The Postmates app looks completely different from went I first started driving for the platform in 2015. The engineers at Postmates has been updating the user interface of the Postmates Fleet app like crazy. So many changes have been made to their Fleet app since 2016. It seems every week there’s a new update that introduces minor changes.

Here’s what I think are the pros and cons of the app in its current state.

Postmates App Pros

Order Details. After accepting a job, couriers can quickly see if the order requires the use of the PEX card or if it’s pre-paid. This is really helpful because when an order is pre-paid, the wait at the pick-up is not too long. This means a courier can freely accept another job without it becoming a logistical nightmare. If an order isn’t pre-paid, it’s likely the courier has to place the order upon arrival. In this case, it’s not wise to accept another delivery because you might have to wait a long time at the pickup location.

Stopping New Requests. While working on a delivery, couriers have the options to cease from receiving new delivery requests. This is great for couriers who are stacking multiple platforms. For example, if I’m working a Postmates delivery and an UberEats delivery becomes available, I can accept it and then use the Stop New Request feature in the Postmates app to prevent new Postmates jobs from coming to me so I can work the UberEats order.

Clear Pick-Up Notes. After accepting a job, you can clearly see the notes for the order. This makes it harder to forget things.

Percentage Tips. Customers can still choose to tip a percentage instead of a fixed dollar value. This is really nice for couriers because you can make more money on large orders if you provide excellent customer service.

Postmates App Cons

Drop-off Location Still Hidden. In the past, couriers would not accept jobs because they can see where the drop-off location was. A while back, Postmates made it so couriers can’t see the drop-off location from the start of the job. This was to prevent couriers from rejecting too many orders.  Currently, the drop-off location is still hidden from couriers until they confirm they’ve picked up the items. This makes it hard to stack Postmates jobs with other platforms.

Choosing Navigation Options. Each time I am ready to head off to a pickup or drop-off, the app will ask me which navigation app I’d like to use (Waze or App Maps). The app shouldn’t be asking this every time. The app should save the courier’s selection as a default.

Contacting Support. For prepaid orders, if something goes wrong at the pickup and the courier press the headset icon, it leads to two options: Cancel Delivery or Contact Customer. Couriers can’t contact Postmates support if something goes wrong at the pickup. It seems Postmates expects the courier, customer, and restaurant to figure it out. For orders that require a PEX Card, couriers have three options: Contact Customer, Cancel Delivery, and Purchasing Help.

Hotspots. The hotspots on the map are misleading. Camping out in the Hotspots doesn’t guarantee couriers will quickly get a delivery request. This has been the case for a long time and it doesn’t look like the latest update addresses this.

No Upfront Payout. Couriers do not know how much the payout is for an order until after they complete it. This can create a lot of surprises.

Conclusion

The developers at Postmates keep making tweaks to the interface of the app. The user experience of the app is important but I personally think there’s something much more important. The courier experience. This is something that is harder for the coders to address unless they spend some time as actual couriers for the app they are developing.

I think some things to consider would be asking these questions:

• How do you develop the Postmates app to help cut down expenses of the couriers (for example, parking)?
• How do you develop the Postmates app so that couriers aren’t competing with each other for jobs?
• How do you develop the Postmates app to allow the couriers to complete more jobs per hour?
• How do you develop the Postmates app to bring out the best customer service from the couriers?
• How do you develop the Postmates app to increase the rate of customers tipping couriers for their service?

By answering these questions, Postmates couriers can start to see improvement in what they really care about – their earnings and profits. As a result, the courier experience will improve.