Written by DROPS.ST.
An authorised cannabis brand should define service commitments by the work it can reliably deliver, then add coordination for accounts that need it. Account size alone is a poor instruction: it does not tell the team what to answer, who owns the response or when an unresolved request needs attention.
DROPS gives that plan a useful working foundation. Product names, units, prices, stock and wholesale packages establish what the request concerns; customer-linked order items establish which transaction needs attention. The web shop and connected Telegram menu use the same catalogue and order system, giving the team common product context across those channels.
Keep the service plan in your controlled worksheet alongside the DROPS shop. Define commitments within your authorised commercial activity, and evaluate any proposed service-tracking or account-hierarchy features separately.
Start with a consistent baseline
Every account needs accurate item identification, a clear contact route and an owner for unresolved order questions. A chain may need additional destination coordination, but an independent retailer should not receive an ambiguous answer because its order is smaller.
An ADCANN interview from April 2023 described the challenge of consistent support for small stores and larger chains. That historical business perspective motivates this worksheet; it does not establish today's provincial permissions or service requirements.
Write commitments as actions with a defined starting point. “Reply by the next staffed business day after receiving a complete request” is more usable than “fast service.” An acknowledgement should state what remains unresolved; it should not accidentally promise a confirmed price, available stock or dispatch date.
Choose commitments from observed staffing and workload. If nobody covers weekends, do not quietly count weekend hours as staffed time. Give the buyer an accurate next review point when the original commitment cannot be met.
Build a service-commitment worksheet
Use one row per request type. The following is an original planning aid, not a prescribed industry standard.
| Request | Commitment and evidence | Owner and review |
|---|---|---|
| Item or package question | Identify the current SKU, unit and catalogue basis used in the answer | Catalogue owner; review conflicting descriptions |
| Existing-order question | Locate the customer-linked order and state the verified issue or next check | Order owner; review unresolved cases at the agreed interval |
| Several receiving sites | Identify buyer, destination and requested date for each line before promising coordination | Account contact; resolve missing destinations |
| Commercial exception | Acknowledge the request and name the decision still needed | Authorised decision maker; set a review point |
Add commitment references and the approved recipients for confidential commercial terms. Exceptions need an authorized decision, not just a support acknowledgment.
Add the account reference, staffed service period and agreed contact route above the table. Put the actual commitment in writing so an internal target is not mistaken for a buyer agreement.
For head-office purchases, use the separate buyer and receiving-site map. Several stores do not necessarily mean several buying authorities, and one buyer does not make every delivery destination interchangeable.
Test the workload before offering more
Estimate the effort associated with each commitment, including follow-up. A brief acknowledgement and a researched answer are different tasks. Track unresolved requests as well as new arrivals; otherwise last week's unfinished work disappears from the plan.
Hypothetical example: a brand has an independent retailer with one receiving site and a chain with five sites. Both receive the same commitment to acknowledge complete order questions during staffed business days. The chain also receives a destination reconciliation step before a delivery estimate is agreed.
In a sample week, eight routine questions take ten minutes each, while four destination questions take twenty-five minutes each: 180 minutes altogether. If the designated owner has only 120 minutes available, the plan needs another owner, a narrower scope or a different commitment before it is offered. These figures illustrate capacity planning, not a recommended staffing ratio.
The extra coordination follows the task. It does not justify silently pushing the independent retailer's unresolved request to the bottom of the list.
Review misses and changes explicitly
For a missed commitment, record the original request, missing information, assigned owner and revised review point. Distinguish waiting for the buyer from waiting for an internal decision. Both need ownership, but they need different next actions.
Review repeated misses by request type. If an account begins requiring extra documents or coordination, use the service-scope change worksheet to agree the additional work rather than hiding it inside the original promise.
Give service answers a clearer foundation with DROPS
Choose DROPS when your service team needs a connected catalogue and customer order context behind its answers. The practical value is being able to discuss the identified item, package and recorded order instead of reconstructing the request from disconnected menu copies.
Explore the DROPS demos with one routine account question and one multi-destination exception. Check that your team can find the relevant product and order context, then complete the external worksheet with the owner, commitment and next review point. A strong service plan makes a specific promise the team can keep and gives every unresolved request somewhere to go.