By
Kim Waterston
Photo: cdn.geekwire.com
Recently we had a skip delivered to our house after pulling down our old deck and replacing it with a nice new pergola. My partner had organised for the skip to be delivered in the afternoon and all I had to do was be there and hand over the cash. Unfortunately when the nice delivery driver dropped off the skip and I handed over the money, I was informed that he did not have any change to give me. To make matters worse, I didn't have any smaller notes to be able to give the correct amount.
I instantly thought of my options; I could race up to the local ATM to get the correct change, leaving the delivery driver annoyed waiting for me back at my house or I could give him the money I had and not receive the change but I didn't like the idea of paying extra for the skip.
Then I remembered the money tin sitting inside where we put all of our spare change. I ran inside to find the can opener and opened the money tin, pouring silver coins over the bench and quickly counted out the right amount needed. In the process I cut my hand on the side of the tin and then had to hand the driver the money in 20cent pieces with a tea towel wrapped around my hand.
The driver then had to re-count the money to make sure it was correct and filled out the paperwork for me to sign on a work order book which looked like it had the drivers lunch spilt on it. 15 minutes later, when it really should have only taken 5 minutes, the driver was on his way to his next delivery.
While this situation could have been avoided with my partner leaving me the correct amount of money required or the skip company telling him at the time he ordered the skip, that they do not carry change on the trucks; a much better solution would have been to equip the driver with mobile payment options.
With all of the necessary technology readily available, such as rugged mobile computers with magnetic strip readers and portable receipt printers, it is easy to provide customers with greater payment options. Customers will still have the choice of paying with cash if they prefer but they can now also choose to pay by credit or debit card. This would have resolved my issue with not having the correct amount of money for the skip driver; it would also improve the accuracy in the payments received - it would have been easy for both the driver and me to have miscounted.
By using a mobile computer the information is right there are your fingertips rather than relying on a messy work order book. All the customer has to do is sign on the touch panel, the supplier can even pair the device with a mobile printer to be able to provide the customer with a receipt. This will increase the efficiency of the deliveries and leave the customer with a great experience.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kim_Waterston
Photo: cdn.geekwire.com
Recently we had a skip delivered to our house after pulling down our old deck and replacing it with a nice new pergola. My partner had organised for the skip to be delivered in the afternoon and all I had to do was be there and hand over the cash. Unfortunately when the nice delivery driver dropped off the skip and I handed over the money, I was informed that he did not have any change to give me. To make matters worse, I didn't have any smaller notes to be able to give the correct amount.
I instantly thought of my options; I could race up to the local ATM to get the correct change, leaving the delivery driver annoyed waiting for me back at my house or I could give him the money I had and not receive the change but I didn't like the idea of paying extra for the skip.
Then I remembered the money tin sitting inside where we put all of our spare change. I ran inside to find the can opener and opened the money tin, pouring silver coins over the bench and quickly counted out the right amount needed. In the process I cut my hand on the side of the tin and then had to hand the driver the money in 20cent pieces with a tea towel wrapped around my hand.
The driver then had to re-count the money to make sure it was correct and filled out the paperwork for me to sign on a work order book which looked like it had the drivers lunch spilt on it. 15 minutes later, when it really should have only taken 5 minutes, the driver was on his way to his next delivery.
While this situation could have been avoided with my partner leaving me the correct amount of money required or the skip company telling him at the time he ordered the skip, that they do not carry change on the trucks; a much better solution would have been to equip the driver with mobile payment options.
With all of the necessary technology readily available, such as rugged mobile computers with magnetic strip readers and portable receipt printers, it is easy to provide customers with greater payment options. Customers will still have the choice of paying with cash if they prefer but they can now also choose to pay by credit or debit card. This would have resolved my issue with not having the correct amount of money for the skip driver; it would also improve the accuracy in the payments received - it would have been easy for both the driver and me to have miscounted.
By using a mobile computer the information is right there are your fingertips rather than relying on a messy work order book. All the customer has to do is sign on the touch panel, the supplier can even pair the device with a mobile printer to be able to provide the customer with a receipt. This will increase the efficiency of the deliveries and leave the customer with a great experience.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7462103
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