As consumer demands continue to evolve, your business needs a logistics strategy that’s flexible enough to meet them. Whether it’s order-tracking visibility or faster fulfillment they’re looking for, adding the right same-day delivery partner can help address all of these expectations and more. 

But before adding any new delivery partner to your ranks, it’s important to ensure they blend well with your existing operations, goals and values. After all, the delivery experience is an extension of your brand, and that can make or break the customer experience. 

We’ve identified five main lines of questioning for your potential same-day delivery partners, helping you drill down into topics such as brand loyalty, delivery flexibility and last mile logistics efficiency, with specific questions to ask in each category. 

1. How do I scale same-day delivery without overstretching my existing network?

To truly maximize your logistical buck, you need a partner with solutions that adapt to your existing infrastructure, rather than forcing you to change how you do business. Whether you prefer to fulfill orders directly from your retail shelves or move high-volume inventory straight from the warehouse, your delivery partner should offer the flexibility of choice.

For many, the traditional "ship-from-store" model is a great starting point, but it can put a massive strain on local retail staff and inventory, often leading to stockouts for walk-in customers or labor bottlenecks during peak hours. The most scalable partners offer cross-docking capabilities as a powerful alternative. This allows you to bypass the retail shelf entirely by moving high-volume same-day orders directly from your distribution centers to a local cross-dock facility, where they are immediately sorted and dispatched to drivers.

Questions to ask: 

• What is the maximum delivery radius from a store or cross-dock facility?
• Does your system automatically "right-size" the vehicle for the order?

• Can I deliver from both stores and cross-docks?

• What does your tracking and chain of custody look like?

2. How do I integrate same-day into my existing systems?

You want a same-day delivery solution that plugs into your current tech stack without requiring a total infrastructure overhaul. Whether you are operating out of a single warehouse or hundreds of retail storefronts, the integration should make local delivery feel like a native part of your fulfillment process.

For UPS customers, Roadie integrates with your existing UPS account and some UPS shipping systems, making it easy to manage all your deliveries in one place. You can bill Roadie deliveries directly to your UPS account number, and these deliveries will count toward your small package contract commitments and tiers. This streamlines your billing and simplifies your logistics operations.

• Can you integrate with various e-commerce, order management platforms or TMS providers?

• Does the platform aggregate your spend into your existing invoicing or will you be handling separate billing?

• What geographic areas are covered?

3. What product sizes and dimensions can you deliver?

Your goal is to maximize delivery flexibility in the last mile while minimizing the number of partnerships you need to maintain (i.e., you want to get the most bang for your logistical buck). Make sure your delivery partner can pair your orders with the right vehicle for the job and that drivers are equipped to move the kinds of materials you need them to. 

For example, a building supply company may need to deliver everything from nuts and bolts to 12-foot framing lumber — sometimes all in one vehicle but not always to the same jobsite. If that’s beyond your potential partner’s capabilities or such orders would incur additional fees, keep searching. Take special care to review the list of materials each partner is unable to accept for delivery. 

Roadie complements UPS's existing services by providing additional flexibility and speed for specific delivery needs. Roadie is not meant to replace UPS but rather to enhance its capabilities and offer a wider range of options for UPS customers. By combining Roadie with your UPS services, you can create a comprehensive delivery strategy that meets all your needs and exceeds customer expectations.

Questions to ask:

• Do you have minimum or maximum order sizes senders must adhere to?

• Can you ship non-palletized goods, including bulky or oddly shaped items?

• What types of materials are on your prohibited list?

• Do you charge extra for less-than-a-truckload deliveries?

4. Can you fill gaps when demand spikes or a service area expands?

Peak season surges and unpredictable rush order requests are common reasons retailers call on crowdsourcing. You need a last-mile logistics solution that will scale with your business. Ask potential partners how they’ll work with (and for) you as your demand fluctuates or as your service area expands. 

Questions to ask:

• Do you take action to increase the driver pool during the peak holiday retail season?

• Can your driver pool accommodate a demand surge even if my peak season doesn’t fall during a traditional holiday shopping season?

• What steps do you take to ensure drivers are available to deliver?

• Does your platform let me send out regular on-demand orders, even if they’re not on a predetermined schedule?

• If I expand my service area in the future, do your services extend to those new areas?

5. What visibility and order tracking do you offer?

More and more, consumers are demanding visibility into their online shopping orders. Research shows that as many as 68% want to know where their packages are at all times from order to delivery. Ask prospective delivery partners what type of order tracking they offer to both consumers and senders, and ask about their platform’s visibility features. 

Questions to ask: 

• What type of customer and sender communications do you offer during the delivery process, and does that include real-time tracking (not just status updates)?

• Does your platform provide photographic delivery confirmation?

• What options do you offer for troublesome delivery attempts, and can drivers contact recipients directly to facilitate a delivery?

Deliver nearly any item, anytime, anywhere with Roadie

Whether you need to deliver building materials or craft supplies, your customers count on you to fulfill their orders on their terms: when they want it, where they want it, delivered in full, and on time. By tapping into the over 31,000 drivers using Roadie’s platform, you can help you bolster your business while improving customer satisfaction with reliable, high-quality and convenient delivery. When it’s time to add an on-demand delivery solution to your logistics strategy, asking the right questions will ensure you bring on a partner as interested in your success as you are.