Local Supply Chains Deserve Better
For companies that do B2B last-mile deliveries, the driver is ultimately getting more face time with the customer than anyone at the company. And the function they serve can be directly correlated with the profitability of that end customer. A business can’t deliver a product or service without receiving necessary supplies so the longer the wait, the less total throughput. Along with that, companies know the direct effect this part of their service can have on customer satisfaction, retention, and a host of other factors critical for survival in a competitive industry.
Positive and negative feedback from the day to day delivery operations signals to companies that they should hold this part of their business to a high standard. Contrarily there often isn't a lot of margin in most of these business models to spend a couple extra incremental opex dollars for a better delivery experience. So it's always a balance of managing the bottom line and risking the loss of a high LTV customer due to bad delivery experiences whatever they may be. Not to mention any lost top-line opportunities.
I believe this to be a key aspect of why new players are still having a lot of challenges in the third party last-mile delivery space (Uber, Lyft, DoorDash etc). Specifically for when they are providing a B2B service. Gig drivers are incentivized to treat every delivery as transactional. Its the nature of the business and easy to conclude if you follow the incentives. Therefor, why should they care to pay attention to those business OKRs listed above? This could be argued for drivers employed by companies as well which is why there isn’t an obvious answer to build out an internal fleet or even rely on tradition 3PLs. This customer/provider (or employee/employer) relationship, it’s incentive structure, and alignment of holistic business goals and outcomes becomes a direct contradiction to the ideal state of the customer (being low cost, high quality, high efficiency delivery service) . With the current options available today (in the majority of your typical U.S. towns and cities) being gig platforms, operating an internal fleet, traditional 3PLs, and a combination of all options— there isn’t an obvious outlier solution that is both the cheapest option and helps customers get to their desired state.
Keep in mind, this is a problem on a spectrum of severity with a lot of contributing and layered factors but something still has to give.
Drones and autonomous vehicles aside, the last-mile delivery industry would benefit from a serious change in the role of a last-mile delivery driver if companies truly want a lasting solution. Thinking completely outside of the box when it comes to how their compensated, what they’re responsible for, what business aspects they can impact, their relationship with the customer/end customer/employer, what tools they use, so on and so forth. Any other change is going to have a marginal impact and supply chains deserve more.
Get More On-demand Delivery Requests
Most platforms make it very hard to understand just exactly how, as a delivery driver, they’re getting (or not getting) delivery requests. While it can be quite complex, these processes or mostly referred to as algorithms, are typically rooted in just a few main characteristics. While it varies by platform, those characteristics are typically things like a delivery drivers real-time distance to the pickup location (which equates to their ability to delivery the items on time), their overall performance history, and at the most basic level, are they even open to receiving requests in the first place (“active” or “online”).
We certainly understand that there is a portion of delivery drivers that just want to jump onto a platform and start earning, which platforms like Tonquin and others do so well. However, we also understand that there are delivery drivers out there that want to get ahead and are constantly looking for ways to increase their earnings.
Other platforms have constructed programs that typically reduce delivery driver freedoms (one of the main reasons people do this type of work), have harsh and sometimes impossible criteria to meet only to put them on the ambiguous latter of algorithm importance. There are good reasons for a lot of the overall criteria and policies needed to meet and follow within these programs— you have to work hard if you want to earn more… but it can be done better.
At Tonquin, we’re working on a much more simplified, transparent, and attainable way to allow delivery drivers to move fluidly through the stages of just wanting to earn extra cash, to getting ahead and building equity on their hard work. We realize even just that statement may sound a bit unclear itself, but we’ll look forward to clarifying the opportunities available to Tonquin Delivery Providers shortly :)
For now, here are a few ways that Tonquin Delivery Providers can boost their chances of receiving quality On-demand Delivery requests.
Position yourself
Whether its an area you typically drive in already or a store that you like, being close to that location as they request deliveries will increase your chances of getting more of their requests.
Be on-time
Delivering the orders within the stated time is extremely important for auto parts delivery. You're delivering to business customers of the auto part stores and the consistent timeliness of those deliveries is how the auto parts stores get judged by their customers (the repair shop, mechanical shop, body shop, etc.) Stacking on-time orders will not only keep your on-time rating high, but your overall rating as well.
Be online
Simply knowing when to have your app online will lead to getting more requests. Without having any negative consequences for a declined request, there is no harm to having your app online. Since auto part stores are delivering to business customers, they’re the busiest Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. Although you will also see activity on the weekends!
Life as a Tonquin Delivery Provider - Episode 1
Tonquin is an app that helps me connect with auto parts supply stores. I use it to pick up auto parts and deliver them to repair shops.
Tonquin is an app that helps me connect with auto parts supply stores. I use it to pick up auto parts and deliver them to repair shops.
You may not know this, but repair shops don't have any of the parts available. When you take your car in to get it worked on, the part has to be ordered from a local supplier. That supplier has everything that the repair shop might need.
Getting the part from the supplier to the shop in about 30 minutes is where we come in.
When I sign into Tonquin on my phone, I find and select the gigs that work for me. Before I accept the gig, I see all the information: the dollar amount, how long the trip should take, et cetera. It's a straightforward way to make money.
Why do I like delivering auto parts? Delivering car parts, as opposed to food or people, is fantastic.
First, it's B2B. You're going to work with businesses on both ends of the delivery. We only work with professionals. Suppliers have the parts sitting out ready for me. They know that time is money, and they're trying to move extremely fast and get you that auto part right away. Rarely if ever, do I have to wait for anything? The minute I get that order from Tonquin and see it online and go to pick it up, it's sitting there ready for me.
The receiver is also ready for that auto part. They have a repair that needs to be done right away. So the minute I pull in, they're prepared for that auto part to be delivered, and they're going to sign off on it. I never spend any time waiting. I'm always on the move and doing this.
Another thing that I like about it is that it's during the day, I don't have to drive at night. Typically, this is when Uber or Lyft, or even Doordash are at their slowest. Alternatively, the middle of the day is when Tonquin and auto parts deliveries are at their busiest. I can stay busy somewhere starting around nine o'clock in the morning, till about three in the afternoon.
Another thing that I like is that I don't have to deal with anybody in my car. Now, I don't mind doing Uber or Lyft and having people in my car, but sometimes it is tiring, and they want to be on their phones or whatever. You don't have to deal with any of it. I can listen to whatever I want on the radio. There are going to be no complaints.
It's safe. We've seen a rise in crimes against rideshare delivery providers, and it's dangerous. And I like dealing with nobody. I don't have to go into rough neighborhoods and try to determine if this will be safer?
The final thing that I like most about it is that I'm in complete control, like with any big job. I can decide to take the job if it's worth it for me or not. I don't have to try to work for some boss or anything like that. I can work when I want to work and make the money I want.
It's just awesome!
Tonquin, as an app, is super easy to use. It's functional, clear, and makes it easy to deliver car parts. One of the other things that I enjoy is that because I deal with businesses, I can become a preferred provider using Tonquin. When a car parts delivery provider, a supplier needs somebody regularly, they can reach directly out to me through the Tonquin app and schedule me, but yeah, it's straightforward. And I like that. So yeah, there you go. That's what I like about delivering car parts. And that's why I like using Tonquin to do that.
Auto Part Store Pro Tip: Increase the likelihood that a driver accepts your Charter
It doesn't happen often but a commercial manager or dispatcher never wants to be in a scenario where they scheduled a Charter (a Charter is a request for a Tonquin Delivery Provider to work for a single auto part store location for a block of time) and it goes unaccepted. Again, this scenario happens infrequently but when it does happen, we realize the impact that it has on an auto part stores ability to get parts out the door.
So we want to give auto parts stores a pro tip that will help them get more of their Charters fulfilled.
Using our expert knowledge of independent workers, their goals, and values that drive the way they work on platforms such as Tonquin, we'll suggest one actionable thing that an auto part store can do the next time their in that scenario.
Pro Tip: Cancel a Charter that is not being accepted by a Delivery Provider and reschedule it as multiple, smaller Charters.
For example, a Charter scheduled from 10am to 6pm can be rescheduled as two Charters; one being from 10am to 2pm and the other being from 2pm to 6pm. And this does not affect the cost.
Independent workers value flexibility, so a Delivery Provider is more likely to commit to a 4 hour Charter than an 8 hour Charter. It does happen but it all depends on the individual and if you are noticing that your 6 or 8 hour Charter isn't getting fulfilled, this is likely the case. So what this does is that in the example above, it allows two different Delivery Providers to give you the coverage you need and raises your chances of getting that coverage fulfilled. Charters can be scheduled in blocks as little as 2 hours so test out any combination and see what Delivery Providers in your area like!
Canceling Gigs - Impact to your Customers & 3 Actionable Suggestions
At Tonquin, our job is to help Providers succeed. We do that by helping to educate Delivery Providers about auto parts stores' businesses and what they look for the most as it relates to using services of Independent Delivery Providers on the Tonquin platform.
In this post, we'll be explaining the impact on your customer when you cancel a gig, specifically an hourly gig (a Charter), and three ways that you can take action to perform a better service.
First, we'll give you the the short version of the impact to your customers.
The impact [short version]: Your customers literally lose money.
The impact [long answer]: When you cancel a block of time that you previously accepted, specifically with less than 24hrs until the gig is going to start, your customer is left to either quickly find another solution to fill the gap or they're left short handed. Their end customers (who you delivery the parts to) are affected by not getting their parts on time or at all because there's no one to deliver them. This directly impacts how much your customer can sell during that time.
Here is what this looks like.
Customers, the auto parts stores, request Delivery Providers for blocks of time to fill gaps in their driver schedule. They know roughly how many deliveries will need to get done throughout the day so they know ahead of time where they might need some help.
Repair shops expect their parts to arrive quickly which means the number of drivers that an auto parts store has available directly impacts how much product (parts) they can sell.
When an auto parts store schedule's a block of time that you accept, that auto parts store is relying on you to show up so that they can sell their parts, deliver them to their customers quickly, and keep their customers business.
When you cancel that block of time that the auto parts store expected you to be there for, they are left short handed and the physical number of deliveries that they can possibly do during that time drops.
When they are left short handed, there is a significant impact to the number of deliveries they can do in that time. Which impacts the overall sales that they can do and leaves their commercial customer unhappy.
Coming soon, auto part stores will have the ability to block certain Providers from seeing their gigs. If you perform a good service, you will have nothing to worry about. However, if you cancel gigs frequently there will be a higher chance of getting blocked. This will be a decision purely made by the auto parts store so that they can continue to rely on the platform and choose to only work with Providers that are reliable and do a good job.
Here are three suggested actions you can take, and maybe are already taking, to solve and improve upon this as a Delivery Provider.
We hope this allows Providers who like and rely on Tonquin for meaningful income to continue to be successful, have opportunities to grow their business, and provide the best services for their auto part store customers.
Please, contact us if you have any questions or concerns!
Preferred Providers
If you have a Delivery Provider in the Tonquin network that you like working with, send them a request to become your Preferred Provider (in three clicks). Once they approve, you will be able to assign on-demand deliveries directly to that Provider when they're available. As opposed to creating an on-demand delivery and waiting for it to be accepted.
Using a Preferred Provider will:
Increase the number of successful on-demand deliveries that you need fulfilled because they've already agreed to work with you.
Increase your ability to rely on the platform (you can have multiple Preferred Providers).
Give you control over who is doing your deliveries increasing customer satisfaction.
Allow you to deliver to more of your premium customers since you have an established trust/relationship with your Preferred Provider.
Allow you to create a branded delivery experience if you Preferred Provider is willing (they're independent!).
Save you money since there is no added cost (you still only pay per delivery).
To do this:
Go to your Tonquin Logistics Dashboard
Click on the "Providers" tab
Click, "Request Preferred Provider"
Find the Provider you'd like to request
Click, "Send Request"
Now anytime that you go to your Providers tab, you will see a status of whether the request is still pending, has been denied, or has been accepted!
Once they approve, anytime that Provider is online and available, their name will show up under the "Choose Provider" drop down menu when creating an on-demand delivery. Allowing you to assign your delivery directly to that person.
Use this powerful tool to create an endless pool of delivery resources at your fingertips and at no extra cost. Delivery Providers want your business, which puts you in the driver seat!
We want to remind store managers, dispatchers, commercial pro's and anyone else responsible for commercial deliveries that every Delivery Provider on the Tonquin network is completely independent. Which means that we encourage you to communicate and work with them to create a solution that best fits your individual locations needs. And Tonquin is the platform that can handle it all.
Get a delivery driver for 2 hours next Tuesday, 6 hours this Friday, & Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm for the next 3 months all using Tonquin - How to guide & FAQ
In addition to on-demand deliveries, we've recently added the ability to contract with an independent Delivery Provider on the Tonquin network for a block of time. This allows you to fill in your schedule gaps ahead of time. All you have to do is post the request (takes less than 5 minutes) and the Delivery Provider will show up at the scheduled time. It's really that easy.
Contrary to the title of this post, you can request to contract with a Delivery Provider for anytime, whenever they're needed, all on-demand. The only constraints being that it has to be between the hours of 8am and 6pm, and at a minimum of 2 hour increments and 8 hour maximum increments. These can be recurring (i.e. you need someone Monday through Friday from 1pm to 5pm for the next 3 months) or single use (i.e. you need someone next Wednesday from 10am to 5pm).
When the block of time starts and you have a delivery that you want your Delivery Provider to do, create the shipment as you would an on-demand delivery, except before clicking "place shipment", under "Choose Provider", your contracted Delivery Provider's name should automatically be selected (if it isn't, simply click the drop down box and select it). This means that when you click "place shipment" and your Delivery Provider is selected, that delivery will be automatically assigned to them and they will come inside the store to load it in their vehicle!
This is now available to all Vendors in all markets. To schedule a block of time to be fulfilled, go to your Tonquin Logistics Dashboard, click "Schedule" at the top center of your screen, and click the green button, "Schedule Charter". Fill out the parameters (when you need it), verify the cost, and place your request! Simple as that. Use your Schedule view to see once it's been accepted and see details of the Delivery Provider that you'll be working with.
Interested in how much it costs? Simply begin the schedule process for what you need and it will give you an instant quote before placing the request! The huge potential for reducing overhead expenses using this powerful solution will be detailed and explained in another post coming soon.
FAQs
Q - What actually happens once I place my request?
1. A - Your request will be displayed and made available instantly to your network of independent Delivery Providers. This is an entirely automated process. So anytime that you have your request accepted by a Delivery Provider, it's based purely on the decision of that Delivery Provider (it's recommended to keep a good relationship with anyone you work with so that they're always looking out for your requests!)
Q - How much does it cost?
2. A - Rates vary by market. All prices are shown before placing any request on the platform (on-demand delivery, block of time, or shuttle). Like stated above, if you'd like to see how much a certain block would cost you, simply begin the schedule process for what you need and it will give you an instant quote before placing the request.
Q - Will I get a random person each time?
3. Requests can be accepted by anyone in the Tonquin network. With that said, you will typically see the same Delivery Provider accepting your requests if you frequently need gigs fulfilled. This is due to a lot of reasons. The two most important being that they want to keep you happy and using their service because it's their business and secondly, they most likely live nearby your location (reducing their cost to commute to where the demand is). Also, requests get accepted in blocks, meaning that your recurring request to have someone for the next three months, can have a different Delivery Provider accepting each day. This is what drives a lot of the efficiency.
Q - How do I know if someone will show up?
4. A - On your schedule view, you will be able to see up to two weeks in advance if a Delivery Provider has accepted your request. Click on the block of time to see details and information about the Delivery Provider that you'll be working with.
Q - What happens if no one shows up?
5. A - If a Delivery Provider doesn't accept your request by the start time, it will be automatically cancelled and you won't be charged. If they do accept but still don't show up, it's recommended to try contacting them using their phone number displayed in the details. It's likely that a Tonquin representative will also attempt to contact them but if both attempts are unsuccessful, your request will be cancelled and you won't be charged. There is currently a 90% success rate, meaning that any of your requests have a 90% chance of being fulfilled. And of that 90%, 99% go off without a hitch!
Q - Are they required to come inside when they arrive?
6. A - Short answer, no. However, if the Delivery Provider has an on-time percentage (the percent of hourly gigs where they show up at or before the start time) below 80%, they must come inside to collect a signature before they can start the gig. It should be assumed as the Vendor that your Delivery Provider is there on-time, which means that once your block of time has started, any deliveries that you need them to do should be attempted to be assigned to them. If their name doesn't show up in your "Choose Provider" drop down box, that means that they are late, didn't show up, or are possibly having technical difficulties (so I wouldn't jump to worse case scenarios immediately!). Follow the steps in answer number six, if this happens.
Q - Can I do on-demand deliveries while an hourly contracted Delivery Provider is actively working?
7. A - Yes! The Logistics Dashboard has been made to seamlessly allow any dispatcher to work with all different types of solutions at the same time. To do this, create a shipment and before placing the shipment, click the drop down box next to "Choose Provider" and there should be an option that says, "On-demand Provider". Selecting this will have your delivery request sent out to the network of Delivery Providers currently working on-demand! In fact, it's highly recommended that if your block of time request isn't fulfilled, to try the on-demand delivery option since some Delivery Providers just prefer to work that way.
This post was last updated: February 28th, 2022
4 Steps to Start your Independent Delivery Business
Tonquin is a purpose-built platform that allows anyone to create, operate, and manage an independent delivery business specifically for auto part suppliers. There are thousands of auto part suppliers across the country that do hundreds of millions of local deliveries every day. This is where you come in.
Step 1. Get to know your tools
The Tonquin Delivery Provider App
The Tonquin Delivery Provider app is your complete tool that allows you to:
Create customers
Service customers
Get paid
What you need to know. On the home screen, you will see pins. Here is what they mean.
Gray Pins
These pins represent potential customers. If you have an auto parts store that wants to become your customer, locate their gray pin on the map and click on it. This will allow you to begin the process of creating them as a customer so that they can use your services. Once created, you will be their Managing Provider!
Blue Pins
These pins represent active marketplace customers already being managed by another Provider, or you if you created them! Customers can be created by any marketplace Provider or Tonquin. Even if you aren't their Managing Provider, you can still service them if they have gigs available for the on-demand network in your area.
Red Pins
These pins represent marketplace customers with scheduled gigs available. Click on these pins and you'll see the gig details for the earliest gig available of that location. There are two gig types that will appear here. Hourly gigs (Charters) and scheduled routes (Shuttles). Simply click “Accept” to take the gig!
The Tonquin Provider Dashboard
The Tonquin Provider Dashboard will be your one stop shop for accessing information about your customers, service analytics, and resources that Tonquin will provide to assist you through your journey.
You can access your dashboard 24/7 in a web browser by going to Provider.Tonquin.com and login using your existing credentials.
Data and analytics will be useful as a temperature check to see how well you're performing your services. Potential customers will appreciate and want to see this type of information.
This dashboard is constantly under construction so check back here frequently!
Step 2. Get to know your potential customers
Tonquin designed it's tools to fit the delivery needs of auto part suppliers perfectly. Making it as simple as possible for someone to start up a delivery service for an auto part store in need.
There are three things you need to know.
1. Why do they do deliveries?
The average auto part store does about 1000 deliveries per month.. yes per month. These are local deliveries to their business customers. So not some random person that buys an oil filter online, no they do the majority of their deliveries to mechanical and collision repair shops.
2. Why do they need you?
Most auto part stores already staff employed delivery drivers and have their own delivery vehicles. They need you because they don't know when their customers will place orders and they're required to get them their stuff really fast. So if they are understaffed or busy, they will need your services to get the job done.
3. Why is it a value to them?
Your on-demand services (per delivery, per hour, or per route) are valuable to an auto parts store because it's typically a better service and more cost effective for them. Since you're incentivized to make your customer happy by providing a good service in order to keep them as a customer, everyone wins (employed delivery drivers aren't really incentivized to hussle). It's typically more cost effective because they only request and pay for your services right when they need them (as opposed to hiring a driver and having them sit around when it's slow).
Step 3. Using those three points above, it's time to sell.
To begin acquiring auto part store customers to use your delivery services, you'll have to sell to them.
The best way to market your new delivery service is through face to face direct sales. Go to these stores and talk to someone. The best people to talk to would be a store manager or commercial parts manager. Share those three points above and you'll be well on your way to getting a customer.
They will want to know or think two things:
Can I trust this?
Most auto part store locations are corporately owned, so you will most likely hear that they need to get management approval before they can sign up.
To get over this hurdle, you can have them contact us at (855)484-2420 or support@tonquin.com.
Alternatively, you can share that Tonquin is already an approved vendor for Advance Auto Parts, Napa Auto Parts and Auto Plus. Lastly, it could help to build credibility by stating that Tonquin is being used by 100+ auto part stores, across 5 states.
How much does it cost?
Signing up a customer and giving them access to their logistics dashboard (the tool they use to request delivery services) is FREE. What they do have to pay for is any of the delivery services they request. Those being on-demand deliveries, hourly contracts, or scheduled routes. You will get access to a rate card that you can print and give to your customer.
Representatives from Tonquin will be reaching out to provide helpful materials that you can leave behind (including the rate card) and use to sell your services.
Step 4. Follow up, stay consistent, and close
It may not come on the first encounter but you'll find that the one time you stop in and they need your help because of some situation that's going on, you'll find yourself acquiring a customer!
All you need is their email to start the process and everything else from their is entirely automated.
Once they get access to their logistics dashboard, they will be able to assign you deliveries, place hourly contracts and routes to the marketplace (which you can accept) and you'll be on your way to establishing a valuable customer.
It's important to get an idea at what capacity they need your services so that you can prepare to be there for them when they need it.
For more information or questions, text us at (855)484-2420 or email us at support@tonquin.com
Atlanta, Fort Myers, & Binghamton
The Tonquin platform is now available in three new markets! Independent Delivery Providers in Atlanta Georgia, Fort Myers Florida, and Binghamton New York can now sign up and get access to Tonquin's purpose-built tools to start an independent delivery business servicing auto part suppliers.
There are over 350 aftermarket auto part suppliers across these three markets, in addition to numerous independent suppliers and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) suppliers, a.k.a dealerships. Suppliers in these areas can now join and get access to the growing network of delivery professionals building businesses to serve their needs on-demand and at any capacity they choose.
For the entrepreneur that wants to operate an independent delivery business or add to their existing business, there are 350+ potential customers that await and millions of deliveries that need to be fulfilled.
Providers, to learn more about this opportunity and get insights about how to market, sell and acquire customers using the Tonquin platform, go to Tonquin.com/builders or contact us.
Suppliers, to get started, keep a lookout for Providers in your area that may be approaching you or trying to reach out. They will have tools to create your account and become your Managing Provider. Alternatively, you can get started by signing up through Tonquin. Contact us to create your account or learn more.
Shopify for Last-mile Delivery - Tools to Start a B2B Auto Parts Delivery Business
Tonquin is announcing a significant change to the overall opportunities possible for individuals seeking ownership and scale of a delivery business. Now with Tonquin, Providers can simply sign up to work on-demand or start from scratch building a truly independent delivery business. Auto Part Suppliers that become customers of Providers building their businesses will experience aligned service goals and the accountability of someone managing their successful use of the platform.
You might be thinking, "what could this mean?" Isn't Shopify an ecommerce site that helps people build online businesses to sell things? And if you thought that, you would be correct. Shopify is a marketplace that brings software tools together in a way that makes starting an online ecommerce business simple. So now you're probably thinking, "how does Shopify have anything to do with the last-mile delivery… of auto parts?" That is also a valid question. Let me tell you.
Tonquin is changing how everyday people can use the tools that the Tonquin platform provides to create an independent delivery business. Much like how anyone can go onto Shopify.com, sign up for an account, and begin creating an ecommerce store with some pretty simple tools— Tonquin has made those same achievements possible but for the creating, managing, operating, and growing of a last-mile delivery business. Let me explain.
People mainly go to Shopify to start a business online selling something that they make. To start, they use the ecommerce site builder and built in payment processor. With varying degrees of personalization, that's pretty much all you have to do to get started. Inspired by the utility, attainability and empowerment that a platform like Shopify gives to millions of people to start the journey of small business independence— we saw an opportunity to do the same with a service business like the last-mile delivery of auto parts.
So with this inspiration, we've refactored our tools (mainly the Delivery Provider App) to now allow anyone to start an independent delivery business servicing auto part suppliers from scratch. And most importantly, altered rate structures that allow for higher yields, business growth and true scalability using the Tonquin platform.
Getting started is free for both the Provider and their customers. Using the Delivery Provider App, a Provider can create customers and service them per delivery, hourly or per route all seamlessly through the app. Creating a customer gives that customer access to their own Vendor Logistics Dashboard. This is where the auto part store will have access to tools they need and be able to request platform-enabled delivery services in multiple ways. Tonquin's automated payment tools process the customers payment and pays the Provider.
How does this restructuring benefit auto part suppliers? Simple, an auto parts supplier's need to service their customers drives more people to want to create delivery businesses fulfilling that need. With natural competition in the marketplace, this creates an alignment of incentives to consistently perform and provide a good service. And because Vendors only pay for the services, Providers will want to make sure their customers are always deriving as much value and use from the platform as possible but at the same time, be able to not singularly rely on one customer if their services aren't needed.
With each service requested, a percentage of the cost is paid as a management fee to their Managing Provider (the Provider that creates their account). This creates two ways to generate revenue as a Provider— perform services for customer(s) and or other vendors on the platform, and earn the management fee from a customers use of the platform.
Just like any business there will be an endless number of ways to grow. Maximize service revenue by working closely with a single auto parts store in a local area and be available to them as often as possible. Maximize management fees by working with a prevalent brand like Napa Auto Parts or Advance Auto Parts to set up a portfolio of their locations and show them how to use marketplace enabled services to improve service to their commercial customers. Invest in acquiring and on-boarding other marketplace delivery providers in a local area to be available to service customers so that you can continue to grow. Or do a combination of both of these paths. The opportunities are endless. And as much as we're comparing this shift to a company like Shopify, the best part is that the best way for anyone to acquire an auto part store as a customer, will be to go in and talk to them. No out of the gate need to do crazy spending on advertising— all one needs is a phone, a car, and ambition. This is a huge benefit to operating a local service business as opposed to an online ecommerce store. Everyone is within reach.
The seamlessness to this process is all made possible because Tonquin's tools have been designed specifically for last-mile auto parts delivery and the auto part suppliers using them which makes acquiring and onboarding auto part stores as customers super easy. Combined with the business case that auto part suppliers are constantly in need of delivery drivers to service their high value business customers and looking to save on the cost to do so, this creates a dynamic of aligned incentives for individual providers to want to perform and grow. Selling their services, the services of other marketplace Providers and all of the additional benefits that a marketplace enables.
Coming soon, Tonquin is making the platform available in three new markets for anyone to sign up and get started for free. Included in the new account tier will be access to a Benefits and Resource marketplace that will make starting even easier. And with Tonquin's job being to support alongside anyone making the leap. We're very excited to begin empowering individuals to build and grow in their cities. And we believe that this is just the beginning!
Providers already on the platform will be converted into Basic accounts and must send a request if they wish to upgrade to a Builder account. Otherwise no action is necessary. Please visit Tonquin.com/builders to view the list of available features based on account type and the new abilities to earn through the platform.
No action is required for Vendors already on the platform.
Tonquin v1.6.28 is Live! Contract with Delivery Providers for Blocks of Time
As a Vendor, you can now fill in your staffing gaps by contracting with Delivery Providers for blocks of time. In as little as 30 seconds, schedule a block of time that is made available to the Independent Delivery Providers on the Tonquin platform to see and accept. View when your block has been accepted in the Schedule tab and get automatically notified when they've arrived to start the gig.
Best part is, you can seamlessly continue dispatching through the Tonquin platform. For any shipment, choose between your hourly Delivery Provider or allowing the shipment to be accepted by a Delivery Provider working on-demand with one-click.
This allows for highly utilized hourly capacity when you need it and a layered option of on-demand availability when you don't (or in access).
We look forward to hearing your feedback.
How to Schedule a Charter (Hourly Delivery Provider)
Delivery Providers - A View of your Updated Tonquin Delivery Provider App
Starting January 3rd, the app that you currently use to do on-demand shipments for your auto part supplier customers is getting an upgrade! In order to support the new capabilities, Charters (allows you to do deliveries for a single Vendor for a block of time and fixed hourly rate) and Preferred Provider (allows you to opt into a Vendor being able to directly assign you on-demand shipments while online), we had to overhaul some of the Tonquin Provider app.
Starting with the home tab, most of the updates were made here. We'll go through them one by one so you know what to expect on launch day.
First, let's point out a major change to the opportunities that Delivery Providers will now have available because it explains why the app is set up this way. With the addition of Charters, we made it so that you can accept both Charters and Shuttles up to two weeks in advance.
There are now two distinct categories of gigs on the platform.
On-demand - these are shipments created by customers that need to be done typically within 30 to 60 minutes from the time of request, pay per delivery and gives the opportunity to the closest online Delivery Provider to the customer's location until accepted (unless you're a Preferred Provider, then the customer will be able to directly assign you the shipment!)
Scheduled - With the update, you will now be able to accept Charters and Shuttles ahead of time. Typically an auto parts store will know if they need coverage for 6 hours per day for the next three weeks or that they need a Delivery Provider on Tonquin to handle their Saturday Shuttle for the next two months. So we gave customers the ability to request those up to two weeks out and made them available for Providers in their market to accept and fulfill.
Now, let's go through some of the changes.
1. Home Tab - Map and Going On-demand
On the home page, you'll notice a lot of changes.
First, Delivery Providers will now be able to see location pins for all of the Customers that have access to a Tonquin Vendor account. Clicking on these pins will display information like Customer info, when they're busy, and a button to favorite them so you can remember who you like to service.
Swiping up even more on this drawer will show you personal stats for the Customer, like your average delivery time, total gigs done for them, and even the revenue you've earned from servicing them.
Having this information readily available should empower anyone to champion their service and sell directly to Customers in order to increase their use of their service and therefor their earning potential.
Finally, just as you're used to, you will be able to go online to accept on-demand requests at any point in time. Simply do that by flipping the switch, now at the bottom, to "Open for On-Demand Deliveries". The deliveries will appear in a red queue at the top as before.
2. Home Tab - Accessing Charters or Shuttles, Filters, and Setting Availability
Still on the home tab, there will be blue pins and red pins. Tapping on a blue pin will access the information described above.
A red pin means that Customer has an active Charter or Shuttle. Tap on the pin to display the details of the gig. (You can still swipe up here to view Customer info and your stats.)
Just like an on-demand shipment, tap accept if you'd like to do the gig! Or scroll through all the gigs going out as far as two weeks by clicking next. Accepting a gig in advance will not affect your ability to go online and accept on-demand requests before the start of the scheduled gig.
While on the map view, use the filters at the top of the screen to filter between seeing only active Charter or Shuttles and from all vendors or just your favorite vendors.
And finally, use the calendar icon to set your availability for the week which will filter all available Charters and Shuttles to just the days of the week that you selected. This can be changed at any time.
3. Settings - Preferred Customer and Favorite Customer Lists
The settings tab, furthest tab to the right at the bottom of the screen, will now have two new sections added. Preferred Customers and Favorite Customers.
Favorite Customers is simply a list of Customers that you've favorite by tapping the star while on their location pin in the home screen. The only benefit this provides is the ability to filter pins on the home screen by your favorite Customers.
Preferred Customer are Customers that have either accepted your request to become their Preferred Provider or that you sent a request to and was accepted by the Customer.
Make a request to any Customers that you've worked with. But remember, doing this will allow Vendors to be able to directly assign you on-demand shipments while you're online.
The benefit of this is that it gives your Customer the reliability that you're there to service them because getting shipments delivered to their customers is very important to their business. This allows allows you to directly increase the amount of deliveries that you receive and therefore increase your earning potential.
We're very excited about these upgrades and how they will allow Delivery Providers more freedom and opportunity to earn. Stay tuned for more content regarding the update launch on January 3rd.