Route optimisation
Route optimisation is ordering a technician's stops so the driving between them is as short as practical. Rather than visiting jobs in the order they were booked, the system works out a sensible sequence. Shortest-path optimisation uses distance. Traffic-aware routing, which is a different capability, also reads live road conditions.
How route optimisation works
Route optimisation takes a list of stops and returns an order that reduces total travel. It is a version of the travelling salesman problem, which is why practical systems cap the number of stops: the work needed to find a good sequence rises steeply as stops are added.
The saving is real but bounded. Reordering six stops in one suburb saves little. Reordering ten stops spread across a metro saves a driver a meaningful part of the day.
Shortest path and traffic-aware routing are not the same
Shortest-path routing minimises distance using the road network. Traffic-aware routing minimises time using live congestion data, and will happily send a driver further to avoid a jam. They give different answers on the same set of stops.
Omni Field's route optimisation orders up to 60 stops per technician per route on free-flow travel times, then shows traffic-aware arrival times for the final route. The ordering itself does not read live traffic. Treat it as a sensible plan for the day rather than a live navigation product, and hand the turn by turn driving to a navigation app.
What route optimisation is worth
The return shows up in fuel, in vehicle wear, and in the extra job that fits into a day that was previously full of driving. It also shows up in arrival windows that hold, because a route built on distance is more predictable than one built on the order the phone rang.
Be honest about the ceiling. If your technicians work one site all day, routing saves you nothing. If they run eight to twelve short calls across a city, it is one of the larger wins available.
Common questions
See it in the product
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