As a regular customer of food delivery companies and also as a member of the industry trying to help companies optimize their last mile delivery, here is my take on 5 things Indian Food Delivery companies should stop doing and with immediate effect, helping impact both their consumer ratings and operational efficiency.

Calling For Address Info
The industry needs to adopt available technologies to find the consumer’s door step and deliver, avoid asking for directions at all costs as consumers generally hate it.

Asking Passer-bys For Directions
There have been tons of cases where delivery boys have been a cause for traffic snarls or bad road etiquette, and many a times they are spotted asking other motorists or passers-by for directions, posing a direct threat to someone’s safety on the streets.

Using Age Old Drop Down Menus
From a consumer's standpoint, I would hate to pick my address out from a drop down menu, why can't I just point on a map or enter free text?

Not Mapping Trade Zones
Many companies still rely on excel sheets of locality/sublocality info to determine if they can commit to an order or not, many a times leaving a consumer frustrated. Why can't they just digitize their trade zones using mapping technologies or providers?

Not Setting Time Expectations
Lastly please tell me when my food will arrive! Most companies cannot set ETA's, because they are not fully sure where the consumer’s house is, thus generally giving you range (30-40 mins) and not a specific time.

-Parikshith Reddy  (Director)