Why Route Optimization is Super Important

Every year, a company should review its performance and ask itself the following questions:

• Do I have the same logistical difficulties as last year?
• Was it possible for me to come up with a viable and long-term solution to rising gasoline costs and a driver shortage?
• Are my consumers still voicing their dissatisfaction with late deliveries?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are likely underestimating the value of route optimization for your company.

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Table of Contents

• Why is Route Optimization important?
• Improves the customer experience
• Ensures the safety of the driver
• Increases the efficiency of the driver
• Increases fuel efficiency and lowers expenses
• Conclusion

Why is Route Optimization important?

Route optimization is a method of determining the most efficient solutions to difficulties that field service companies encounter, such as long driving hours, difficult routes, and excessive fuel use.

To reduce field staff’ windshield time and ensure clients receive their items on time, it’s critical to choose the most fuel-efficient and shortest route possible.

One of the numerous advantages of route optimization is that all of your packages are delivered in the most efficient manner possible. With a route planner like EasyRoutes, you can determine the quickest and most fuel-efficient route while taking into consideration several stops and short delivery windows. It solves the vehicle route problem as well as the problem of the traveling salesman.

Let’s look at some more route planner advantages that will make your route planning task easier.

Improves the customer experience

Delaying deliveries, or worse, providing inaccurate or ambiguous delivery timelines, is the quickest way to sabotage your customer’s experience. Your drivers must adhere to all delivery deadlines in order to safeguard your company’s revenue and image. Customers will turn to your competition if you fail to give an excellent experience, causing more problems for your company.

It’s easy to avoid this by using advanced route optimization apps that creates best routes based on weather updates, road conditions, traffic congestion, multiple stops, and precise delivery time windows. You’ll be able to send real-time delivery updates to your customers, removing the issue of inaccurate ETAs.

Ensures the safety of the driver

Route optimization is only half of the battle. Field operations managers face an as serious, if not more serious, problem with driver safety on the road. According to a poll, nearly 78 percent of American drivers were involved in at least one reckless driving incident in 2013. Providing drivers with an optimized and easy-to-follow route with turn-by-turn directions is an efficient strategy to reduce driver stress and the likelihood of stress-related road accidents. Your drivers will be more alert and prepared for any unexpected dangers.

Increases the efficiency of the driver

You can enhance your revenues by increasing the number of deliveries each driver must complete in a day. On the other hand, more deliveries means more time behind the wheel, which could leave drivers fatigued and frustrated. Optimizing routes is one method to improve driver morale while also increasing profits. Your drivers will be on the most efficient route feasible, in terms of both distance traveled and travel time, thanks to routing optimization software. As a result, service times are reduced, allowing you to expand the number of deliveries in a sustainable and safe manner.

Increases fuel efficiency and lowers expenses

Fuel is one of the most expensive items in every field service company’s budget. Poor route planning can reduce fuel economy and reduce profit margins. Route optimization software will determine the most efficient route by taking into account aspects such as precise delivery time windows and backtracking, helping drivers to save time and fuel. This decreases driver time behind the wheel, lowers fuel consumption, and reduces vehicle wear and tear, all of which lowers maintenance expenses.

Conclusion

Route planners are the way to go when it comes to managing delivery operations, planned routes, and on-time deliveries. Although every organization is different, route optimization software will undoubtedly have a substantial impact on your delivery operations and help you stay competitive. However, you should avoid utilizing any simple route planners or even using Google Maps to optimize your trip. This is due to the fact that Google Maps is not built to handle numerous destinations or drivers. Remember that route optimization has a lot of advantages, but only if it’s done correctly - this is only achievable when using an advanced route optimizer to optimize the route.

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How EasyRoutes Works

EasyRoutes works in unison with Shopify and your orders. Your orders will appear on the Select Orders screen as soon as you launch our app. To discover the specific orders you want to route, use filters, tags, and searches. To add your pick to your route staging area, click the “Add Orders to Route” button. When you’ve picked all of the orders you’ll need, click “Create Route,” and EasyRoutes will optimize your addresses and generate a map, stop list, and route inventory that you can use as a packing list.

Have a last-minute order? To add it to an existing route, click the “Send to Another Route” button.

You’re ready to go once you’ve created your route. It's already been optimized to be the quickest feasible path!

However, we understand that you may need to make your own adjustments from time to time, therefore EasyRoutes provides a comprehensive set of edit tools to help you do so! To enter Edit mode, click the “Edit” button. You may use this page to create custom stops from outside of Shopify, adjust stop addresses and times, drag and drop stops, and even split orders into several routes.

When you’re satisfied with your route, click the “Save” button, and you’re ready to go!

Learn more about EasyRoutes or install the EasyRoutes local delivery app on the Shopify App Store to start streamlining your local delivery workflows today!