6 ways to automate delivery received checks

#1 - The basic check-in

Who it's for: Single-site businesses taking the odd delivery, where one or two people sign for everything and there is no formal goods-in process.

What it is: A delivery received check is a short log filed at the door the moment a driver arrives. Four steps on a phone: type the supplier, type what arrived, pick the condition, add a note. Each completion is one stamped record, so a week of deliveries becomes a clean list instead of a pile of paper dockets in a drawer.

In practice: Take a single-site coffee roastery. When the green-bean delivery turns up, whoever is on the floor opens the canvas, types the supplier name, types "8 sacks Brazilian, 1 pallet packaging", and picks the condition. One sack is split, so they pick "Damaged or short, partial accept" and type "one sack split at the seam, accepted the other seven". Submit. Server timestamp captured. No clipboard, no docket lost behind the machine, and the manager can see exactly what landed without being there.

Why it works: The check is the record. The act of receiving does not change, but now there is a server-side, time-stamped log of who delivered, what arrived, and the state it was in. If the supplier later disputes a credit for that split sack, there is a dated entry from the moment of delivery, not a memory of a Tuesday three weeks ago.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (supplier)
• 1 text input (what arrived)
• 1 single-choice step (3 options: all fine, damaged or short, refused)
• 1 text input (notes)

#2 - With written guidance

Who it's for: Sites with multiple suppliers and rotating receivers, where the person at the door changes from one delivery to the next.

What it is: The basic check-in plus two guidance panels woven through the canvas. The first panel tells the receiver what to check before they sign: count against the docket, look for damage, do a quick temperature check on chilled goods, confirm seals are intact. The second panel explains how to refuse a delivery that is over-temperature, badly damaged, or just plain wrong. A new starter on their first goods-in gets the same checklist as the person who has done it for years.

In practice: Take a three-site garden centre. Plants, compost, tools, and seasonal stock all arrive from different suppliers, and whoever is nearest the loading bay takes the delivery. The "what to check" panel reminds them to count the trays against the docket before the driver leaves, not after. When a pallet of compost turns up split and damp, the "how to refuse" panel walks them through it: tell the driver to take it back, log it as refused, and let the duty manager know so the supplier can be told. The push-back happens at the door, where it actually saves money, instead of becoming a phone call the next day.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A "what to check before you sign" panel covering the count, damage, temperature, and seals.
2. A "how to refuse a delivery" panel that walks the receiver through sending a bad delivery back at the door.
3. A consistent goods-in standard across every person who signs, without anyone having to train them in person.

Why it works: Written guidance sits inline at the moment the receiver is about to accept. The checklist is on the screen while the driver is still standing there, which is the only time it can change the outcome. It is not a laminated sheet that fell off the wall months ago. It is right there at the moment of the task.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance panel (what to check before you sign)
• 1 text input (supplier)
• 1 text input (what arrived)
• 1 single-choice step (condition)
• 1 text input (notes)
• 1 guidance panel (how to refuse a delivery)

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Businesses where the delivery needs a name against it. Groups where head office wants to know who signed off each delivery, and single sites where a different person receives each time.

What it is: A signed delivery check is the basic check-in plus a signature captured at sign-off. The four-step log stays the same; the signature confirms who received the delivery and when they signed it.

In practice: Take a pharmacy chain receiving stock daily. Each delivery is checked against the docket, logged, and signed by the staff member who received it. When an auditor asks for proof of a delivery received on a specific date, the manager pulls the record with the signature attached, showing who confirmed it and when.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A signature naming who received the delivery, captured at sign-off.
2. A record of when the delivery was signed, next to what was logged.
3. Accountability without asking anyone to take a photo.

Why it works: The name goes on the record at the moment the work finishes, not from memory later. When a question arises about a delivery, the conversation starts with who signed it off, which is specific instead of general.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (supplier)
• 1 text input (what arrived)
• 1 single-choice step (condition)
• 1 text input (notes)
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams wanting a photo record of damaged or short deliveries, so a credit claim does not come down to one person's word.

What it is: The basic check-in plus a photo of the temperature reading on a chilled or frozen item from the delivery. One specific, judgeable spot rather than a vague wide shot. The temperature is the simplest way to catch a cold-chain failure before the goods hit the shelf.

In practice: Take a restaurant receiving chilled ingredients multiple times a week. The receiver works the checklist, notes the supplier and the goods, picks the condition, then snaps a close photo of a temperature probe held against a chilled item. If the reading shows the delivery is too warm, they refuse it and photograph the problem as proof for the credit. If it looks good, the photo is filed with the check as proof it was delivered cold.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A photo of a temperature probe on a chilled item from the delivery, captured at the time.
2. Proof that the cold chain held, not just a ticked box.
3. Visual evidence kept alongside the checklist for credit claims or audits.

Why it works: A typed note is a claim. A photo is evidence. The two together survive a dispute in a way that either alone does not. The note says what was wrong; the photo shows it, with the date baked into the record. Seeing the temperature reading on a specific item is far stronger than "the delivery felt cold".

Steps included:

• 1 text input (supplier)
• 1 text input (what arrived)
• 1 single-choice step (condition)
• 1 text input (notes)
• 1 photo of the temperature probe on a chilled or frozen item

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Businesses where the delivery photo gets taken but nobody looks at it. Multi-site groups where head office cannot review every delivery photo every shift.

What it is: A photo-checked delivery is the basic check-in plus a photo of the temperature reading that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: does the temperature reading show the delivered item is safely chilled? A single named spot like a temperature reading is something an AI can actually judge, where a wide shot of the whole delivery is not. If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the problem gets fixed before everyone moves on.

In practice: A multi-site takeaway chain receives chilled stock at each location. At site two, the receiver photographs the temperature probe against a chilled item as always. Poppi reads the photo: the reading shows 4°C, safely chilled, verdict yes, and nothing changes. At site three on a rushed evening, the photo shows 12°C on the meat delivery. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The temperature reading shows the item is above the safe chilled holding temperature"). The receiver refuses the delivery and flags it to the manager while the driver is still there.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A photo of a temperature reading that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored.
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the check.
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at delivery photos.

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the receiver moving on. That is the only moment the problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos later can only record that the delivery was poor; Poppi catching it at the door gets it refused by the driver.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (supplier)
• 1 text input (what arrived)
• 1 single-choice step (condition)
• 1 text input (notes)
• 1 photo of the temperature probe on a chilled or frozen item
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

#6 - With a team alert when delivery is due

Who it's for: Venues with fixed delivery windows that sometimes slip or get missed. Hotels expecting laundry by 10am, restaurant chains waiting for peak-time produce, pharmacies with chilled stock that needs immediate unpacking.

What it is: A team alert on delivery is the basic check-in plus a Poppi (AI) action set to the workflow's start time. When the delivery is due to arrive, Poppi posts a message in the Pilla team chat so whoever needs to receive it knows to get to the loading bay. It fires on the start time, not on a completed step, so the nudge lands even if nobody has opened the checklist yet.

In practice: A hotel receiving laundry knows deliveries come at 10am every morning. When Tuesday is busy and the laundry sits unsigned for an hour, the rooms start running short of linens. With this version, at 10am the team chat gets a message that the laundry delivery is due, so the housekeeping lead sees it and the receiving starts right away rather than at 11:15 in a panic.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A message in the team chat the moment the delivery is due to arrive.
2. A nudge that lands even when nobody has opened the canvas yet.
3. A record of when the delivery should have been received, next to when it actually was.
4. One less thing for the manager to chase by text every morning.

Why it works: The alert is tied to the delivery time itself, not to someone remembering to open the canvas. It turns "did that delivery come in?" from a thing the manager has to check into a thing that checks itself.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (supplier)
• 1 text input (what arrived)
• 1 single-choice step (condition)
• 1 text input (notes)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat when the delivery is due to arrive)

How to pick the right version

You do not need to know how the canvas builder works to pick the right version. Every version here is the basic check-in plus one addition, so pick the additions you actually need.

Do other people receive deliveries?

If you receive deliveries yourself and know what to check, the plain log is enough: #1. The moment anyone else receives for you, written guidance needs to be on screen so everyone checks the same things before they accept: #2.

Does the delivery need a name against it?

If knowing it was received is enough, skip this one. If you want who signed off on the record, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need photo proof of temperature?

A typed log says the work was done; a photo shows it. If you want visual proof the cold chain held, #4 adds a photo of a temperature probe held against a chilled item.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it is saved, and tell the team chat when the temperature is wrong.

Does the delivery have to arrive at a set time?

If a delivery sometimes goes missing or arrives late causing disruption, #6 posts a message to the team chat when the delivery is due.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That is how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same log.

Related workflows

• Lone worker check-ins
• Damage reports
• Stock counts
• Maintenance fault reports
• Contractor sign-ins

Conclusion

A delivery received check is a stamped record filed at the door the moment the driver arrives: supplier, goods, condition, and note. The version you run depends on who receives deliveries, whether you need a signature or photo proof, and whether timing is critical. Every version above is the same basic log plus one addition: guidance, signature, temperature photo, AI photo review, or arrival alert. Pick the ones your site needs and combine them in the playground.

→ Build your own delivery received check on Pilla.