Route Optimization

Efficient routing reduces travel time, fuel costs, and crew fatigue. Otesse helps optimize daily routes for your service teams.

How Route Optimization Works

The routing system considers:

• Booking locations — The addresses of all bookings for a crew member on a given day
• Time windows — Each booking has a start time that must be respected
• Travel time estimates — Calculated using road network data, not straight-line distance
• Buffer requirements — Minimum time between bookings for travel and preparation

Route View

Access route visualization from the calendar:

1. Switch to Day View
2. Select a specific crew member
3. Click View Route

The route view shows:

• A map with all booking locations marked
• The optimized route path between locations
• Estimated travel times between stops
• Total drive time for the day
• Any potential issues (tight windows, long drives)

Optimization Strategies

Geographic Clustering

Group bookings in the same area together:

• Schedule morning bookings on the north side, afternoon on the south
• Avoid zig-zagging across your service area
• Works best when customers have flexible time preferences

Time-Based Sequencing

Order bookings to minimize total travel:

• Start with the booking closest to the crew's home base
• Proceed to the nearest next booking
• End with the booking closest to home

Fixed-Time Anchoring

Some bookings have fixed times (customer requested a specific slot):

• These become anchor points in the route
• Flexible bookings are arranged around the anchors
• The algorithm fills gaps with nearby bookings

Daily Planning Workflow

1. Evening before: Review the next day's schedule in the calendar
2. Check routes: View each crew member's route and flag issues
3. Adjust if needed: Reschedule flexible bookings to improve routing
4. Morning of: Crew members see their optimized route in the mobile app
5. During the day: Routes update in real-time based on actual completion times

Route Metrics

Track routing efficiency over time:

• Average daily drive time per crew member
• Miles driven per booking (efficiency indicator)
• On-time arrival rate (impacted by route quality)
• Idle time between bookings (should be minimized)
• Route efficiency score — Actual drive time vs. theoretical optimal

These metrics help identify crews that need routing assistance and zones where booking distribution could improve.