Abstract

FoodBlink, a food delivery company based out of Bengaluru, India, had been facing receiving increasing customer complaints, decreasing satisfaction scores for the platform, and a sharp rise in the attrition rate of delivery partners. Akriti Sharma, vice president (Marketing), and Girish Shah, senior manager (Operations), after discussing the issues with other members of the top management, came to the conclusion that the solution to all these issues lay in resolving the problems in last-mile delivery and in the management of the last-mile delivery partners in the company. The case provides a perspective of the problem FoodBlink was facing through the eyes of a last-mile worker named Satish. It touches upon the hardships that gig workers face and how companies take advantage of the loopholes in the guidelines that govern the industry. As a result of an ugly altercation with a customer, Satish decided to quit his job as a delivery worker.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Analyze the role played by an employee in fulfilling a firm’s promise to deliver quality service.
• Examine the boundary-spanning role of front-line service employees.
• Develop strategies for delivering quality service through people.

Keywords

Employees’ Role in Service; Service Marketing Triangle; Boundary Spanning Role of Front-Line Service Employees; Service employees; Service quality through people; Food delivery companies; Delivery agent; Internal Marketing; External Marketing; Interactive Marketing; Customer-oriented Service Delivery