Missed Collections

Olio is growing rapidly with now more than 13,500 Food Waste Heroes collecting every week. With growth comes more issue reports, which we’re unable to handle manually at a large scale. That is why on June 2023 we started to automate the missed collection process.

With this automation in place, we no longer rely on our community to report missed collections. Instead, our system automatically detects when a Food Waste Hero fails to list food in the app after a collection and prompts for more information. This streamlined approach enables us to monitor thousands of collections each week, ensuring that tons of food are rescued and don't end up in the bin.

1) What do I have to do?

If you haven’t listed any items against your collection slot 1.5 hours after the collection start time, you will receive the following message from Olio’s Little Helper in the Squad chat:

Within this message there are 3 buttons for you to let us know what happened:

1. Yes, there was food
2. No, there wasn’t any food
3. I didn’t go to the collection

Based on which button you press, a message will be automatically sent to Olio HQ and shared with the rest of your Squad.

It is important that you let us know what happened by clicking on the correct option. If you haven’t been to the collection yet when you receive the message (but you are planning to go), then respond to this message once you have been and are able to confirm if there was food / wasn’t any food.

Please note, you will not receive this message if the business told us before the collection start time that there was no food to collect.

2) What happens if I don’t respond?

If you don’t respond to the message but you list items against the collection slot after you’ve received the message, then our system will recognise this and the collection won’t be considered as a missed collection.

We know from issue report forms that we face a challenge of FWHs frequently missing collections and not letting their squad know what happened, and that this can continue for subsequent collections. FWHs who do not list and who do not use the buttons to let us know what happened will be removed from all of their collection slots immediately. This will free up slots for other FWHs to claim.

3) In what other scenarios will FWHs be removed from their collections?

FWHs who click “I didn’t go” more than twice in a 6 month period will be removed from their slots, if the collections were confirmed by the business*. 

*If a collection has been confirmed by the business you will have received a message to tell you there was food to collect. 

4) What should I do if I haven’t been to the collection when I receive the message?

We know that in some instances the collection start time is the start of a time frame for the collection. For example, Tesco slots at 7am can be attended between 7am - 10am. However, the collection start time in our system is 7am, so the message will be triggered at 8:30am. This means you might receive the message before you have been to your collection. If this applies to your collection, please respond to the message as soon as you have attended the collection.

Similarly, you may have a collection that requires you to call ahead before going to the collection. If you have called ahead and the staff said there was no food to collect, then please select the “There was no food to collect” option when you receive the message.

5) What should I do if I miss the message?

The message will stay in your inbox, and you will be able to select the correct response up until 16 hours after the collection start time. If you haven’t replied after 16 hours, then Olio may remove future collection slots.

6) Can I type a message response? 

We will not receive responses to this Olio Little Helper message. 

7) Are the other FWH in the Squad going to be able to see the responses?

When you click on a button, a message will be triggered to your Squad automatically to let them know what happened.

8) In which scenario will FWHs be suspended from the volunteer role?

FWHs who were removed from the slots twice or more in a 6 month period will be suspended from the Food Waste Hero role.

9) I haven’t received a confirmation message that there is food to collect. How does this work?

We will not send the message if the business has not confirmed whether or not there is anything to collect.

10) What happens if I received a message saying there was food to collect, but when I got to the store there was no food for me to collect?

We appreciate the confirmation messages from businesses aren’t perfect. If you received a message confirming there was food, but when you got to the store there wasn’t any food for you to collect then let us know by clicking the ‘No, there wasn’t any food’ button in the message. 

Examples of this include the store staff refusing to scan the food out or having PDA issues, another FWH having already taken the food, or the food was given to a charity.

We will monitor this response and provide feedback to the business. In time, we will build out the buttons in the app so that you can provide us with more information. 

11) What happens if the store gives me the food late?

We have reports from FWHs that the collection isn’t always ready when they arrive at the store. If this happens, please report it via the issue report form by selecting “I have an issue with a business I collect from”, “There is an issue with staff at the store” and “The staff are not processing donations at the agreed time”. We’re sorry this happens and we will continue to report these issues to the business.

In terms of the new OLH message, the message will stay in your inbox and you will be able to select the correct response up until 16 hours after the collection start time. Wait until the business has given you the collection to respond to the message. 

12) I have an agreement with the store to go at a different time than the time stated in the Volunteer Hub. What should I do when I receive the message?

Un-official collection time agreements are not permitted by Olio. If a store asks you to come at a different time than the one advertised in the Hub then please report this via the issue report form by selecting “I have an issue with a business I collect from” and “The store has requested to make changes to the collection (e.g. date/time)”

If the collection slot is showing in the list when you go to collect, then please ensure you select it. If it’s not, then please select the correct option (“Yes there was food / No there wasn’t food / I didn’t go”) for the collection you attended. 

13) I called ahead and the staff informed me that there was no food to collect. Which button should I click?

Some collections require the FWH to call ahead of the collection time to check if there is food to collect (e.g. catering collections, Pret collections). 

If you have called ahead and the staff have told you that there is no food to collect, then please click the “No, there wasn’t any food” when you receive this message.

14) What should I do if someone in my squad isn’t responding to the message?

There is no need to report other Squad members for missing collections. Our system will now flag to us when a FWH doesn’t respond to the Olio Little Helper message, and they will be removed from their collection slots.