Thousand five hundred drivers and riders who form the cream of PickMe’s network are being deployed to handle essentials delivery to selected isolated locations in the western province. This operation began with curfew being imposed in the entire western province during the last 10 days and will continue.
The Sri Lankan app based mobility company, who took the initiative in converting their mobile app into a delivery platform in just 48 hours during the first lockdown last April, is back to delivering essential items to homes. They have resumed operations with their supplier partners such as Litro, Sathosa, Softlogic Glomark, Keells, CIC, Velona, Ambewela, Weerodara, Fonterra and SME’s such as Granada, LAPMC, Saaraketha Organics.
The 1500 drivers who will handle deliveries to homes in the western province have been selected based on customer referrals. Every one of these PickMe drivers has received above 4.5 star ratings out of 5 from their passengers and customers.
Isira Perera, COO of PickMe says app based deliveries cannot be viewed in the way a traditional company operates. “It is a community brought together by technology. And primarily is a gig operation bringing the driver, merchant (supplier), and the end customer together, going beyond the traditional contracts between suppliers and consumers. While the system can work well most of the time there is also a chance of it going wrong.”
Isira adds, “there could be situations where the customer and driver may disagree because a certain amount of disconnect is inevitable because human error cannot be completely eliminated. This can occur if an order is not properly processed. But such situations can be managed by human interface, and that is why we have a human face. PickMe has physical offices that can handle any emergency or customer complaint, and our customer care helpline operates 24/7 to deal with any situation faced by our customers, suppliers, or our driver partners. We do our best to take action on the ground and counsel erring or defaulting riders and drivers and even discontinue their services if the misdeed warrants it. We also manage our suppliers in such a way that benefits them and the end customer, so it is a win-win for all.”
The company takes every precaution, such as training, health checks etc., to ensure the best service all round. Everyone is connected to the center, and the company communicates daily with them via the PickMe app to ensure all safety precautions are followed, assures the COO.