CEO of Talabat Tomaso Rodriguez recently took on the role of a delivery driver in Dubai, immersing himself in the process to gain firsthand experience and identify opportunities to enhance the service.
Rodriguez chose now for his first experience as delivery driver as he wanted to know what employees go through during peak summers. Most CEOs tell workers that they “know what they’re going through”, but the food giant CEO knew he needed to experience 40 degree deliveries himself to get a feel for gaps on the dispatch front.
“As the CEO, as the manager of a company, you can see through numbers, data, KPI, dashboards and whatever but there are a lot of things that you will never notice until you experience it,” Rodriquez told Arabian Business.
“I didn’t want to do it in winter, I wanted to do it in the summer because it was what I wanted to experience, the real pain points, the heat, to kind of have a true experience”, he said.
Encountering many exasperating obstacles like waiting for orders at restaurants, restricted access to certain buildings due to security measures, and phone malfunctions caused by the blistering heat, Rodriguez personally witnessed the challenges faced by delivery drivers.
Motivated by these experiences, he is determined to discover effective solutions that can enhance the entire delivery process.
As you can probably guess, the first thing that he noticed was the difficult weather conditions.
“While you’re riding, it’s not much of a problem because while riding, the wind is kind of refracting, but when you stop at traffic lights or when you’re waiting at the vendor for the food to be delivered, if there is no shelter area, it could be challenging,” he explained.
To address the challenges faced by riders during the summer season, Talabat has initiated the deployment of air-conditioned buses. These buses serve as a dedicated resting space for riders, providing them with a more than necessary break from the scorching sun.
Importantly, this initiative is not limited to Talabat riders alone, and is open to any rider from any company, fostering a collaborative approach to prioritize the well-being of all delivery personnel.
Though Dubai Authorities have began implementing shelter areas for drivers, which Rodriguez agrees with, he maintains that work needs to be done with authorities to ensure that riders can go into all the buildings, “because at the end of the day, they are bringing convenience to the tenants and to the place”.
“If you have to leave your bike on the sidewalk, maybe someone will come and issue a ticket,” he said.
Additionally, according to Arabian Business, Rodriguez has set his sights on enhancing training provided to riders by sharing insights he gained on the job. This includes knowledge about restaurant entry and exits, designated parking spots, and other essential information. By equipping riders with these crucial details, he aims to empower them with a deeper understanding of the operational aspects, ultimately enabling them to navigate their tasks with safety and efficiency as the goal.
Recent concerns have been raised regarding the safety and well-being of riders amidst the pressure to deliver orders swiftly, and customers have expressed issue with the potential danger to drivers on social media.
In order to address these concerns and drive positive change within the expanding and fiercely competitive food delivery industry in Dubai, Rodriguez plans to go undercover more often to tackle these issues head-on.
“It was a great experience for me and now I have decided to do it every quarter,” he said.