Key Takeaways
- Maintaining an 80% completion rate is required; in some areas, it’s raised to 90%.
- High completion rate qualifies you for the Top Dasher program, offering better perks.
- Only completed deliveries influence the rate; cancellations and unassignments count as incomplete.
- Improving your completion rate involves wisely choosing orders and following delivery instructions closely.
What Is DoorDash’s Completion Rate?
Unlike the acceptance rate, which measures how many orders a Dasher agreed to take, the DoorDash completion rate refers to the percentage of the most recent 100 accepted deliveries that are completed.
For a DoorDash order to be considered complete, you need to pick up the customer’s order, deliver it to their doorstep, and confirm its delivery on the DoorDash app, attaching a drop-off photo as proof.
DoorDash uses this metric to:
- Assess Dashers’ Performance: The completion rate offers DoorDash a way to check who’s performing well and who isn’t, which plays into their rewards program and account deactivation policy.
- Maintain Service Reliability: The completion rate incentivizes drivers to follow through with accepted deliveries. DoorDash’s business depends on customers reliably receiving their orders, and being satisfied with them.
How Is DoorDash’s Completion Rate Calculated?
The completion rate is calculated on a rolling basis, meaning that:
- Each time you accept an order, it’s added to your list of the most recent 100 deliveries.
- Each time you finish a delivery, it’s marked as “completed” on this list. If you cancel or unassign a delivery—including via support—after accepting it, it’s marked as “uncompleted.”
- The completion rate is the percentage of “completed” deliveries on this list. For example, if you complete 90 of your last 100 deliveries, your completion rate is 90%.
As a new Dasher, your first 100 deliveries will influence your overall rating more heavily. If you complete 20 out of 50 deliveries, your completion rate will be 40%.
However, once you have 100 deliveries on your book, each one will impact your completion rate by 1%, and each new one will push the oldest one out.
If you choose not to accept an order in the first place, it’ll affect your acceptance rate, not your completion rate. If the merchant or customer cancels it, it’ll still be considered “completed”.
Does The DoorDash Completion Rate Matter?
Yes. DoorDash requires its drivers to maintain a completion rate of 80% (90% in select locations) to remain active on the platform. You can monitor your completion rate on the Dasher app or the Dasher portal.
If you fall below the threshold, you’ll receive a text message saying, “Your completion rate must be above 80% to remain active as a Dasher.” If you live in a location where the threshold was raised to 90%, you’ll see that percentage instead.
You’ll have a set amount of time to raise your rate. If you fail to do so, you’ll receive an email explaining that your Dasher account was deactivated, preventing you from accessing the Dasher app and portal and receiving and accepting subsequent orders.
You’ll also lose any earnings or incentives that you haven’t cashed out yet.
Why Should I Maintain a High DoorDash Completion Rate?
Besides avoiding the risk of deactivation, having a high completion rate can qualify you to become a Top Dasher. The Top Dasher program is designed to reward consistently high-performing dashers for their dedication.
Among the requirements for becoming one is maintaining a completion rate of 95% or higher.
The chief benefits are priority orders and flexible scheduling, so you can dash at a time that aligns better with your schedule and have a higher chance of avoiding low-paying orders altogether, thereby increasing your pay.
This aside, you’ll also improve your standing with DoorDash, which reflects in the quality and timeliness of the support you receive, as well as your customer satisfaction, translating into higher ratings and better tips.
How Can I Increase My Completion Rate?
The only way to increase your completion rate is by completing more orders. However, following the tips we provide below is one way of ensuring you maintain the highest rate possible.
1. Choose Orders Wisely
While this sounds straightforward, it’s by and large the most important tip on our list. As a Dasher, you likely want to maximize your pay at the expense of your satisfaction or performance—that’s a faux pas.
Don’t overload yourself with orders you can’t realistically handle; focus on those you’re willing and able to complete. Carefully review the order details so that you can precisely assess the distance, wait time, and offer amount to see if it suits you.
Decline orders that are too far, too low-paying, or from restaurants that are known to have long wait times or poor service.
Finally, if an unforeseen emergency arises and prevents you from completing your delivery, get in touch with the support team and explain your situation to them.
2. Follow Delivery Instructions
Flexibility and reliability are critical in the gig economy, and some customers are particular with their preferences and requests, such as food modifications, contactless deliveries, dietary restrictions, or special notes.
Make sure you cater to their needs to avoid mistakes or complaints that could lead to order reassignments or cancellations.
3. Remain Professional
In a similar vein, customers can get in touch with you and inquire about their order’s status or ask for updates.
Make sure you treat them—and their orders—with care, as they reserve the right to cancel them or raise a complaint with DoorDash, affecting your completion rate and standing with the company.
4. Use The Dasher App
DoorDash’s app can provide you with useful information and options to help you complete your deliveries.
Use it to plan your route and parking location, contact the customer or the support team if you have any questions, and most importantly, mark the delivery as complete once you finish it.
Final Thoughts
DoorDash’s completion rate is a metric that the company uses to ensure its Dashers are performing well, and thus maintain customer satisfaction in the competitive food delivery market.
As a dasher, you should strive toward keeping it above the threshold to avoid deactivation and losing your income source. If possible, you should also aim to raise it above 95% to qualify for the Top Dasher program, which offers more money and better delivery schedules.
If you have a friend who delivers for DoorDash, share this article with them too!
