Domino’s Pizza has launched another food delivery industry first: Pizza Tracker. This technology allows Domino’s Pizza customers to follow the progress of their order online from the time they click the “Place Order” button or hang up the telephone until the Domino’s delivery expert is knocking on their door.

Pizza Tracker was introduced to customers ordering online in a test in late December 2007 and is now available to customers ordering from www.dominos.com. Pizza Tracker is currently available at more than 3,400 Domino’s Pizza stores in the U.S. that use the company’s Domino’s Pulse computer system. The list of stores adding the Domino’s Pulse system is growing every month.

Now customers who place orders via telephone will also be able to monitor their order’s progress via Pizza Tracker at those stores using Domino’s Pulse.

“There is absolutely nothing like this in the food service industry,” said Domino’s chief information officer, Chris McGlothlin, of the ability to track telephone orders. Domino’s Pizza has filed for a patent on this innovative technology.

“Pizza Tracker will allow customers to know when their order is being prepared, when it’s out of the oven, and when it’s out the door and on its way. It even includes the first name of the person delivering the order.”

Pizza Tracker is linked directly to the computers inside the pizza stores using Domino’s Pulse and is accurate to within 40 seconds. Once it leaves the store, drive times vary due to distance, weather and traffic conditions, but customers will know that it’s on the way.

Once customers place an order, they can go to www.dominos.com and click on the Pizza Tracker icon. They will see a horizontal bar that lights up red as each step in the process is completed. Customers will see confirmation of their order being received by the store; when it’s being prepared; when it’s been placed in the oven; when it’s been boxed and placed in the Domino’s HeatWave bag; and finally, when it’s on its way for delivery.

So customers using Pizza Tracker will no longer have to wonder where their pizza is in the ordering process - it takes the ‘mystery’ out of waiting for their pizza. Additionally, customers will be able to provide feedback online, which will go directly to the store to be viewed by the store manager. That kind of feedback will allow the stores to quickly resolve customer service issues and help improve customer loyalty.