Published · GeoCliks Field Notes
Should a delivery stop be closed with a photo at the door or with the recipient's name and signature?
Use a photo at the door when the parcel is left unattended, because it shows where it was left and when. Use the recipient's printed name and signature, plus a photo, when the parcel goes into someone's hands, because a door photo cannot record who took it. If the recipient takes the parcel before you have photographed it, record a handoff instead of putting it back down or photographing a different parcel. Neither record proves who the signer really is unless an ID is checked, and neither proves what was inside the box.
Most delivery apps ask for a photo at every stop, so drivers learn to treat the photo as the delivery. It is not. The photo records an unattended drop: this parcel, at this door, at this time. When the recipient opens the door and takes the parcel, the thing worth recording changes from a place to a person, and a photo of a doorstep taken after the parcel has gone inside records something that did not happen.
Photo vs signature vs both: what each one records
| Method | Fits | What it records | What it cannot show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo at the door, nobody present | Unattended drops where the sender or recipient allows leaving the parcel | The parcel at a door, mailbox or safe place, with the time and the device location | That the right person collected it, or that it was still there an hour later |
| Recipient's printed name and signature | Any parcel handed to a person, and stops marked signature required | Who said they took the parcel, and when | That the name is real or belongs to the signer: a finger-drawn signature is not an identity check |
| Name, signature and a photo | Handoffs where the location also matters: reception desks, building concierges, neighbours | Who took it and where the handoff happened | What was inside the parcel, or its condition once opened |
| Signature with an ID check | Age-restricted or addressee-only items, where the sender bought or requires that service | That someone showed the driver an ID matching the rule | Anything the driver did not actually check; an app's signature pad does not replace this step |
| A photo staged after the handoff | Nothing | A parcel, or a different parcel, at a door it never stayed at | The real handoff; if questioned, it points at the driver |
Checklist: which proof each kind of stop needs
- Nobody home, leaving it is allowed: one photo with the parcel, its label or stop reference and the door, unit number or safe place in frame.
- Recipient answers the door: get the name and signature before you let go of the parcel, then photograph the label or the doorway as it is.
- Customer meets you outside, in a driveway or on the street: same as above. A handoff away from the door is still a handoff, so do not walk back to the door to take a doorstep photo.
- Reception, concierge, mailroom or a neighbour: the name of the person who took it, their role or unit, a signature, and a photo of where it was handed over. Only use a neighbour if the delivery instructions allow it.
- Stop marked signature required and nobody can sign: do not leave it. Record a failed attempt with a reason and a photo of the door.
- Age-restricted or addressee-only items: follow the sender's ID rule. If you cannot check ID the way the rule asks, the delivery does not happen at that stop.
What a postal signature service records
The US Postal Service sells signature levels as separate services, which shows the trade-offs clearly. Its Signature Confirmation service gives the sender the signature and name of the recipient plus the date, time and location of delivery, and it requires the recipient, or a responsible person at the residence, to be present to sign. So a signature is not necessarily the addressee's. Adult Signature Restricted Delivery is narrower: only the addressee may sign, they must be 21 or older, and they show a government-issued photo ID before delivery. In the other direction, a sender can waive the signature on some services, which authorises the carrier to leave the item if the spot is secure and protected from the weather. Its proof-of-delivery letter even records a delivery location attribute such as front door or porch.
Private couriers follow their own contracts, but the lesson carries over: the sender decides what level of proof a parcel needs, and the driver's job is to capture that level and say plainly when it could not be captured. The USPS pages are linked at the end.
How GeoCliks records a handoff
- The office can require a signature on a whole route, or on single stops when only some drops need one, including from a 'signature' column in a pasted or uploaded stop list. It is off by default.
- The driver's screen shows the recipient name from the stop, which the driver confirms or corrects, so the record shows who actually took the parcel rather than whose name is on the label. The recipient signs on the phone with a finger.
- When a signature is required, the app holds back the photo until a name is entered and a signature drawn. That check happens on the phone: a driver who closes the empty signature pad can still finish the stop with a photo alone. So spot-check signature-required stops in the export, where signed photos are marked.
- Every stop still closes with a photo, delivered or failed. That photo carries a capture time, a photo code and a content hash from the stored file, plus GPS coordinates and a reverse-geocoded address when the device supplied them.
- The name and signature are stored with that photo and appear on the evidence PDF and in the exports, where the ZIP carries one signature file per signed photo. The delivered email to the recipient names who received it. On the public verify page the name and signature appear only while the workspace keeps a share link for the photo.
- The content hash and seal cover the image and its capture data, not the typed name or the drawn signature. The hash only shows whether the image bytes differ from what was recorded; it does not prevent edits. GPS can be inaccurate or spoofed, the address is looked up from those coordinates rather than independently witnessed, and an offline capture is not automatically network-verified when it uploads later.
- Signature capture is listed on Delivery Lite ($39 a month: 500 stops, 2 drivers) and above. Delivery plans are priced separately from the field photo plans, and the field plans do not include delivery routes.
Follow-up questions
- Is a photo or a signature better proof of delivery?
- Neither is better in general; they answer different questions. A photo shows where an unattended parcel was left and when. A name and signature show who said they took a parcel that was handed over. For a handoff, take both.
- Can anyone sign for a package?
- It depends on the service the sender chose. The USPS Signature Confirmation service accepts the recipient or a responsible person at the residence, while Adult Signature Restricted Delivery requires the addressee, aged 21 or older, with a government-issued photo ID. A courier should follow the instruction on the stop and record the name of whoever actually signed.
- Does a signature prove who received the parcel?
- No. A finger-drawn signature and a typed name record who said they took it. Without an ID check, nobody can tell from the record whether that name is real or belongs to the person who signed.
- What should a driver do if the customer takes the parcel before the photo?
- Record it as a handoff: the name they gave, a signature if they will sign, and a photo of the label or the handoff spot as it is, with a note. Do not ask for the parcel back, set it down again or photograph another parcel to satisfy a photo requirement.
- Does GeoCliks require a signature at every stop?
- No. Signatures are off by default and can be required on a route or on individual stops. Every stop does require a photo, whether it is delivered or failed. The signature requirement is checked on the driver's phone rather than by the server, so spot-check signature-required stops in the export.
- Which GeoCliks plans include signature capture?
- Signature capture is listed on Delivery Lite at $39 a month (500 stops, 2 drivers), Delivery Pro at $99 a month (2,000 stops, 5 drivers) and Delivery Fleet at $249 a month (6,000 stops, 15 drivers). It is not listed on the free delivery plan. Delivery plans are separate from the field photo plans, which do not include delivery routes.