AUTOMATED TOUR PLANNING AND HEADCOUNT
If an algorithm makes route and tour planning faster and more efficient, will dispatchers and schedulers have to fear for their jobs? The simple answer is no. Whilst a dynamic platform takes a lot of work off their shoulders, at the same time it expands their area of responsibility, in two ways.
With an automation platform, the dispatcher retains the decision-making authority: the calculated route plan is not fixed, and may be manually adjusted. For example, the dispatcher can postpone or set individual, out-of-system orders. The algorithm plans around these factors.
Secondly, employees are now freed-up to take on more strategic tasks. Automated scheduling opens an organisation's potential for data analysis. For example, the dispatch desk may now use simulation features and what-if scenarios to further optimise route planning. There are countless examples amongst
the planning community to use automation tools in hiring and depot/warehouse location decisions.
FURTHER ADVANTAGES OF AUTOMATED ROUTE PLANNING
Automated route planning leads to the professionalisation of dispatching. It is also clear that the use of digital tools improves wider company processes (such as accounting practices) and leads to significant cost savings. It should ideally support you through software that precisely displays your processes and automates them as best possible. The software should not be obsolete because of
process changes and should instead adjust to developments at any time without considerable project costs. The planning effort is reduced and thanks to optimal routes and tours, organisations avoid unnecessary driving costs and time losses. Consequently this leads to higher customer and employee satisfaction (first-time-fix, more delivery slots, 'home on time').
A modern software solution for route planning such as
FLS VISITOUR can be placed seamlessly into your ERP or CRM system. The leading system provides the data input, the route and tour planning tool optimises the orders and later plays back the newly-generated data. In this way, with an automated solution, you not only bring your dispatching to the next level, but raise your entire service management.
AUTOMATION REALLY IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS
Automation is one of the biggest benefits that digitalisation offers to businesses. It
accelerates processes and unlocks potential for gaining insights from data. The conversion from analogue to paperless digital processes minimises the error rate. For schedulers this means: the advantages of digitalisation lie primarily in automatic route planning.