Proof of delivery signatures: checking them at scale
In short A proof of delivery signature only helps if you can stand behind it when a delivery is disputed. Capture a clear photo, compare it with the recipient’s own references, and keep the verdict and reasons with the consignment.
Why delivery signatures are hard to trust
Most delivery signatures are made in a hurry, on a phone or on a crumpled note. Many are a quick squiggle. Nobody checks them until a customer says the parcel never arrived.
By then the driver has moved on and the signature is weeks old. Checking at the time, or at the end of each day, turns it into evidence you can use.
What to capture at the door
- A clear photo of the signed delivery note or screen, taken square on, in good light.
- The consignment number, so the check can be found again.
- Who the recipient is, so the signature can be compared with their references.
A blurred photo cannot be checked. Unforged Nib returns UNREADABLE for it, free, so your app can ask the driver for a retake before they leave.
Most unreadable results come from the photo, not the signature. Ask drivers to fill the frame with the signed area, avoid glare and shadow, and hold the phone square to the page.
If your app takes the photo itself, Unforged Nib’s live capture guidance and streamed results help it get a usable image before the driver leaves.
Compare with the recipient’s own references
A delivery signature can only be verified against genuine signatures by the same person. Enrol references for the accounts you deliver to regularly, such as businesses and repeat customers.
For a one-off recipient with no references on file, there is nothing to compare with, so the signature cannot be verified. Keep the photo with the consignment, and enrol the recipient if they become a regular.
Checking thousands a day
There are two ways to send them. Pick the one that fits your systems:
- From the driver app: send the photo through the API when the driver closes the delivery. A signed webhook brings the result back.
- At the end of the day: drop the photos and a manifest in your bucket. Results land back in the bucket, one line per document. No code on your side.
Each photo is one check. A check is one document checked against one person’s references, however many signatures it holds.
It costs $0.50 per check, and only when the result is AUTO APPROVE, APPROVE, FLAG or FAILED. An UNREADABLE photo is free, so you pay for the retake that can be checked, not the blur. See pricing.
Routing the results
Most deliveries need nothing more. A clear match is filed with its reasons, ready if anyone asks about it later. Nobody has to look at it today.
FLAG goes to someone before a claim is settled. FAILED always goes to a person. It is never an automatic rejection.
Answering a dispute
When a customer disputes a delivery, look the check up by consignment number. You get the verdict, the probability and band, and the reasons, with the policy and version that produced them.
That is a far stronger answer than “the driver says they signed”. Keep results for as long as disputes can arise: you choose the retention period, from 30 minutes to 10 years, or indefinitely.
Getting started
- Enrol references for your regular recipients.
- Add a photo step to the driver app, or plan a daily bucket drop.
- Decide who reviews FLAG and FAILED, how fast, and what they can see when they do.
- Set a retention period that covers your claims window.
The logistics use case shows how it fits a delivery process. The API docs cover the calls and the bucket drop.