Most contractors plan the day in their head and re-plan it every time a customer calls. The cost shows up as fuel, late arrivals and fewer stops a day. Route planning software should take that job off you without adding a new screen to manage.
- Good route planning sorts the day by the drive and keeps it sorted as bookings change.
- Bookings should only be offered at times that fit the route you already have.
- Customers should get an on-my-way text, so nobody waits at home all morning.
- In Koira, the day plan is on every plan, and crew routes with a lane per person are on Front Office.
What route planning software should do
- Sort stops by the drive, not by when they were booked.
- Slot new bookings in where the drive makes sense, and only offer times that fit.
- Tell the next customer you are on the way when you leave a stop.
- Work with no signal, because basements and rural roads do not have any.
- Show each person's lane when there is more than one truck.
How Koira plans the day
Today shows every stop for you and your crew in the order that makes sense to drive. New bookings from calls, texts and your site slot in on their own. When you leave a stop, the next customer gets an on-my-way text with a link to see you coming.
When Koira offers times to a customer, by text or on your site, it only offers slots that fit the route and the stops you already have. Taps made with no signal are saved on the phone and sent when you are back in range.
Routes for a small crew
On Front Office, each person gets their own lane, sorted by the drive, on their own phone. They clock in when they arrive and Koira ties the hours to the job, so you see who is on a job, who is driving and who is done. There is no per-person fee. See crew.
Make the route denser
The best route is one where the next stop is next door. Neighbor postcards go to homes around the jobs you already do, and on Grow, campaigns bring past customers back on the days you are already in their area.
What Koira does not do
- It is not a dispatch board for a large call center. If you run twenty trucks with dispatchers, a larger field service system is a better fit.
- It does not plan multi-day freight or long-haul routes.
Questions about route planning
Is route planning included on the free plan?
The day plan, with stops in driving order, is on every plan. Crew routes with a lane per person are on Front Office.
Does Koira re-sort the day when a job moves?
Yes. Move a job on Today and the day stays in driving order. New bookings slot in where the drive makes sense.
Do customers know when I am coming?
When you leave a stop, the next customer gets an on-my-way text with a link to see you coming.
Does it work without signal?
Yes. Taps are saved on the phone and sent when you are back online.
