White Glove Delivery SOP and Service Guide

Start with a written service standard

Final mile is the last leg from a store, terminal, hub, or distribution point to the destination. For heavy goods, that last leg may stop at the curb, cross the threshold, continue to a room of choice, or include unpacking, assembly, installation, packaging removal, old-item removal, and other approved work.

White Glove is not enough by itself as an operating instruction. The order should name where the item goes, what the crew will do, what the customer must prepare, which access conditions are included, what proof is required, and which work is excluded or requires manual approval.

Define the delivery offers separately

Build one complete delivery order

The delivery record should connect the sellable product, planned packed shipment, approved customer service, destination conditions, provider quote, appointment, warehouse release, crew instructions, completion evidence, exceptions, and final invoice. Do not force each team to recreate the promise from an email subject line or carrier portal note.

• Product and shipmentSKU, quantity, value, packed dimensions, weight, handling units, orientation, fragility, stackability, protection, and required equipment.
• Customer serviceExact placement, unpacking, assembly, installation, removal, disposal, signature, condition, and completion requirements.
• Destination and accessProperty type, truck access, parking, gates, dock, liftgate, doors, turns, stairs, elevator, long carry, floor protection, and final room.
• Commercial basisProvider, service code, quote or contract basis, date, included work, accessorial assumptions, exclusions, and authorization.
• Owners and timestampsNamed merchant, provider, customer-care, warehouse, scheduling, exception, and closeout owners with the current state and next deadline.

Complete the delivery-readiness screen

1. Confirm the propertyIdentify residential, commercial, limited-access, gated, high-rise, campus, jobsite, or other conditions that affect truck and crew access.
2. Measure the pathRecord the narrowest doorway, hallway, turn, stair, landing, elevator opening and interior, ceiling restriction, and final placement area that matter for the item.
3. Photograph the critical pointsCapture the safe approach, parking, exterior entry, tight turns, vertical access, room path, and cleared placement area with customer consent.
4. Match crew and equipmentConfirm people, straight truck or other vehicle, liftgate, dollies, straps, ramps, protection, tools, fasteners, disposal capacity, and any qualified technician.
5. Resolve exceptions before schedulingRoute insufficient clearance, exceptional weight, multiple stair flights, unsafe conditions, installation, wall mounting, product modification, or uncertain scope to manual review.

Treat the appointment as a readiness gate

An appointment should not be offered merely because a calendar has an open slot. Inventory, hub status, route capacity, crew skill, equipment, service scope, site readiness, customer availability, and exception review should agree before a window is confirmed.

Release only a delivery-ready shipment

1. Verify identityMatch the physical product and every handling unit to the correct order and service scope.
2. Inspect and protectRecord pre-dispatch condition, approved packaging, corners and surfaces, hardware, parts, instructions, tools, and no-stack or orientation marks.
3. Measure and weighCapture final extreme dimensions, scale weight, handling-unit count, and material variance from the plan.
4. Prepare documentsInclude the order, provider and service code, appointment, route notes, BOL or delivery document, packing and assembly instructions, exception contacts, and proof checklist.
5. Confirm load planUse safe securement, separation, sequence, equipment, and unload access appropriate to the product and vehicle.
6. Record handoffTimestamp the release, vehicle, crew or provider, condition, photos, documents, and unresolved exceptions.

Follow the in-home delivery sequence

1. Arrive and verifyConfirm the order, customer or authorized recipient, service tier, property, safe parking, access, pets and children, hazards, and final room before unloading.
2. Inspect the pathWalk the route, compare it with the readiness record, identify changes, protect floors and surfaces, and stop if the path is unsafe or materially outside scope.
3. Document pre-service conditionRecord relevant product, packaging, entry-path, and placement-area condition before the move begins, consistent with the approved privacy and photo policy.
4. Move and placeUse the approved crew, equipment, lift method, orientation, protection, and communication for each turn and placement.
5. Complete approved servicesUnpack, assemble, install, remove packaging, or perform other tasks only when they are included, safe, supported, and within provider qualifications.
6. Inspect and closeConfirm product condition, stability, operation where approved, final placement, completed scope, debris, property condition, customer acknowledgement, and exceptions.

Use an exception code and next owner

Capture completion and claim-ready evidence

• IdentityOrder, product, serial or item identifiers where used, handling units, provider, vehicle, crew, customer or authorized recipient, and timestamps.
• ScopeThe service offered, approved add-ons, property and access conditions, instructions, exclusions, and any authorized change.
• ConditionRelevant pre-service and post-service product, packaging, path, room, and property condition captured under the approved photo and privacy rules.
• CompletionPlacement, unpacking, assembly, installation test where allowed, debris or old-item removal, signature, acknowledgement, and open work.
• ExceptionThe observed fact, location, time, evidence, customer statement, stop or continue decision, custody, and next owner.
• Financial closeoutProvider invoice, accessorials, redelivery or additional-service authorization, quoted-versus-billed variance, claim, recovery, and final disposition.

Reconcile the delivery and improve the next offer

Closeout should compare the promised service, planned handling units, provider quote, appointment, actual work, exceptions, customer outcome, and final bill without overwriting the original assumptions. Repeated variance should change the operating rule only after review.