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Driver Tips Documentation

Menu Location: Payments > Driver Tips

Access Level: Manager and above

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The Driver Tips page manages driver tip collection, tracking, and payout distribution. Enable customers to tip delivery drivers, configure tip percentages, and manage weekly driver payouts.

Primary Functions:

  • Enable/disable driver tip feature
  • Configure customer tip percentage options
  • Track driver tips by route and week
  • Mark driver payouts as complete
  • View tip collection trends over time
  • Generate recurring tip analytics

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Enable/Disable Button: Toggle driver tip feature on/off (green = enabled, red = disabled)
  • Quick Links: Drivers management, Routes management, Recurring report
  • Week Selector: Choose which week to view/manage

Tip Percentage Configuration (when enabled)

Form to set the three default tip percentage options shown to customers

Main Content Area

List of drivers with their tip totals by route, organized by driver name with payout status indicators

Feature Configuration

Enabling/Disabling Tips

To Enable:

  1. Click red "DISABLED" button in top-right
  2. Feature activates immediately
  3. Customers see tip options at checkout
  4. Button turns green showing "ENABLED"

To Disable:

  1. Click green "ENABLED" button
  2. Confirmation message appears
  3. Feature turns off immediately
  4. Customers no longer see tip options

Note: Disabling does not remove existing tip data, only hides option from customers

Tip Percentage Defaults

Purpose: Configure the three quick-select tip percentage buttons customers see

Configuration:

  • Option 1: First percentage choice (default: 5%)
  • Option 2: Second percentage choice (default: 10%)
  • Option 3: Third percentage choice (default: 15%)

To Update:

  1. Enter new percentages (1-100) in the three fields
  2. Click "Save Percentages" button
  3. Confirmation message appears
  4. New percentages immediately available to customers

Customer Experience:

  • Customers see three buttons with these percentages
  • Can also enter custom percentage
  • If customer previously chose custom amount, they see their custom button too

Best Practices:

  • Keep percentages reasonable (5%, 10%, 15% is standard)
  • Consider your market when setting defaults
  • Round numbers work better than odd amounts
  • Test customer response after changes

Managing Driver Payouts

Week Selection

How It Works:

  • Dropdown shows weeks by Sunday date
  • Select week to view/manage payouts
  • Defaults to current week

Changing Weeks:

  1. Use week dropdown in header
  2. Select desired week
  3. Click "Go" button
  4. Page reloads with selected week's data

Driver Payout Display

For Each Driver:

  • Driver Name: With profile picture
  • Route Breakdown: Table showing tips by route
  • Total Tips: Sum across all routes
  • Payout Status: Pending or Complete

Route Details:

  • Route name
  • Tip amount collected from that route
  • Automatically calculated from customer orders

Payment Status Management

Pending Status (Default):

  • Yellow/white button showing "PENDING"
  • Action button: "Mark Paid Out"
  • Indicates driver has not yet received payment

To Mark as Paid:

  1. Review driver's total amount
  2. Click "Mark Paid Out" button
  3. Status changes to "COMPLETE"
  4. Payment date recorded
  5. Green label shows "COMPLETE"

Complete Status:

  • Green label showing "COMPLETE"
  • Displays payment date
  • "undo mark paid" link for corrections

To Undo Payment:

  1. Click "undo mark paid" link under date
  2. Status returns to "PENDING"
  3. Use if payment didn't go through or error occurred

Recurring Report

Access Recurring Analytics

To View:

  1. Click "Recurring" button in header
  2. Page shows historical tip tracking data

Report Features:

  • Line chart showing tip trends over time
  • Two data series: Recurring tips vs. Per-order tips
  • Table with timestamps and detailed breakdown

Metrics Tracked:

  • Recurring Amount: Tips from customers with recurring tip settings
  • Recurring Count: Number of customers with recurring tips
  • Recurring Average: Average recurring tip amount
  • Orders Amount: Tips from one-time order tips
  • Orders Count: Number of orders with one-time tips
  • Orders Average: Average one-time tip amount

Use Cases:

  • Track adoption of recurring tips
  • Compare recurring vs. one-time tip behavior
  • Identify trends in customer tipping
  • Monitor tip feature effectiveness

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Weekly Payout Process

Goal: Pay drivers their tips for the week

Steps:

  1. Navigate to Driver Tips page
  2. Verify correct week is selected (current week)
  3. Review each driver's total tips
  4. Process payments to drivers (outside system)
  5. Return to Driver Tips page
  6. Click "Mark Paid Out" for each driver paid
  7. Verify all show "COMPLETE" status

Tips:

  • Print or screenshot totals before paying
  • Mark paid only after payment confirmed
  • Check route breakdown for accuracy

Use Case 2: Configure Tip Percentages

Goal: Update tip percentage options for customers

Steps:

  1. Open Driver Tips page
  2. Scroll to "Tip Percentage Defaults" section
  3. Enter desired percentages (e.g., 10%, 15%, 20%)
  4. Click "Save Percentages"
  5. Test on customer-facing site to verify
  6. Monitor tip selection patterns

Example: Previous: 5%, 10%, 15% New: 10%, 15%, 20% Result: Higher average tips per customer

Use Case 3: Enable Tips for First Time

Goal: Turn on driver tip feature for your service

Steps:

  1. Navigate to Driver Tips page
  2. Click red "DISABLED" button
  3. Wait for confirmation message
  4. Configure tip percentages (if first time)
  5. Set to reasonable defaults: 5%, 10%, 15%
  6. Click "Save Percentages"
  7. Test checkout process as customer
  8. Communicate feature to customers

Goal: Understand tip adoption and patterns

Steps:

  1. Click "Recurring" button
  2. Review line chart for trends
  3. Compare recurring vs. one-time tips
  4. Note recurring count growth
  5. Calculate average tip amounts
  6. Use data to encourage recurring tips

Insights to Look For:

  • Increasing recurring tip adoption
  • Average tip amounts by type
  • Seasonal patterns in tipping
  • Overall tip revenue growth

Use Case 5: Correct Payment Error

Goal: Undo a driver payment marked by mistake

Steps:

  1. Navigate to Driver Tips page
  2. Select week with error
  3. Find driver marked paid incorrectly
  4. Click "undo mark paid" link
  5. Status returns to "PENDING"
  6. Make correct payment
  7. Re-mark as paid when confirmed

Troubleshooting

Driver Shows No Tips

Symptoms:

  • Driver appears in list but shows $0.00
  • Route shows no tips
  • Expected tips are missing

Check:

  1. Verify correct week is selected
  2. Confirm driver is assigned to active routes
  3. Check if tip feature was enabled during that week
  4. Verify orders were delivered (not cancelled)
  5. Check customer orders for tip amounts

Common Causes:

  • Feature was disabled during week
  • No deliveries on driver's routes
  • Customers didn't add tips
  • Driver not assigned to routes with orders

Cannot Enable Tip Feature

Symptoms:

  • Click "DISABLED" button but nothing happens
  • Feature stays disabled
  • Error message appears

Solutions:

  1. Verify you have Manager or Admin access
  2. Check for JavaScript errors in browser
  3. Try refreshing page and re-attempting
  4. Clear browser cache
  5. Try different browser

If Problem Persists: Contact system administrator

Tip Percentages Not Saving

Symptoms:

  • Enter percentages and click Save
  • Page refreshes but old values remain
  • Error message may appear

Check:

  1. Ensure percentages are between 1 and 100
  2. Verify all three fields have values
  3. Don't use special characters or symbols
  4. Refresh page to see if they actually saved

Common Causes:

  • Invalid percentage values (0, negative, >100)
  • Missing value in one or more fields
  • Special characters in input

Week Selector Shows Wrong Dates

Symptoms:

  • Weeks don't align with expected dates
  • Current week is wrong

Explanation: System uses Sunday as start of week. Weeks are calculated from Sunday to Saturday. If viewing mid-week, "current week" means the Sunday-Saturday period containing today.

This is normal behavior - weeks always start Sunday

  • Billing Payment Transactions - Overall payment reporting
  • Drivers (admin-edit.php?table=drivers) - Manage driver accounts
  • Routes (admin-edit.php?table=routes) - Manage delivery routes
  • Customer Detail - View individual customer tip settings

Typical Workflow:

  1. Customers add tips at checkout
  2. Tips accumulate throughout week
  3. Admin reviews totals on Driver Tips page
  4. Admin processes payments to drivers
  5. Admin marks payments complete

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Manager or higher

Access Level Capabilities:

  • Manager: View tips, mark paid, configure percentages
  • Administrator: All Manager capabilities + enable/disable feature
  • Kiva Admin: All features + recurring analytics access

Restricted Features:

  • Enable/Disable: Requires Administrator
  • Tip Configuration: Requires Manager or higher
  • Mark Paid: Requires Manager or higher

Best Practices

Weekly Management

  1. Review tips every Friday before processing
  2. Verify route assignments are accurate
  3. Process payments promptly (within 48 hours)
  4. Mark paid only after confirming payment sent
  5. Keep records of payment dates

Configuration

  1. Set tip percentages aligned with industry standards
  2. Test changes on staging before production
  3. Monitor customer response after percentage changes
  4. Consider local market norms for tipping
  5. Survey drivers for feedback on tip amounts

Customer Communication

  1. Announce tip feature when first enabled
  2. Explain how tips go directly to drivers
  3. Highlight recurring tip option benefits
  4. Thank customers who tip regularly
  5. Share driver appreciation stories

Financial Management

  • Track tip revenue separately from product sales
  • Maintain audit trail of driver payouts
  • Reconcile tips with order data monthly
  • Document any adjustments or corrections
  • Consider tax implications of driver tips

Quick Reference Card

Task Action/Location
Enable tip feature Click red "DISABLED" button
Disable tip feature Click green "ENABLED" button
Set tip percentages Enter values, click "Save Percentages"
View current week tips Default view, or select current week
Mark driver paid Click "Mark Paid Out" under driver name
Undo payment Click "undo mark paid" link
View past weeks Select week from dropdown, click "Go"
See tip trends Click "Recurring" button in header
Manage drivers Click "Drivers" button in header
Manage routes Click "Routes" button in header

FAQs

Do tips go directly to drivers or through our company?

The system tracks tips separately from product sales. How you actually pay drivers (direct, payroll, cash, etc.) is up to your business policies. The system simply tracks amounts owed to each driver.

Can customers tip different amounts per order?

Yes. While you set default percentage buttons (e.g., 5%, 10%, 15%), customers can enter any custom amount or percentage they choose.

What's the difference between recurring tips and one-time tips?

Recurring tips are when a customer sets a default tip amount/percentage that automatically applies to all future orders. One-time tips are when a customer adds a tip for just one specific order.

Can we change tip percentages mid-week?

Yes, you can change them anytime. New percentages apply immediately to all future customer checkouts. Existing orders retain their original tip amounts.

What happens to tips if an order is cancelled?

If an order is cancelled before delivery, the tip is also removed. Drivers only receive tips for completed deliveries. The system automatically excludes cancelled orders from tip calculations.

Can different routes have different tip percentages?

No, tip percentage options are system-wide. All customers see the same three quick-select percentages. However, customers can always enter custom amounts regardless of defaults.

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.