At each drop-off, a bakery driver adjusts the delivery note for returns or shortages and takes the customer's signature on a phone. The signed note becomes an invoice in the accounting software and is emailed as a PDF the same day.
Typical results
Same day
Invoices sent on the day of delivery
≈6 hrs/wk
Office retyping time saved
≈70%
Fewer disputes about what was delivered
100%
Invoices carrying a signature and timestamp
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Drivers deliver to 40 cafés and delis every morning with paper delivery notes, and quantities change at the door for returns and shortages. The notes come back crumpled at the end of the day, the office retypes them into the accounting software days later, and customers dispute invoices because nobody can show what was signed for.
Before and after
Days from delivery to invoice sent
−100%Office time retyping delivery notes per week
−86%Delivery disputes per month
−70%The automation
Each morning the driver's phone shows the day's delivery notes. At the drop-off, the driver adjusts quantities for returns or shortages and takes the customer's signature on screen. The signed note creates an invoice in the accounting software with the corrected lines, and a PDF of the invoice with the signed note attached is emailed to the customer's accounts address. The office sees each invoice, with its signature and timestamp, as soon as the van pulls away.
How it works
- 01
Notes loaded for the route
The driver's phone shows each stop's delivery note with the ordered quantities.
- 02
Changes at the door
The driver adjusts lines for returns or shortages before the customer signs.
- 03
Signature on screen
The customer signs on the phone, and the note is stamped with the time.
- 04
Invoice created
The signed note becomes an invoice in the accounting software with the corrected lines.
- 05
PDF to the customer
The invoice and signed note are emailed as a PDF to the customer's accounts address.
Starts from
- Day's delivery notes
- Signature on driver's phone
Delivers
- Invoice in accounting tool
- PDF emailed to accounts
- Signed proof of delivery
The impact
Invoices go out the same day as delivery instead of about five days later, and the office stops retyping paper notes, which saves around 6 hours a week. Disputes about what was delivered fall by about 70% because every invoice carries a signature, a timestamp and the corrected quantities.
Questions about this automation
What does the driver need on the phone?
A simple mobile form or app that loads the day's delivery notes, lets the driver change quantities with a reason such as returned or short, and captures a finger signature. It keeps working on routes with weak signal and sends the signed notes once the phone reconnects.
Which accounting software does it connect to?
It creates invoices through the accounting software's API, using the customer accounts and product codes already set up there. Common options such as QuickBooks or Xero both work. The invoice PDF and signed note are emailed from the bakery's own address, so customers reply to the office as usual.
What if nobody is there to sign?
The driver marks the drop as left at the door and takes a photo instead of a signature. The invoice is still created, with the photo attached and a note for the office, so the customer sees exactly what was left. Simple automations like this are usually live within days.