path to providing a great customer experience.
Your mental burden is instantly reduced
In his TED Talk, Jack Levis refers to the phrase, “combinatorial explosion.” He uses it to describe how the number of ways there are to do a given task increases exponentially as you increase the number of tasks. So, for example, a computer can predict all the possible endings for a chess game when there are 7 pieces left on the board, but when you add the eighth piece, it becomes an impossible task.
If you’re manually dispatching orders on a busy day, you can easily reach a point where you are no longer able to process the orders, make times, and delivery times effectively. At that point, you’ll be half-guessing your way through the complexity. Which virtually guarantees less than optimal performance.
A strong AI-powered platform monitors all the inputs of every order and all the total orders as a whole and assists you in making decisions. For example, say you have a large order and you want your best driver to handle it. Simply pull the delivery orders from that driver and the system will instantly, automatically re-dispatch them to other drivers.
This kind of exception is a huge mental burden for a human. For AI it’s a snap.
You reverse the collateral effects
When you’re struggling to keep pace, you lose sight of the opportunities to level up. You also have to deal with the collateral effects of less than optimal operational decisions in the heat of the moment.
AI not only reduces the negative collateral impact by helping you make optimal decisions, but it also increases the collateral fixes. For instance, everyone agrees that reducing mileage in a delivery operation is a good thing. But when you automatically do it consistently and effectively, it creates a collateral improvement. Fuel costs, service commitments, and food quality – delivering hot food – are all enhanced.
A decision that heads off unnecessary decisions
Not all AI solutions are equal. After all, they’re created by humans. For now.
Our developers and customers often comment on the elegance of the DataDreamers WISDOM platform. The genius is in the fact that it’s designed by someone intimately familiar with delivery operations. Make sure you look for solutions that incorporate the human experience element in their product.
If you’re shopping for a restaurant delivery software, take a few test drives before you decide. It’s a decision that will directly impact the number of decisions you face every day. You may soon be on your way to becoming a restaurant delivery expert.
If you’re considering DataDreamers, we’re offering a free AI consult (valued at $99) for a limited time.
There are two steps to the consult. During the initial call, one of our developers helps activate the AI component and reviews the settings with you. We then give the system a week to implement the data. A second call is then scheduled for fine-tuning.
You can find a full list of software features here, but here’s the shortlist:
- Automated dispatch – everything from optimal routing, to travel and restaurant prep times are calculated by the system to ensure timely delivery
- Our WisdomGPS routes driver to make multiple pickups and deliveries efficiently
- Time estimates updated in real-time so customers can place orders based on which food will be delivered most quickly
P.S. We don’t charge extra for our AI.