Coordinated orders are used when the job or task requires two or more drivers/technicians to complete it successfully. In this article, we will explain how to set this up.
Who can use this feature | |
Custom plans | |
All users | |
All regions |
Note: This feature needs to be enabled. Please reach out to support to request access to coordinated orders. |
What are coordinated orders?
Coordinated orders are used when the job or task requires two or more drivers/technicians to complete it successfully. For example, a pool installation that might require 3 or 4 people to participate.
To set up coordinated orders, you need to have an order for each person who needs to complete the job. The orders will then be linked together with a coordination tag. Coordination tags ensure that both (or as many as are needed) drivers/technicians arrive at the same time to the location, regardless of what is scheduled before or after the coordinated order in their respective routes.
Coordination tags for coordinated orders need to match, although other details like duration, Order ID, even address do not need to.
Drivers/technicians will be scheduled for coordinated orders according to availability. Adding time windows and driver assignments are not needed and in some cases can impact results.
Adding coordination tags
Coordination tags are defined by you and can contain letters and numbers.
A coordination tag can be added to an order by:
- Adding it to the order in the edit order window
- Adding the information when importing an Excel/CSV
- Adding the coordination tag via API
Add coordination tags directly to the order
To add coordination tags directly to an existing order:
- Go to Plan & Optimize
- Find the order you want to edit
- Input a coordination tag (eg. POOL3)
- Save this order
- Find the order you want to coordinate with this order
- Edit the order and add the same coordination tag
Now these orders will be linked when you plan your routes.
Tip: Use the "copy order" function to duplicate orders to the same date. This will clone the entire order including the coordination tag, meaning you only need to set up one order and then copy it. |
Importing coordination tags
When setting up your Excel for import:
- Add a column to your import called “Coordination tags”
- Match coordination tags to orders you want to be linked (POOL3 with POOL3)
- Import and map the coordination tags column
Now these orders will be linked when you plan your routes.
Coordination tags and API
Coordination tags can be assigned via API, however as this feature is currently in beta. Please contact support@optimoroute.com to get access and documentation.
Results
The coordination tag ensures that both drivers/technicians will arrive at the same time, regardless of where the order lands in their respective routes.
So when two orders have the same coordination tag (in this example, A1), the orders will be planned in such a way that two drivers are assigned to the orders so that they show up at the same time and place.
Coordinated orders are planned together only if they are all included in the same planning process. If you plan them in separate runs, you might end up with orders that are not coordinated.
The coordinated orders will act as a group and therefore if one or more cannot be scheduled in the group, all orders will be "unscheduled". |