Optimization Profiles – Route Optimization Templates
Route4Me’s Route Optimization Profiles make your route planning and last mile optimization process faster, more efficient, and especially convenient. Optimization Profiles are customizable optimization settings templates. You can create one or multiple Optimization Profiles and then easily re-use them to optimize hundreds of thousands of routes without having to specify the settings of each route manually every time. You can create Optimization Profiles for specific vehicles or drivers, different customer types, various field services or seasonal services, unique business goals, and so on. You can add multiple routing business rules and optimization constraints, pre-assign vehicles and drivers, pre-schedule future routes, etc.
Furthermore, you can share your Optimization Profiles with other team members. Without having to adjust the settings of each route manually, they will not only save hundreds of hours of planning time but also avoid making mistakes.
Table of Contents
Create New Route Optimization Profiles for Your Account
To create a new Route Optimization Profile, go to”Routes” and then “Optimization Profiles” from the main menu. Next, click the “Create New Profile” button. Then, you can customize the settings of your new Optimization Profile.
General Settings for Route4Me Route Optimization Profiles
First, you will see the “General” tab. Here, you can customize the following profile settings:
| Settings | Description |
|---|---|
| Profile Name | Name the profile. When planning and optimizing routes, you can search for your Optimization Profiles by profile name. |
| Route Name | Routes optimized using this profile will automatically inherit the specified Route Name. Additionally, when splitting a set of addresses into multiple routes, each will have the same Route Name, prefixed with its respective route part number. |
| Route Start Time | Routes optimized using this profile will start at the specified Route Start Time. Additionally, you can select a different Route Start Date each time you use this profile. NOTE: If you don’t specify the Route Start Time, routes optimized using this profile will start at 12:00 AM by default. |
| Service Time | Select “Use Stop Service Time” to maintain the stop service times specified in the uploaded spreadsheet. Select “Override Service Time” to override the service times specified in the uploaded spreadsheet. Accordingly, all stops on optimized routes will get the same service time. Learn more about using Route Stops Service Time. |
| Assignment | In the “Driver” dropdown list, you can select the user that will be automatically assigned to the routes optimized using this profile. Similarly, in the “Vehicle” dropdown list, you can select the vehicle that will be automatically assigned to the routes optimized using this profile. Learn more about dispatching routes to drivers and dispatching routes to vehicles. |
Optimization – Schedule Routes and Set Business Rules
Next, in the “Optimization” tab, you can customize the main Optimization Profile settings. NOTE: Your Optimization Profiles can support multiple features and constraints enabled through the respective add-ons and modules. To enable additional features for your Optimization Profiles, you can use the Feature Manager or reach out to the Route4Me Support Team.
| Settings | Description |
|---|---|
| Route Start | Routes optimized using this profile will start from the specified address. Respectively, Round Trip routes will start and end at the same Departure Address. |
| Route End | Select the preferred option where the routes optimized using this profile will end. End Route at Any Address: Route4Me will automatically end each optimized route at the most optimal address. End Route at Departure Address (Round Trip): Optimized routes will start and end at the same address or depot. |
| Balance Routes | Plan a specific number of routes with an equal number of stops per route. To do so, enable the “Balance Routes” setting, select the “Based on Number of Stops” balance mode, and then specify the preferred number of output routes. Additionally, you can learn more about Route Balancing Optimization and Stops Distribution. |
| Minimize Routes | Optimize the most optimal number of routes based on the specified business rules and constraints. To do so, enable the “Minimize Routes” option and then specify the maximum number of routes that can be optimized with a set of added or uploaded addresses. Route4Me will automatically account for all specified business rules and optimization constraints and output the most optimal number of routes that doesn’t exceed the specified Maximum Number of Routes. |
| Business Rules | Add business rules and optimization constraints based on your unique routing requirements, vehicle capacity, and business needs: Max Weight per Route, Max Cube per Route, Max Revenue per Route, Max Pieces per Route, Max Route Duration, Max Route Distance, and Max Number of Stops per Route. Route4Me will automatically distribute and sequence route stops based on the specified constraints. |
| Ignore Time Windows | A Time Window is the time interval when a specific route stop can be visited and serviced. If you want to disable all Time Windows on the added/uploaded stops, check the “Ignore Time Windows” checkbox. Additionally, learn more about Routing with the Time Windows Optimization Constraint. |
Additionally, you can use the following advanced route optimization constraints and features in your Optimization Profiles:
| Settings | Description |
|---|---|
| Mixed Fleet | Optimize routes for vehicles with different capacity profiles. First, check the “Use Vehicles with Various Capacity Profiles” box. Next, click the “Manage Vehicles” button and then select vehicles with the preferred Vehicle Capacity Profiles. Route4Me will automatically use the maximum capacity of each selected vehicle based on the capacity requirements of the added/uploaded stops. Additionally, learn more about creating Capacity Profiles and using the Mixed Vehicles Fleet Route Optimization. |
| Adjustment – Slow Down | Service Time Slowdown extends the Service Time of each route stop by the adjusted percentage. Travel Time Slowdown extends the Total Route Travel Time by the adjusted percentage. You can use the Service Time and Travel Time Slowdowns to account for heavy traffic, time of the day, extreme weather conditions, etc. |
| Optimization Fine-Tuning | Optimization Fine-Tuning enables you to prioritize Route Distance, Travel Time, and Wait Time optimization parameters by a specific percentage. To do so, adjust the preferred priority percentage for the Distance, Travel Time, and Wait Time parameters using the respective toggles. For example, when you prioritize Distance, Route4Me optimizes routes with the shortest route distance. Additionally, learn more about using Route Optimization Fine-Tuning. |
Bundling – Group Stops on Route Optimization Web Platform
Furthermore, in the “Bundling” tab, you can enable and customize the Stops Bundling settings. Stops Bundling allows you to group stops with the same address or coordinates into bundles so that stops in the same geographical region can be visited and serviced together.
First, enable Stops Bundling by checking the “Enabled” box under “Group Locations Into Bundles“. Next, select the preferred grouping option (by location or address) and customize the “Service Time Bundling Rules“. Additionally, learn more about Bundling Route Stops.
After creating your Optimization Profiles, they instantly become available for planning and optimizing routes. The first Optimization Profile you create automatically becomes your Default Optimization Profile.
Equally important, your sub-users can also see and use your Optimization Profiles.
Use Route Optimization Profiles to Optimize Last Mile Routes
First, go to “Plan New Route” from the navigation menu and then select the preferred method for adding or uploading addresses: Interactive Map Editor, Copy and Paste, Upload a File, or Import Data. Next, you can use the pre-selected Default Optimization Profile or select another preferred Optimization Profile from the list. You can select and use only one Optimization Profile per the set of added or uploaded addresses.
If you don’t want to use Optimization Profiles, you can click the “Skip” button and manually customize your optimization settings.
Optimized routes inherit the Route Name and are scheduled for the Start Time specified in the Optimization Profile.
Additionally, optimized routes are dispatched to the selected User (driver) and Vehicle. You can dispatch routes to other drivers and dispatch routes to other vehicles by re-assigning them.
Manage and Edit Route Optimization Profiles
To open and manage your Optimization Profiles, go to”Routes” and then “Optimization Profiles” from the main menu. To edit an Optimization Profile, click the Three-Dot Icon next to the profile and then select the preferred action.
NOTE: Sub-users can see, edit, and use the Optimization Profiles created by the users they report to. Accordingly, you can see and use the Optimization Profiles created by the user you report to, and your sub-users can see and use your profiles. Learn more about user permissions and Route4Me’s user types and team hierarchy.
| Actions | Description |
|---|---|
| Rename | Change the name of the Optimization Profile. |
| Edit | Update the settings and parameters of the Optimization Profile. |
| Duplicate | Create a copy of the Optimization Profile. |
| Set as Default | Set the profile as the Default Optimization Profile. The Default Optimization Profile is automatically pre-selected when planning routes. |
| Remove | Delete the Optimization Profile. This action can’t be undone. NOTE: You can’t delete the Default Optimization Profile. If you want to delete the Default Optimization Profile, set another profile as the default first. |
Visit Route4Me's Marketplace to Check out Associated Modules:
- Route Optimization
Stops Bundling
- Route Optimization
Mixed Vehicles Routing
- Route Optimization
Max Weight per Route
- Route Optimization
Max Stops Per Route
