Foodstuffs NI meets demand with vWork

Meeting skyrocketing demand

The vision behind Foodstuffs North Island’s online delivery business is clear. To deliver the best possible online shopping experience. Since its first online order in 2017, New Zealand’s largest grocery cooperative has built a loyal base of online shoppers. 

With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, New Zealanders flocked to online services.  And consequently, demand for Foodstuffs’ online grocery service has skyrocketed. To meet this, many of Foodstuffs’ New World stores staff worked very long  hours during nationwide lockdown to fulfill orders, whilst also  employing more people.

At the support centre, Foodstuffs North Island’s digital team increased the number of delivery slots to help meet demand. And at the same time, the team reviewed the final step in their online delivery experience. 

Last mile, lasting impression

Every touchpoint in the online journey is an opportunity to win hearts. And the impression made by the delivery driver is often long-lasting. To help drivers deliver the best service possible, Foodstuffs NI implemented vWork.

 vWork is job scheduling and dispatch software ideal for high volume, complex deliveries. Grocery deliveries are complex to manage as they often include alcohol and chilled goods.

To manage this, the integration between vWork and Foodstuffs NI SAP set-up is critical. Each local store completes the grocery pick for their online orders. Once complete, SAP records the customer’s payment which triggers vWork to create a delivery job. This includes whether the order contains alcohol and chilled foods. It is this integration that ensures Foodstuffs NI meet regulatory requirements.

Chief Digital Officer, Simon Kennedy comments: “Being able to integrate with our existing business critical systems is vital for any Foodstuffs’ digital project.

"And vWork’s easy-to-use API was critical to allowing us to connect the relevant data behind the scenes in online delivery. And this contributes to New World’s home delivery experience being first class.”

Drivers use vWork’s workflows for every delivery. The Foodstuffs team customized the workflows to include mandatory fields and conditional logic, making them very responsive to each order.  

For example, if the order includes alcohol, the workflow asks the driver to record that the customer has verified their age. If this information is not available or the person receiving the order is under 18, the items aren’t delivered. And drivers record this too.

Similarly, drivers record the temperature of chilled and frozen goods before delivery.  This is noted against the order. And if for 
any reason that the temperature is not within the accepted limits, then these items are not delivered, and a credit is arranged.

Customers are kept informed when their deliveries are due using vWork’s notifications. Customers select a delivery window when placing their order.  And as the delivery time approaches, vWork’s real-time messages and tracking information sends customers the pinpoint accurate detail on when they can expect their groceries. This proactive information is highly valued by customers.

 A recipe for success 

With all stores in the North Island offering home delivery, Foodstuffs NI has over 250 vWork users. Users are a combination of delivery drivers, customer service centre support staff with read-only access, in-store planners, and head office administrators. This setup gives everyone involved the visibility they need to win online. 

Each driver uses the vWork mobile app to manage their daily deliveries. The delivery drivers (both New World employees and occasional third-party logistics drivers) can quickly see how the app supports each stage of the delivery, including the customized workflows. And having the most efficient route between delivery addresses mapped out takes the heat out of self-navigating. 

In-store administrators see at a glance what the daily delivery runs are. The daily run sheet report outlines which orders go on what truck and importantly, the order that they should be loaded in. 

Weekly reports are sent automatically to administrators too. These include information on delivery performance, such as whether delivery deadlines are met, how long they take, and temperature recordings taken. This gives support centre all the information they need to ensure promises to customers are being met.