What a delivery slip should record
- Customer and phone. The phone number also proves the order was confirmed.
- Items and quantity. Written so an outsider can load the parcel correctly.
- Amount to collect. Distinguish between paid in advance and pay on delivery.
- Status. Pending, sent out, delivered, or cancelled.
- Date of handover. The day the parcel left the shop.
A plastic bag chit with a total written in pencil satisfies none of those. It records the amount, but not the state of the order.
Set the status at the moment it changes
- Capture the order and mark it pending.
- Mark it sent out as it leaves with the delivery person.
- Mark it delivered when the money or confirmation comes back.
Update the status at the moment, not at closing. A customer who calls in the evening does not want "I will check and call back".
Close the loop with the customer
A short message when the parcel leaves works well: items, amount to collect and a rough time. When the delivery is complete, a note that the amount was received keeps the record straight and reduces disputes about change.
What if the delivery person does not use an app?
That is fine. The shop records the status change when the delivery person reports back. The important part is that the shop's record is authoritative. If the delivery person has a phone, a call or message at delivery time is enough.
A delivery slip is not a receipt. It is an open promise with an amount attached, which is exactly why it should be tracked to the end.
Weekly totals
At the end of the week, review three things: pending parcels, amounts still to collect, and any slip cancelled. This takes five minutes and catches the parcel that nobody confirmed.
NanoKhata keeps delivery slips next to customer credit and daily cash, so a delivered parcel and its collection appear in one record.