Although food delivery apps such as Uber Eats and DoorDash saw a surge during COVID-19 lockdowns, app developers should not rest on their laurels.

New research by First Orion reveals that 62% of around 2,000 survey respondents said they had missed calls about issues with their deliveries because they did not recognise a phone number.

This caused dissatisfaction among 80% and left some disgruntled customers hungry.

A majority of customers (80%) said that they want to get a phone call when there are issues with the delivery.

Another 93% expect issues to be resolved in less than 10 minutes.

For 81% identifying a phone number was very important and they preferred not to answer otherwise.

“It’s clear from our research that food delivery has a ways to go before improving answer rates and customer satisfaction. Right now, too many customers are hangry when there is a potential issue with their order,” said Viki Zabala, chief marketing and product officer at First Orion.

“Consumers are willing to answer the phone when they see a brand’s logo or name, driving greater engagement, loyalty and a positive experience overall. We have seen this firsthand with another on-demand service. In just nine months after adopting First Orion ENGAGE, they saw a 92% answer rate, which dramatically increased their customer satisfaction and experience. It meant that drivers were no longer waiting outside for 10

15 minutes and customers were not wondering where they were, but instead at the ring of their phone, it notified the customer they had arrived.”

Among the most common problems customers complained about were:

• Late deliveries (50%)
• Wrong order (37%)
• Cold food or food that was not fresh (36%)
• Driver needing directions (33%)
• Food not arriving (26%)
• Bad attitude of driver (14%)

Its Time For A Change: #SnapDelivered