Buying trays again
The bakery bought a new batch of bread trays in the spring. By autumn, the packing room is short again. The drivers know where they are: stacked behind the cafe on the high street, in the garden centre's store room, used as shelving in the farm shop. Some have gone back to the wrong bakery with another supplier's driver.
Nobody knows how many each customer has, because the only record is the driver's memory and occasionally a note on the delivery sheet.
Why trays disappear
Trays are cheap one at a time and expensive in bulk. Collection happens at the van door, in a hurry, and there is no count going out or coming back. Customers have no reason to return them promptly unless asked, and drivers do not want to argue at six in the morning.
- Trays out are not counted per drop.
- Trays back are collected when convenient.
- No balance is kept per customer.
- Trays leave with other suppliers' drivers.
- Customers who close take trays with them.
What the missing trays cost
Replacement trays, crates and dollies, bought again and again. Packing slowed down when trays run short. Bread packed in whatever is available, which does not stack well in the van. And quiet arguments with customers about how many they really have.
Tray tracking we build
- The driver's drop list shows the number of trays and dollies expected to go out with each order, worked out from the packing plan.
- At each drop, the driver confirms trays out and enters trays collected with a couple of taps.
- A running balance per customer is kept, so everyone can see how many each customer is holding.
- When a customer's balance goes above a level you set, the driver's list reminds them to collect, and the customer can be sent a polite message.
- A weekly report shows balances by customer and round, and trays unaccounted for overall.
- If you choose to charge for unreturned trays under your trading terms, the balance provides the figure for your invoicing system to apply.
| Recorded | Used for |
|---|---|
| Trays out per drop | Customer balance |
| Trays collected per drop | Customer balance |
| Balance over your limit | Driver reminder and customer message |
| Weekly totals | Knowing how many are missing |
A packing room with trays in it
The drivers know which customers to collect from, with a number to point to. Customers see a polite, factual reminder rather than a grumble at the door. The packing room stops running short. And before you order more trays, you can see whether you really need them or whether they are in cafe back rooms.
The numbers also help at the door. A driver who can say the shop is holding a particular number of trays, and show it on the phone, has an easier conversation than one who says there seem to be a lot of ours out the back. Most customers hand them over without fuss once they see the count.
When a customer closes or changes supplier, the balance shows how many trays to collect before the account is closed, which is the moment they are most likely to be lost for good.
Over time you can see which rounds and which types of customer hold on to trays longest, and adjust how you deal with them, whether that is a word from the driver, a deposit, or simply collecting on a different day.
Is this your bakery?
- You regularly buy new trays or crates.
- Drivers know where trays are, but nobody has a count.
- Customers hold stacks of your trays.
- Packing runs short of trays at busy times.
- Trays have left with other suppliers' drivers.