How Routing Software Powers SPUD’s Online Grocery Deliveries

SPUD is a Canadian online grocery company, offering farm to table ingredients delivered directly to a customer’s home or workplace. Their mission is simple – partner with farmers, bakers, fishermen, and artisans to provide customers with the freshest ingredients delivered straight to their door. In the two decades since their inception, SPUD has grown and customer expectations have evolved. In keeping with their mission to deliver fresh ingredients, SPUD gives customers a two hour delivery window and also offers an express delivery service in Vancouver and Calgary.

In order to keep their operation running smoothly, SPUD partnered with WorkWave in 2014 and began using WorkWave Route Manager. This powerful solutions empowers businesses to streamline their operations through route optimization, GPS tracking, and more. Businesses like SPUD benefit from Route Manager’s ability to automate delivery routes in minutes and provide real-time ETAs to customers.

SPUD’s VP of Supply Chain Reza Bafandeh explains, “WorkWave helps us with scheduling and route optimization, and they also help us determine the specific transaction time a customer or specific type of customer might take when servicing them.”

“We’ve been working with WorkWave for several years now and they have been a really great partner for us, helping us expand what we really offer. We know our warehouse capacity and we have the ability to use WorkWave to stagger our logistical output, to make sure it mimics our warehouse operation.”

In addition to residential deliveries, SPUD also services office buildings, which can present a unique challenge. Office deliveries are more time intensive than home deliveries, adding a new variable to their routing.

“Within Vancouver we service over 500 office clients and we know that sometimes servicing office clients might have a little bit longer transaction time so we can actually customize that in WorkWave to take that transaction time into consideration.” Bafandeh explains.

When it comes to delivering fresh, food timing is vital. If an order is on a truck too long or is left on a doorstep with no one to retrieve it, there is a risk of spoilage. Routing software ensures deliveries are made efficiently and can even be customized to alert customers when a delivery arrives.

“In terms of how drivers monitor their routes…we built in a customized platform that is specific to SPUD using the WorkWave API and drivers just have to follow the route. They just hit ‘Next’ and it tells them where their next destination is. When the order is dropped off, they just hit ‘Completion’ and the customer is notified immediately.”

Routing software can revolutionize your operations, increasing efficiency, customer satisfaction, and profitability. Ready to see what WorkWave Route Manager can do for your business? Contact our team today!

Watch the video below to check out SPUD in action!