At Dáme jídlo, they say measuring customer experience involves 70 moments of truth. The company analyses every single moment, from generating the order to the delivery stage, and constantly seeks ways to improve. Dáme jídlo has also set its sights on being a content platform and is expanding its service portfolio.
The coronavirus pandemic presented an unprecedented opportunity for the largest Czech meal delivery service. Practically overnight, it has become virtually the only way to “eat out”. Order numbers jumped up. “We had to completely overhaul our processes, increase the number of couriers, equip them with disinfectants and protective equipment, digitize more and, most importantly, speed things up. For example, we managed a project that would normally take a month in two days,” explains Filip Fingl, CEO of Dáme jídlo, describing the hectic time in March. Even in this period, the company met its goal of delivering food within 30 minutes of an order being placed, with a maximum delay of 10 minutes.
„We had to simplify most processes in the pandemic. And when the restrictions were eased, we didn’t change them back.“Filip Fingl, CEO
Originally a Czech start-up, and part of the German-based Delivery Hero group since 2014, today it partners with almost 4,000 restaurants in 170 Czech municipalities. Dáme jídlo also saw the severe restrictions on restaurants as a chance to show commitment to them. “The restaurants took a real battering. They’re our key partners, and we wanted to support them, so we invested massively in marketing to win them as many orders as possible,” says Fingl. A team of “accounts” takes continuous care of the restaurants. They work with the restaurant on its menu and pricing policy, as well as packaging types, so that everything is to the customer’s satisfaction.
Although the pandemic has boosted orders, Fingl believes that there is still room for growth and improvement. “Our service quality is good, but we want to drive even faster, have a wider offer, and provide even better customer support. Our big advantage is that we’ve got a lot of figures and data to hand, so we can immediately see where a possible error occurred,” he adds. Orders delayed by more than 30 minutes are calculated in the order of units per day, longer delays are even more rare. In these cases, customers receive compensation through a voucher for another meal order.
Online tracking, which Dáme jídlo recently introduced, saves customers time. They know exactly where their order is and can decide whether to collect it immediately or spend a bit longer on something else, such as work e-mails. With the same approach, Dáme jídlo expanded into another segment through a partnership with Tesco Expres. “Every time you do a big shop, you tend to forget a few little things. You usually need them right now but don’t feel like going to the shop again or waiting for a free delivery slot,” says Fingl. Besides meals, then, people can order groceries from these stores. The service currently covers Prague, but the number of participating outlets and partners will increase.
Dáme jídlo has ambitions to be a content platform too; its website is no longer just for ordering food. The company publishes articles about current food trends on its blog, and also produces podcasts with popular figures. “Thanks to us, customers can have their hunger satisfied – and they get more time to spend on other things,” comments the director.
Although Dáme jídlo manages a car fleet, some of the meals are delivered by the restaurants themselves. In those cases, restaurants only use the company’s ordering system. “Before the coronavirus, it was a big problem to find good couriers; now the situation has improved a bit as a result of jobs being lost. But it’s still not easy to find people who are able to guarantee the quality customer experience we want – to understand the brand we are and how customer service should look,” notes Fingl, describing recruitment pitfalls. Occasionally, the management also put themselves in their employees’ shoes, either as couriers or as customer helpline operators. “It’s nice to look at charts and presentations, but sometimes you have to get out into the field and try things for yourself, or make 10 orders yourself. Then you can immediately see if there’s something wrong here,” adds the director.
Dáme jídlo knows that it must also take good care of quality people. For couriers, it organizes competitions for cash prizes. It also paid for a media campaign that highlighted the work of couriers in the COVID-19 crisis. “It wasn’t easy for them to be in the front line. We wanted to thank them and show them that we value their work. They’re not just a number to us,” notes Fingl. And office-based employees value the possibility to take their children or dog with them to work, as well as group breakfasts or yoga lessons. Incidentally, Dáme jídlo is one of the top three out of the 40 Delivery Hero markets in employee satisfaction rankings.Dáme jídlo knows that it must also take good care of quality people. For couriers, it organizes competitions for cash prizes. It also paid for a media campaign that highlighted the work of couriers in the COVID-19 crisis. “It wasn’t easy for them to be in the front line. We wanted to thank them and show them that we value their work. They’re not just a number to us,” notes Fingl. And office-based employees value the possibility to take their children or dog with them to work, as well as group breakfasts or yoga lessons. Incidentally, Dáme jídlo is one of the top three out of the 40 Delivery Hero markets in employee satisfaction rankings.