Standing orders do the planning for you
Most dairy customers take the same quantity most days. Storing that once means tomorrow's round is generated rather than remembered, and a new rider can run it without knowing the street.
Pauses are the hard part
Customers travel, and a paused customer who still gets delivered is a loss twice over - product wasted and a billing argument later. Pauses need a start and end date attached to the customer, not a note in someone's phone.
Crates go out faster than they come back
Crates and glass bottles drift the same way water bottles do. Record what returns each morning and the drift becomes visible while it is still small.
Bill the month, not the litre
Daily amounts are too small to invoice individually. Accumulate them on a customer ledger and issue one statement per month showing deliveries, pauses, payments, and the closing balance.
FAQ
- How do I handle a customer who changes quantity often?
- Keep the standing order as the default and record the exception on the day. The statement then shows both the pattern and the variations.
- Can one system handle milk and water rounds together?
- Yes. Both are recurring deliveries with returnables and a customer balance, so they share the same routes, riders, and reports.