ROUTE MANAGEMENT
In this section, we will focus on Route Management. Our application simplifies the process of adding or editing routes, providing you with a user-friendly experience.
If you have already added routes, you will notice a breadcrumb trail across the top of this page. The breadcrumb serves as a navigation aid, displaying a clear path to your active routes. This makes it effortless for you to identify and access your existing routes with ease.
With our Route Management feature, you can effortlessly add new routes or make edits to existing ones. Our goal is to streamline the route management process, allowing you to efficiently organize and update your routes within the application.
Adding A Route
The way this process starts is you add a Route by filling out the required fields. It is essential that you have already added a driver in the personnel section. You will be adding your driver to a Route as we go down on this page.
Name The Route
The first form field in the Route Management section is dedicated to naming your route. It is important to give your route a unique name that is easily understandable by anyone. You have the flexibility to choose any name that suits your preference.
Many companies choose to name their routes based on a combination of the driver's name and the specific section of the city that the route covers. However, you are free to come up with a naming convention that best suits your needs. The key is to choose a name that is straightforward and easily comprehensible for everyone involved.
It is worth noting that once you create these routes, they will be accessible to new customers on the front end of your website if you enable them, specifically under the pricing section. You can enable this at the bottom of the routes when you edit them. You will not see the option when you are adding a route for the first time.
By providing clear and easily understandable route names, you can enhance the user experience for both your team members and potential customers, making it simpler for them to navigate and select the appropriate routes.
Assign Driver To This Route
In the Personnel section, when you add drivers to your team, they will automatically appear in a driver list. This driver list serves as a convenient reference when assigning drivers to specific routes.
It is important to note that only users with the role of "Driver" will be included in this list. This ensures that only individuals designated as drivers are available for selection, streamlining the process of assigning drivers to routes. So if a manager is also a driver you should set up 2 accounts for them. One would be a driver account and the other would be a manager account. The driver interface is very mobile friendly because of the nature of their work.
By populating the driver list exclusively with users assigned the "Driver" role, we simplify the driver selection process and provide you with a focused and relevant list of personnel to choose from. This enhances efficiency and accuracy when assigning drivers to their respective routes.
Helpers or Laborers
When you add helpers or Laborers in the personnel section their list will populate. You select the helpers or Laborer just by ticking the box next to their names for the Route.
Start With Address
In our system, you have the ability to specify the starting address for each route. This initial address serves as a guideline for drivers to commence their routes. It's important to note that while drivers may develop their own strategies over time, adjusting their routes as customers come on or off the route, it is still beneficial to maintain the starting address information. This way, if another driver needs to cover the route, they will know where to begin.
To enter a start address, simply start typing the desired address in the designated field. As you type, a list of suggested addresses will appear on the right side of the page. Once you see the correct address in the list, click on it. The system will then insert a unique ID number associated with that address into the input box.
By providing this feature, we enable you to specify the starting point for each driver's route. This helps ensure consistency and provides valuable information for drivers who may need to cover a route in the future.
End With Address
Similar to the starting address, the ending address for a route plays a crucial role in helping drivers develop an efficient strategy for serving all customers on that particular route. It allows drivers to plan their routes effectively, taking into account the endpoint for their journey.
To enter the ending address, you will follow a similar process as entering the starting address. Begin by typing in the desired address in the designated field. As you type, a list of suggested addresses will populate on the page. Once you locate the correct address in the list, click on it. The system will then insert the selected address as the endpoint for the driver's route.
By providing this functionality, we enable drivers to have a clear understanding of the starting and ending points of their routes. This information assists them in developing an optimal strategy to serve all customers efficiently. Repeat the process for entering the ending address, just as you did for the starting address, to ensure accurate and comprehensive route planning.
Recurrence
In this section, you can choose the intervals for when the route occurs. We offer several options to suit your scheduling needs:
• Weekly: Select this option if the route should repeat on a weekly basis.
• Monthly: Choose this option if the route should occur once every month.
• One-time: Use this option if the route is a single occurrence and will not repeat.
• Bi-Weekly: Select this option if the route should repeat every two weeks.
• Quarterly: Choose this option if the route should occur once every three months.
• Yearly: Select this option if the route should occur once per year.
By providing these interval choices, we offer flexibility to accommodate various scheduling requirements. You can easily select the appropriate interval that best matches the frequency of the route occurrence.
Choose A Start Date
This section holds great importance in managing your routes. When selecting the recurrence option, such as "weekly," it establishes a consistent pick-up day for the route. For example, if you choose Thursday as the pick-up day, every Thursday will be designated as the scheduled day for trash collection. This information will be prominently displayed to both drivers and customers.
This clear and consistent scheduling ensures effective communication and coordination between all parties involved. Drivers can rely on the designated pick-up day to plan their routes, while customers are informed about the specific day when their trash will be collected. This promotes a smooth and efficient waste management process.
Furthermore, our application is programmed to send friendly reminders to customers. These reminders serve as notifications, providing a timely heads-up that their designated trash collection day is approaching. This helps customers remember to put out their bags or bins, ensuring they don't miss the scheduled pick-up. Additionally, there are ads included in the emails that users pay you for.
By offering this integrated reminder system, our application helps foster positive customer experiences and minimizes any potential inconvenience related to missed collections. It streamlines the entire waste management process while promoting timely participation from both customers and drivers.
Choose An End Date
In certain situations, Waste Management companies may collaborate and provide temporary coverage for each other's routes. To accommodate this scenario, we have implemented an end date feature. This allows you to specify the duration of the temporary arrangement.
Additionally, there may be instances where you have a one-time route due to a special event or city clean-up. In such cases, you can utilize this field to indicate the specific end date for the route.
By providing the option to note the route's end date, our system ensures clear communication and effective management of temporary arrangements and one-time routes. This feature allows for accurate tracking and facilitates seamless coordination among Waste Management companies.
Comment Section
When managing routes, there are often specific considerations or unique circumstances that need to be addressed. Our system acknowledges this and provides a dedicated space for including any special instructions or notes.
For example, you may have a situation where one driver handles one half of a street while another driver takes care of the other half. Additionally, there might be hidden places or specific circumstances that require attention. Some companies utilize this feature to plot out routes effectively. Additionally there is a sections on this application where you can plot out a drivers order of pickups, we will discuss this further down.
This section serves as a valuable tool for creating special notes that can be accessed by both drivers and managers. It allows you to communicate important information and instructions pertaining to the route, ensuring that all relevant parties are well-informed.
By utilizing this feature, you can enhance coordination, provide crucial details, and address any unique considerations within the route management process. It promotes effective communication and empowers drivers and managers to navigate routes successfully while accommodating any specific needs or circumstances that may arise.
Charge
In this section, you can set the charge for the route. It is important to ensure that the charge aligns with the chosen recurrence option. For instance, if you select a weekly pickup, the charge should reflect the cost per week. Even if you send out monthly invoices, it is crucial to input the charge corresponding to the chosen recurrence.
Let's consider an example to illustrate this. If you charge $30 per month for a pickup and your invoicing cycle is monthly, the corresponding weekly charge would be $6.90. Please note that our application calculates the monthly charge based on an average of 4.35 weeks in a month.
By accurately inputting the charge that corresponds to the recurrence option, you maintain consistency and ensure that the billing aligns with the frequency of service. This helps you accurately calculate costs, generate invoices, and maintain transparency in your billing process.