OptimoRoute is a route optimization platform for delivery and field service companies that helps them plan optimal routes and schedules to keep their operations moving forward. In this article, we will explain how dispatchers can get started using OptimoRoute. If you're a driver, head over to our guide for drivers using the OptimoRoute Driver app.
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
- Importing or creating/editing drivers
- Importing or creating/editing vehicles
- Customer notifications
- Proof of delivery
Execution of routes
Advanced configuration
Planning workflow
This section will walk you through the basics of planning including adding & editing orders.
Importing orders
There are two methods for importing orders:
- Excel/CSV/TXT files
- API
Excel/CSV/TXT files
You can import your orders using an Excel/CSV/TXT file. This file will then be mapped to the column that matches the OptimoRoute fields to import all orders. This is a manual process which requires exporting a file from a CRM/ERP/OMS/etc or creating a spreadsheet with all your order data. Learn more about importing a spreadsheet here.
API
Alternatively, you can create an integration between your internal systems and OptimoRoute using our API to import orders. Orders will appear with all attributes (load size, notes, custom fields, etc.) and requirements (time windows, skills, vehicle features, etc.) automatically in your planning dashboard, based on the configuration of integration. Check out our API documentation here.
Editing orders
It may be necessary to edit an order when new information arises. In OptimoRoute, orders can be edited either individually or in bulk.
You can edit nearly all the same details in bulk that you can in a single edit.
Both windows have a list of sections on the left-side, which allows you to scan through and edit specific details of the selected order(s).
Planning optimized routes
Optimization is initiated by clicking the "Plan Routes" button. The subsequent pop-up window is the "Planning Settings" window, which allows you to make direct changes to drivers/vehicles that impact that day (or select date range).
This is opposed to making changes to driver profiles found under "Administration Settings", which will impact only future dates, and dates where a driver does not have a route. For that reason, it is always recommended to make ad-hoc changes specifically in the "Planning Settings" window.
What you can change in the Planning Settings window is as follows:
Allowed Changes
- Allow all changes to the current solution
- Keep planned routes unchanged, add new orders to unused drivers
- Keep planned orders with current drivers, fit in new orders
Balance Routes
- No balancing
- Balance routes
- By number of orders
- By working hours
- Balance routes and use all drivers
- By number of orders
- By working hours
- Balancing factor
Additional
- Prefer orders to be clustered [advanced feature]
- Drivers can return to depot for more orders
- Driver configuration
- Deactivate/activate drivers
- Update working hours
- Update load capacities
- Update vehicles
- *Start location / End location
- *Only available if Weekly planning is activated
- **End route
- **Only available if Multi-day Long-haul is activated
Manually editing routes
One of the easiest ways to manually edit routes is to use drag and drop on the map or in the timeline.
Drag and drop supports 2 methods for editing routes:
- Drag and drop
- Best fit drag and drop
Drag and drop
Works on the map, the timeline, and between the two. This means you can locate an order as a pin on the map, and place it on a location in the timeline of the driver’s route or vice versa. Additionally, you can move orders from an unscheduled pop-up window onto a route, or vice versa, remove an order from a route and place it as unscheduled. Learn more about planning with drag and drop here.
Best Fit drag and drop
Allows you to take an order (or multiple) and allow the algorithm to consider all constraints and current sequence of a route and optimally insert orders onto said route. The only decision a planner needs to make is, which driver should receive an order. The algorithm handles the rest. Learn more about how best fit works here.
Administrative configuration
Importing or creating/editing drivers
Drivers profiles can be imported in bulk using our import driver template. Generally used by larger businesses at the beginning of their adoption of OptimoRoute, otherwise drivers are generally updated or added within the Admin Drivers section.
When importing drivers with skills and vehicles, both should already exist within the system before importing the drivers. By skipping this step and importing drivers immediately, the import process misses the reference points needed to define the driver with both skills and a vehicle.
Special consideration for service areas. If intended for use, service areas can be defined in 3 different ways. Learn more about service areas here.
Importing or creating/editing vehicles
Similar to drivers, vehicles can be imported with our import vehicles template.
Real-time order tracking
Customers can stay informed through a series of notifications sent via email, text, or both. Each notification contains a tracking link that can display your company logo and color matched to represent your brand.
The available notification types are:
- Scheduled time notifications
- Driver is on the way
- ETA change
- Order completed
- Order failed
Notifications can be sent from a business email to maintain consistent communications with your customers. Learn more about how to set up customer notifications.
Customer feedback surveys
Leverage the customer notification framework to prompt and collect feedback from each customer. You can analyze and export the responses in the Analytics dashboard.
Proof of delivery
Every delivery/pickup/task in OptimoRoute can be configured to gather proof of delivery/service. The standard package allows for collecting a signature, taking up to 20 photos per order, and collecting a free form driver note.
To gather additional information in a more structured manner, OptimoRoute can build a custom form that can prompt answers in the form of: free form fields, predefined list of answers, number only input fields, and more.
| To learn more about custom forms, reach out to support. |
All this information is then retrievable in the Planned vs. Actual report under Analytics, as well as the Custom Raw Data which can be found on the Plan and Optimize dashboard under Share Routes > Excel export.
Further ensuring delivery accuracy is possible by leveraging OptimoRoute’s barcode scanning.
Execution of routing
Sharing routes
There are several ways to share routes with drivers:
The most common and impactful way to share routes with your drivers is through the OptimoRoute Driver app. Available on both iOS and Android, the mobile app is lightweight and designed for easy use on all levels of phones.
Live dashboard
The live dashboard allows the tracking of driver locations (captured via the OptimoRoute Driver app), as well as the status of each order the driver has scheduled to their route.
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 top left gives you a filter to display the planned route, the actual route, or both, with the breadcrumbs of the actual route taken by the driver overlaid on the planned route. "View history" allows you to look into past routes and reports.
The top right gives a general summary of the day - total completions, failed orders, and more. Additionally, if routes ever need to be deactivated (completely removed from driver apps), there is a deactivate button both on the "Plan and Optimize" dashboard, in addition to the button in the "Live" dashboard.
OptimoRoute Driver App
The OptimoRoute Driver app provides a simple, all-in-one option for your drives to access their route for the day. They can use the app to mark jobs as completed, collect PoD, and provide necessary information to power the Uber-like customer notification experience available for your business.
The mobile app configuration section of the administration settings in the web application provide numerous options to configure the mobile app in a way that best suits each business. It is possible to remove service requirements so that drivers can quickly and easily mark jobs as complete and move onto the next order.
They can also display these completion options directly on the "To do list" screen, reducing additional clicks.
Analytics and reporting
The Analytics tab provides an overview for the day (or various ranges, based on the selected time range).
Additional reporting and data can be collected on the "Plan and Optimize" dashboard under "Share Routes". This export has access to all the regular planned information found under the raw data export, plus growing access to more and more live information, like PoD, Actual completion time, etc.
Advanced configuration
| These features may require you to reach out to support to activate and potentially upgrade your billing subscription, if not already activated in your account. |
Multi-day long haul
Multi-day long haul routing helps you build routes that consider consecutive travel days.
When active in an account, multi-day long haul will add a new toggle to the "Planning Settings" window called “End route”.
When it comes to the "End route" configuration:
- “No” means that the route does not need to end, and the driver can end/start their route away from the designated start/end location(s)
- “Yes” means that the driver will be given a route where they are scheduled to arrive at their designated end location by the end of their shift.
Necessary notes about multi-day long haul:
- Plans will borrow hours from the following day if the time needed to reach the first stop of subsequent days:
- For example, consider a driver with an 8 hours shift, working 5 days a week, totalling a typical 40 hour work week. The algorithm will use those 40 hours as a guide to fill in the work week with stops. Therefore, if the driver has an 8 hour shift, but requires an extra hour to reach the last stop on day 1 (the first stop of day 2), then the algorithm will borrow 1 hour from day 2. Meaning, instead of starting at the regular 8:00 am on day 2, the driver will start at 9:00 am
- All selected drivers should have the same working hours (ex. 8:00 am – 4:00 pm). If not, then the most common working hours are applied to all drivers for the purpose of planning.
- If only a portion of the workforce will do multi-day routes, then one workflow is to plan teams separately (daily teams vs. long haul teams) by selecting applicable drivers on the driver side panel, found to the left of the screen. Once the first team is scheduled, plan with the second team.
- Shifts cannot straddle midnight, ie. A route cannot start at 10:00 pm and end at 6:00 am the next day.
- Overtime is not considered/ignored for multi-day run calculations.
- Lunch breaks are not included/ignored in planning multi-day runs.
- Manually edited routes should be avoided.
Learn more about multi-day long haul routing here.
Pickup and Delivery (PnD)
When an order does not originate from the driver’s start location, pickup and delivery allows you to link two separate orders ensuring that, (a) the pickup happens before the delivery and (b) both are scheduled to the same person.
During the import process, be sure to activate the "Pickup & Delivery" mapping to ensure a smooth import of all orders.
Commercial Routing and Navigation
By creating a commercial vehicle profile, you can account for the necessary road restrictions your commercial drivers will face, while also calculating more accurate ETAs thanks to the consideration of the actual roads that your drivers must take.
Once configured, you can then use OptimoRoute’s in-app turn by turn navigation further ensuring that your drivers follow the routes exactly as they were created.