INNOVATIVE FOOD DELIVERY PLATFORM, ZIPPYD, ANNOUNCES TECHNOLOGY BOOST FOLLOWING LOCKDOWN GROWTH
- Business is helping redeploy the unemployed; fostering the “gig” economy & promoting economic regeneration
Boosted by a fourfold increase in business throughtout lockdown, a food delivery business has announced that it’s implementing the very latest technology to further improve its innovative online platform.
Zippyd, which currently carries out deliveries for fifty six restaurants, shops, hotels and artisan food producers in Tayside, with plans to expand into Edinburgh, is now implementing Auto Allocation technology. This will see its fleet of drivers given their delivery jobs faster than before, leading to higher levels of satisfaction from both the restaurants that use its service, and the at home customers it is delivering to.
A new overall online platform, described as more “reliable, and a lot more scalable” has also been built, following two years of Research and Development. Many previous faults and bugs which slowed the process, have been eliminated.
Future ambitions are to launch a brand new platform in-house, incorporating new Apps and a new website.
At a time when the welfare of self employed drivers is in the spotlight following the recent Uber case, Zippyd also employs a full time HR manager to look after its team of drivers. Although self employed within the Zippyd business model, which reduces merchant fees paid by restaurants, coupled with removing service charges altogether, the drivers benefit from a unique buddy system where they can car share Zippyd’s fleet of electric vehicles. Joining Zippyd can also offer drivers flexible hours and working arrangements that fit around other commitments, especially beneficial at this time with the on-going pandemic.
Said Commercial Director Neil Robertson: “We’ve invested in this new technology which we hope will place us in a strong position as this pandemic comes to a close. The manual method of order allocation is now a thing of the past. This new automated logistics process will take out a lot of the human error involved when manually allocating orders, as well as speed up the process of allocating said jobs. This will, in turn, increase our efficiency and therefore the service level we offer, as well as keep our drivers regularly busy with equally shared out orders. This is a very big move for us as it is the first step to take Zippyd into new areas of Scotland.”
“For the past year we’ve helped restaurants and other food businesses maintain an income stream, which for many is now their only income stream, by carrying out efficient and reliable deliveries. We’ve also given unemployed limousine drivers, chefs, personal trainers, hospitality workers and people from other professions badly affected by the pandemic, the ability to earn some money at this hard time,” added Neil.
“Even if they move back to their regular professions later this year,” he continued, “some of them may want to remain with Zippyd, as they can take the occasional shift to top up their incomes. We have other drivers who have now decided to make driving for Zippyd their own full time small business. We attract many profiles of people, including the retired and semi- retired, who have found in Zippyd an extra income stream and a useful way to fill the day.”
Neil explained that under Zippyd drivers can operate full-time, with what effectively becomes their own delivery business, still able to “float” for other delivery companies too, if they wish, and part-time, where they decide what hours they work, perhaps fitting it round childcare or other commitments.
“We also have retired people who still want to be a part of what’s known as the “gig economy” where you can earn “me “ money at a time to suit, still feeling useful, helping people, and enjoying the challenge. This is going to be really important as we regenerate the economy.”
“And we have people who have been delivery drivers for many years for other companies, that now want to get on board with ZippyD’s fresh way of operating and thinking.”
“To us it makes no sense not to look after our drivers,” said Neil. “We want them to feel part of a family as they are the essence of this business.”
Neil is keen to ensure that Zippyd is as sustainable as possible, hence his use of electric vehicles for his drivers.
“We’re using electric cars already which the drivers can share if they wish, but we have more arriving soon, which is another investment in the business.”
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