Delivery and Dispatch: Proof of Delivery and Collecting on Delivery

The order was perfect. The price was right. The invoice had the right VAT. Then the truck reached the shop, the shopkeeper was away, the carton count was disputed, and the payment was "next week". Delivery is where many carefully managed sales go wrong, because the last hundred metres are the least supervised.

This guide covers dispatch, proof of delivery and collecting money at the door.

The delivery chain

1. Order approved. Stock is available, credit is acceptable.
2. Dispatch. Goods are picked, packed, loaded and a delivery challan or invoice accompanies them.
3. Assignment. A driver or delivery person is assigned to a route.
4. Delivery. The shop receives goods and confirms.
5. Collection. Payment is collected, or the credit period starts.
6. Closure. The order is marked delivered with proof.

Each step should leave a record.

Dispatch: get it right at the warehouse

Most delivery disputes start at the warehouse. Practical controls:

• Check stock before dispatch. An order that cannot be fully supplied should be handled deliberately, not discovered on the road.
• Pick against the order, with a second person checking cartons on high-value orders.
• Weigh or count and record the number of cartons or total kilograms.
• Seal or label each shop's delivery clearly in mixed vehicles.
• Issue the invoice only for what is dispatched. If only 80 of 100 cartons can go, cancel the order before dispatch and book a new one for 80 (gamitrack dispatches whole orders), so the invoice matches the load.

Load planning for routes

Group deliveries by area so that the vehicle travels a sensible loop. A bike delivery in the valley is different from a truck leaving Birgunj for the district markets. Consider vehicle capacity, road conditions in monsoon and bazaar hours that restrict loading. Put the first stop's goods nearest the door.

Proof of delivery

A reliable proof of delivery has four parts:

Element	What it shows
Receiver name	Who accepted the goods
Photo	The goods or the shop front on delivery
Time and location	When and where, via GPS
Quantity confirmation	What was accepted or refused

Signatures and shop stamps are still useful, and can be photographed as part of the record.

Use the location as a signal, not as absolute proof: if the delivery is recorded far from the shop's saved location, flag it for a check instead of assuming fraud. Some deliveries are genuinely made to a godown or a relative's house.

Collecting on delivery

Collecting on delivery (cash on delivery for shops that pay at the door) speeds your cash cycle but adds risk if handled loosely. Controls:

1. Show the amount due to the driver before arrival, including any outstanding balance.
2. Record the payment immediately, with method: cash, Fonepay QR, eSewa, Khalti, cheque.
3. Give a receipt each time.
4. Prefer digital payments where shops use them. QR payments reduce cash handling and theft risk.
5. Reconcile every evening: cash handed over against payments recorded.
6. Split carefully: collect against the specific invoice or the oldest dues, as per your allocation rule.

See collecting payments on time for credit rules.

Hypothetical day for a delivery person

A driver, Binod, has 12 deliveries in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.

• Seven shops are cash-on-delivery, totalling NPR 186,000 due.
• Five are on credit.
• He collects NPR 150,000 in cash, NPR 24,000 by Fonepay QR, and one shop pays only part, leaving NPR 12,000 due.
• In the evening the cashier reconciles: NPR 150,000 cash handed in, NPR 24,000 matched to QR notifications, and the NPR 12,000 shortfall is recorded as a follow-up with the reason.

Because every step is recorded, the manager sees the story in a minute.

Handling problems at the door

• Shop closed: record the attempt with time and location, call the owner, and reschedule. Do not carry goods around unrecorded.
• Wrong or damaged item: photograph and record. Decide on a replacement or credit note. See sales returns and damaged goods.
• Quantity dispute: compare the challan and the shop's count at the door, and note the difference on the delivery record.
• Refusal: record the reason, return the goods to the warehouse and update the order.

Measuring delivery performance

• Delivery time from dispatch to delivery.
• First-attempt success rate.
• Delivery disputes and credit notes per hundred deliveries.
• Collected on delivery as a share of amount due.
• Far-delivery flags, where location does not match the shop.

Common mistakes

• Dispatching without checking stock.
• Invoicing the order quantity rather than the dispatched quantity.
• No receiver name or photo.
• Drivers holding cash for days.
• Mixing collections for several invoices without recording allocation.

Delivery for different business types

The right delivery model varies by product and area.

• Dairy and bakery: early morning, tight windows, short routes, a high number of small drops. Missing the window loses the sale.
• Beverages: heavy, bulky loads; crates and returnable bottles need their own tracking.
• Masala and dry goods: larger drops, tolerance for a day's delay, more credit.
• Pharma: careful handling, batch records, temperature considerations for some products; follow regulations.
• Remote districts: consolidated trips and transporters; proof of handover to the transporter is as important as proof at the shop.

Working with transporters

When goods go by bus, truck or courier, record the vehicle number, driver contact, bilty or receipt number, and expected arrival. Ask the receiver to confirm the quantity on arrival and photograph any damage before the transporter leaves. Agree who bears transit damage in advance, and keep the paperwork.

Delivery cut-off times

Set cut-off times so the warehouse is not overwhelmed: for example, orders confirmed before 2 pm ship the next morning. Publish the rule to salespeople and shops. If you change it for festivals, announce it early. Consistency reduces the number of urgent calls and mistakes.

End-of-day delivery reconciliation checklist

1. All assigned deliveries marked delivered, failed or returned.
2. Cash and QR collections match the recorded payments.
3. Undelivered goods returned to the warehouse and counted.
4. Damaged or refused items logged with photos.
5. Tomorrow's re-attempts scheduled.

Training delivery staff

Drivers and helpers are the face of your company at the door. A short training should cover:

• Greeting the shopkeeper and checking the order together.
• Counting cartons with the receiver, in front of him.
• Taking the photo and receiver name every time.
• Handling cash and QR payments, and giving receipts.
• What to do when the shop is closed, the quantity is disputed or goods are damaged.
• Calling the office instead of improvising on discounts or credits.

Give them a printed card with these steps, in Nepali. Review a few delivery records each week with the team, praising good ones and discussing the weak ones.

Measuring cost per delivery

Add up fuel, driver salary, vehicle costs and loading, and divide by the number of drops. Compare by area. A remote route with five drops a day may cost several times more per drop than a valley loop with twenty. This helps you set minimum order values, delivery days by area, or a delivery charge for small orders, and gives you facts for the conversation with small shops.

How gamitrack handles it

gamitrack lets you assign a delivery person to an order. The driver's Deliveries tab shows the amount due, location and directions, with a call button. They mark delivered with GPS, a photo and the receiver's name, and a far-delivery flag appears if the location is not near the outlet. Collection after delivery is recorded with payment method and posts to the ledger. Dispatch follows an all-or-nothing stock check so invoices match what leaves the warehouse.

Try a delivery round on test data: start a free trial. Dairy and bakery businesses with daily deliveries may like our dairy industry page.

Key takeaways

• Disputes are cheaper to prevent at dispatch than to settle at the shop.
• Proof of delivery means receiver, photo, time and location, and quantity.
• Collect on delivery with immediate records, receipts and evening reconciliation.
• Invoice what was dispatched, nothing more.