Getting started for new OptimoRoute dispatchers – OptimoRoute Help Center

OptimoRoute helps delivery and field service teams plan, dispatch, and track optimized routes and schedules.

This guide introduces the main tasks dispatchers complete in OptimoRoute. For instructions on using the OptimoRoute Driver app, see the driver guide.

Overview

This guide will cover the following areas in a quick overview. You can click on each of the areas below to see a more in-depth how-to for each section.

Planning workflow

Administrative configuration

Route execution

Advanced configuration

Planning workflow

This section explains the basic planning process, including how to add, edit, and plan orders.

Basic concepts

These are the basic building blocks of a route in OptimoRoute:

Orders

An order is a piece of work that needs to be completed. It can be a delivery, pickup, or service task.

Each order includes details such as the location, service time, time window, required skills, load, and customer information. Before planning, an order is "Unscheduled". After planning, it becomes a stop on a route with an assigned position and planned time.

Locations

A location is the physical place where an order is completed. A location must include an address or map coordinates. If OptimoRoute cannot find valid coordinates for a location, orders at that location may not be planned.

One location can be used by several orders. For example, a driver may complete multiple orders at the same building. The location describes the place, while each order describes the work to complete there.

Drivers

A driver is the person who completes the orders on a route. Each driver can have default working hours, start and end locations, skills, an assigned vehicle, and other planning limits.

Routes

A route is the planned of work assigned to a driver for a specific date. It contains a sequence of orders (stops), along with planned travel times, arrival times, distance, and duration.

How they work together

You add or import orders, each with an assigned location, then OptimoRoute schedules them to routes based on your planning settings and limits. Each route is assigned to a driver.

After reviewing the plan, you send the routes to the drivers. The driver follows the route in the OptimoRoute Driver app and you can follow the actual route in the "Live" dashboard.

Adding and editing orders

Orders are one of the basic building blocks of route planning in OptimoRoute. To get started, you'll need to add orders.

There are a few ways you can do this:

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You can edit an order when its details change.

OptimoRoute supports two editing methods:

Edit one order
Edit multiple orders in bulk

Bulk editing supports most of the same fields as editing one order.

In both editing windows, use the sections on the left to find and update specific order details.

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Adding and editing drivers

Driver details can be set up from the "Administration" section.

To add a driver, go to Administration→Settings→Drivers and create a new driver profile. Enter the driver’s name and any settings used for planning, such as:

To edit a driver, open the driver’s profile, update the needed fields, and save your changes.

Changes made in the driver profile act as defaults for future planning. For a temporary change on a specific date, update the driver in "Planning Settings" instead.

Planning optimized routes

OptimoRoute automatically plans routes based on orders, drivers, and vehicle constraints. To plan your first route, go to "Plan and Optimize" and click "Plan Routes".

The "Planning Settings" window will open letting you review drivers and constraints. Use it to update driver and vehicle settings for the selected date or date range. You can also choose how OptimoRoute plans and balances the routes.

Learn more about optimizing routes and different settings here.

Manually editing routes

You can manually edit routes by dragging and dropping orders on the map or timeline.

OptimoRoute provides two drag-and-drop methods:

Drag and drop
Best fit drag and drop

Drag and drop

With drag and drop you choose the exact position where the order is added. Use standard drag and drop to move an order:

Between positions on a route
From one route to another
From the map to a route timeline
From a route timeline to the map
From the unscheduled orders window to a route
From a route back to the unscheduled orders window

Warning: Manual changes may ignore route limits or make the route less efficient. Review travel times, time windows, capacities, skills, and other requirements after moving an order.

Learn more about planning with drag and drop here.

Best fit drag and drop

Use Best fit drag and drop when you want OptimoRoute to find the best placement for the order(s) on the route. You choose the driver. OptimoRoute then checks the route’s current order sequence and applicable limits to find a suitable position for the orders.

Learn more about how best fit works here.

Administrative configuration

Importing or creating/editing drivers

You can add or edit drivers in Administration→Settings→Drivers. You can also import multiple driver profiles with the driver import template. Bulk import is often useful during initial account setup or when adding many drivers at once.

Before importing drivers with assigned skills or vehicles, add those skills and vehicles to OptimoRoute. Otherwise, the import cannot match them to the drivers.

If you use service areas, you can set them in three ways. Learn more about service areas here.

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Importing or creating/editing vehicles

You can add or edit vehicles in Administration→Settings→Vehicles.

You can also import multiple vehicles with the vehicle import template..

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Real-time order tracking

OptimoRoute can send customers order updates by notifications sent via email, text, or both. You can even send notifications from a business email address to keep customer communication consistent.

Each notification can include a tracking link. The tracking page can display your company logo and brand color.

Available notification types include:

Scheduled time notifications
Driver is on the way
ETA change
Order completed
Order failed

Learn more about setting up customer notifications here.

Customer feedback surveys

You can use customer notifications to request feedback after an order. Here customers can rate their service experience and send it directly to dispatchers.

View, analyze, and export survey responses from the "Analytics" dashboard.

Learn more about customer feedback surveys here.

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Proof of delivery

You can configure deliveries, pickups, and tasks to collect digital proof of delivery or proof of service.

The standard set up supports:

One signature
Up to 20 photos per order
A free-form driver note
Barcode scanning

Learn more about proof of delivery here.

For more structured information, OptimoRoute can provide custom forms. A custom form can include:

Free-text fields
Lists of predefined answers
Number fields
Conditional inputs
Other configured response types

Contact support to learn more about custom forms.

Route execution

Sharing routes

There are several ways to share routes with drivers:

The most direct way to share routes with your drivers is through the OptimoRoute Driver app. The app connects with navigation tools such as Google Maps and Waze. It is a lightweight mobile application available on iOS and Android and is designed for easy use on the road.

Drivers use the OptimoRoute Driver app to view and complete their assigned routes.

Depending on your configuration, drivers can use the app to:

View their route and orders
Mark orders as completed or failed
Record notes, photos, signatures, or form responses for proof of delivery
Share location and order status information
Trigger customer notifications

Live tracking dashboard

Use the "Live" dashboard to view:

Driver locations reported by the OptimoRoute Driver app
On time status
Planned and actual route performance
Completed and failed orders

You can also deactivate a live plan, which removes the plan from the driver's mobile app.

There are also two areas that quickly give overview information about what's happening in the field can be found to the left and right of the dashboard. The upper-right section shows a summary of the day, including completed and failed orders.

On the left, you can filter the view to see:

The planned route
The actual route
Both routes
Specific drivers only

When you display both planned and actual, the driver’s actual path appears over the planned route as breadcrumbs.

Replanning live routes

Use the "Plan and Optimize" area to:

Send routes to drivers
Send customer notifications
Replan live routes
Deactivate plans

Analytics and reporting

The "Analytics" tab shows performance data for the selected date or date range.

You can export more data from Plan and Optimize > Share Routes.

Available exports include:

Planned vs actual order and route data
Proof-of-delivery data
Actual time and distance traveled
Customer feedback surveys

Learn more about OptimoRoute Analytics here.

Advanced configuration

Clustering

Clustering groups nearby orders on the same routes to reduce route overlap and keep drivers in separate geographic areas.

Because clustering prioritizes geographic separation, it may produce less efficient routes when compared with standard optimization.

Learn more about clustering here.

Weekly planning

Weekly planning helps you schedule orders that can be completed within a flexible date range. You can plan up to five weeks at once while accounting for time windows, driver availability, and other planning limits.

Learn more about weekly planning here.

Multi-day long haul

Multi-day long haul routing helps you plan continuous routes across two or more days. It can reduce unnecessary driving by ending each day’s route near where the next day begins, instead of returning to the depot.

Learn more about multi-day long haul routing here.

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Pickup and Delivery

Use Pickup and Delivery when an order must be collected from one location and delivered to another.

The feature links two orders and makes sure that:

The pickup is scheduled before the delivery.
Both orders are assigned to the same driver.

Learn more about linked pick up and delivery orders here.

Commercial Routing and Navigation

Create a commercial vehicle profile to account for road limits that apply to commercial vehicles.

These settings route trucks to:

Avoid restricted roads
Select roads suitable for the assigned vehicle
Calculate ETAs using the roads available to that vehicle

After configuration, drivers can use OptimoRoute’s in-app turn by turn navigation to follow their assigned routes.

Learn more about commercial routing here.

Dynamic Mid-Route Depot Visits

Dynamic Mid-Route Depot Planning adds stops such as landfills, warehouses, and fuel terminals to routes when needed. This helps you:

Plan efficient stops to load and unload
Manage vehicle capacity more efficiently
Calculate more accurate ETAs

Learn more about dynamic mid-route depot planning here.

Need more help?

Need more help or want more information about OptimoRoute? Reach out to support for any questions. We are happy to help.