Got Delivery? 2020 Food Delivery Report

Your Dinner is Calling

Ring! Ring! It’s your burger, pizza, or snack on the other line. Punctuality is essential when food comes hot and ready, and delivery apps are blazing right now.

Due to the pandemic, it has become nearly impossible for consumers to enjoy eating out at their favorite restaurants. For this very reason, food delivery apps have risen in popularity, and people’s favorite meals can now be delivered straight to their doors with ease!

To better understand how Americans experience on-demand food delivery services – specifically contentious areas like communications and customer service – First Orion surveyed more than 2,000 mobile phone subscribers in North America.

Our results reveal that while consumers want real-time updates on their food deliveries, they rarely answer calls from unknown sources – even when they’re expecting a call.

Key Points:

• 79% of respondents said they would like a phone call if there were any known issues with their order. However, three-fourths of those people said they were likely to ignore or miss an incoming call if the number calling was unknown or unidentified.
• 62% of people said they missed a call related to their food order because they didn’t recognize the number that was calling.
• 81% said it is “very important to extremely important” that an unknown number is identified by name, so they know who is calling.
• More than 70% of respondents report experiencing an issue that required customer service, with over 20% reporting that they ALWAYS require contact with customer service of some kind.

Rise of On-Demand Food Delivery Apps

There’s been a recent surge in the use of popular on-demand food delivery platforms like Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash. (92% of the people we talked to use at least one delivery app!)

The rise of food delivery apps has become a major trend among consumers across all demographics. There are more than a dozen online and app food delivery companies in North America, and the recent pandemic only increased this demand.

More than 60% of people surveyed use a food delivery app at least three times a month.

On-Demand Food CX isn’t Perfect (yet)

Food delivery requires a lot of moving parts to deliver an excellent customer experience. There’s a lot that can go wrong that apps have no control over. These web and app companies rely on restaurants to execute orders accurately, and they employ contractors to deliver the final product. A lot can go wrong between the time a customer hits “Place Order” and the final delivery.

Over 70% of people reported experiencing delivery/food issues, with more than 20% saying that they end up ALWAYS needing to contact customer service.

Anonymous Calls Mean Lost Calls

Sometimes, you need to talk to a customer to resolve a delivery issue. But drivers reported they aren’t able to connect with customers over the phone when calling from an unidentified number.

When asked what the most common issues are that require customer service contact, those surveyed responded:

• Late delivery (50%)
• Incorrect order (37%)
• Food was cold / not fresh (36%)
• Driver needed directions (33%)
• Food never arrived (26%)
• Delivery driver attitude or behavior issue (14%)

So, despite the most common problems being out of the control of a delivery app, customers still expect the delivery platform to provide customer service for any issues.

In fact, 93% of people said they expect an issue with their order to be resolved in less than 10 minutes. That’s faster than most pizza delivery slogans!

If it takes longer than that, 83% said it would affect their overall satisfaction with the service. So, when it comes to quality customer experience, delivery platforms would be wise to be proactive.

What’s in a Number?

Well, when it comes to phone numbers, not much. If you’ve ever searched an unknown number to see who it could be before you answered your phone, then you know what we’re talking about.

Over 80% of people we surveyed said it was “very important or extremely important” that an unknown number is identified by name so they know who’s on the other end. It doesn’t matter if they’re waiting for food, either; more than 75% said they’ll miss the call if it’s unknown, even if they have a current order that may require attention.

62% said they missed a call related to their food order because they didn’t recognize the number calling. Your customers want to know it’s you calling. But your unidentified phone number makes you completely anonymous.

When calls to customers go unanswered, it slows down the entire delivery process – sometimes ending in a canceled order and a hangry customer. Companies that are proactive about customer service get ahead by branding those calls – raising the answer rate to more than 90% on average.

Here are some interesting results we found while doing our survey:

• Women miss more calls! We found that 39% said they wouldn’t answer an unknown number, compared to 30% of men.
• On average 43% of users are likely to be affected by unresolved issues. For one app delivery provider, this was as much as 53%!
• New Yorkers want answers. 37% said they’d prefer a phone call if there was a known issue, compared to 27% nationally.

Missed Call. Now What?

No one wants their fries to get cold when a driver can’t find their address. But that’s just one consequence of a missed call.

Some food services penalize the customer if a driver is unable to connect. And, for drivers, missed calls can lead to lots of wasted downtime, meaning fewer deliveries (and tips!) overall.

Branded Communication Can Deliver

Customers that are happy now and loyal tomorrow are just a phone call away. But when they won’t pick up, the responsibility still falls on the business to make it right. With Branded Communication, such as First Orion’s INFORM or ENGAGE solutions, drivers and customers can verify arrival and location in real-time.

On-demand platforms rely on their contractors to complete orders in a timely fashion. When customers answer the call, they can complete more jobs and make more money, which leads to higher satisfaction and better driver retention.

Customer Satisfaction is Just a Call Away

While it’s easy (and often preferable) to order a meal for delivery using an app, when it comes to customer service, voice interaction is critical.

Nearly 80% of people said if there was an unresolved issue with the delivery of their order, it would affect their overall satisfaction with the service used.

79% of people said they’d like a phone call if there was any known issue with their order. if an order can’t be delivered as expected, more than 30% of people said they prefer a phone call.

That’s compared to just 24% of people who said they’d prefer an app alert.

With Branded Communication, customers get a notification combined with an eye-catching phone call.

Keep Up to Date with Our Latest Report

Looking for the latest data on the food delivery industry? Download the 2022 Food Delivery Report here!

First Orion creates mobile communication solutions that enable businesses or agencies to identify who they are and why they’re calling on your incoming call screen. Our INFORM branded text display features a customizable 32-character message. ENGAGE is a graphics-based, content-rich display, allowing companies to deliver name, numbers, logo, and colors right to their audience.