The courier app runs in a phone's browser. The courier sees orders ready for pickup, takes them, drives to the customer and confirms delivery. You don't need an external fleet or a delivery platform.
Address: /wp-inplate/courier/. A courier needs an account with the Courier profile (or Manager) – see Team and permissions.
Install the app on the phone (PWA): in Chrome “Install app”, on an iPhone in Safari “Share → Add to Home Screen”. Requires HTTPS. On an iPhone, push notifications work only in an app added to the Home Screen. The app is named after your venue, e.g. “InPlate Bistro Courier” – see Phone and tablet apps.
The app screen
- A header with the screen's title and a refresh button.
- A bottom bar with the For pickup and On the way tabs and a highlighted Scan QR button in the middle.
- Swiping left or right switches between “For pickup” and “On the way”.
- Menu: Archive, Returns, Test notification, Log out.
For pickup
Delivery orders the kitchen has marked as ready – a shared pool for all couriers – and orders assigned to this courier.
The order card shows:
- the number, delivery time and day (orders for later days are sorted by day),
- a late mark when the delivery time has passed,
- the address – tapping it opens navigation to the customer's coordinates,
- the phone – tapping it starts a call,
- the amount To collect for cash payments, or “Paid online”,
- the customer's note – it starts with the directions the customer saved with the address (“For the courier: staircase B, intercom 12”),
- the note from a previous, failed delivery attempt, if there was one.
The Pick up button assigns the order to the courier and changes the status to On the way. The customer gets an “On the way” email. If the pickup fails (e.g. another courier was quicker), the card shows the reason.
Scanning a label
The Scan QR button starts the camera. The courier scans the code from the order label and picks up the order straight away. The browser asks for camera access the first time.
Every scan gives a clear answer:
| Situation | What the courier sees |
|---|---|
| The order is ready and free | Order picked up |
| The order is still in the kitchen | A note that it isn't ready, with the kitchen status |
| The order is assigned to another courier | A question whether to take it over. Taking over is saved in the history, and the previous courier gets a notification |
| The order is on the way with another courier | A refusal. Only a manager can change the courier in the KDS |
| The order is delivered, cancelled or not a delivery | A matching message |
| The code is invalid | A message about an invalid code |
On the way
Orders the courier is delivering. When they reach the customer:
- Delivered – confirms delivery. For a cash payment the button reads “Collected €54.90 – confirm”, so the courier confirms collecting the money at the same time.
- Delivery problem – reports a failed delivery with a reason: the customer doesn't answer the phone, the customer isn't there, wrong address, another reason.
A reported problem reaches the kitchen as a courier return (an alarm in the KDS and a push notification). The order disappears from the couriers' lists until the manager decides what to do – see KDS: courier returns.
Returns
Menu → Returns shows this courier's returns waiting for a decision in the KDS. If the customer got in touch and the courier still has the order, Back on delivery (after confirming) returns it to this courier as “On the way”. The return to delivery goes into the order history, and the kitchen gets a notification.
New order alarm
A new order for pickup triggers a full-screen alarm with a repeated sound and vibration until the courier confirms it (“OK – got it”) or picks up the order.
On-the-road mode: when the courier has orders on the way, new orders for pickup give one short sound instead of the repeated alarm, and push notifications are silent. When the courier finishes the last delivery, the full alarm rings with the number of waiting orders. Notifications about orders in the pool are combined into one.
Archive
Menu → Archive shows orders delivered and cancelled in the last 48 hours, with information about cash collected.
Syncing
Changes from the KDS (ready orders, assignments, cleared returns, a payment marked as made) reach the courier app automatically. The refresh button in the header forces fetching the data.