Example business: a small distributor using its own delivery staff. Package counts and collection amounts are illustrative.
1. What the process covers
Dispatch means handing goods out for delivery. Delivery records what the customer actually received. Keeping those events separate helps staff handle partial deliveries, failed visits, and goods that return to the warehouse.
Begin with practical information: the right address, contact, delivery window, package count, and any collection instructions. A simple delivery list can be more useful than a complicated map built from incorrect customer details.
2. People and records to keep
On small screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Record | Who uses it | What to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery order | Sales and warehouse | Customer order, items, quantities, delivery address, and agreed date. |
| Dispatch sheet | Warehouse and driver | Packages handed over, assigned driver, vehicle where relevant, and time. |
| Delivery outcome | Driver and customer-facing staff | Delivered quantity, acknowledgment where appropriate, failed reason, and next action. |
| Returns and collections | Warehouse and finance | Goods returned, inspection outcome, money collected, and handover references. |
3. The everyday workflow
- Prepare the delivery. Check stock, address, customer availability, and any special instructions.
- Pick and pack. Verify the order and package count before the driver accepts it.
- Assign and dispatch. Give the driver a clear list and a way to report issues.
- Record the outcome. Capture full, partial, or failed delivery with the reason and next action.
- Close the run. Match returned goods and collections against the dispatch records and investigate differences.
4. A small business example
A driver leaves with 20 packages. Customers accept 18, while two packages return after failed delivery attempts. The run should explain all 20 packages: 18 delivered and two received back.
The two returned packages are inspected before becoming available again. If the driver also collects customer payments, finance matches the actual money and references separately. Proof of delivery does not by itself prove that a payment was collected.
5. Checks and common problems
- Do not mark every package delivered just because the driver completed the route.
- Keep partial deliveries tied to the original order and show the undelivered balance.
- Let staff correct an address or arrange another attempt without creating a duplicate customer order.
- Use customer and driver information only as needed for the service, with suitable access and retention.
- Record a reason for cash differences and returned goods instead of hiding them by changing the dispatched quantity.
6. Start with a simple system
Start with a dispatch sheet, an assigned driver, and a small set of understandable outcome states. A mobile-friendly app can add delivery updates, acknowledgments, photos where appropriate, and a list of unresolved attempts.
Pilot one delivery run. Review failed-attempt reasons, package differences, missing acknowledgments, and collection differences. Improve customer details and handover discipline before adding automatic route planning.
7. Frequently asked questions
Is dispatch the same as completed delivery?
No. Dispatch records goods handed out for delivery. Completion depends on the actual customer receipt or another agreed outcome, with undelivered goods accounted for.
What should happen to goods from a failed delivery?
Record their return and inspect condition before releasing them for another sale or dispatch. Keep the failed attempt and next action linked to the order.
Do small businesses need live vehicle tracking?
Not always. Clear dispatch and outcome records may solve the immediate problem. Choose tracking only when there is a justified operational need and suitable data handling.
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