Route Planning Buying and Implementation Tips

Route Planning Essentials: Buying & Implementation Strategies

Customer service can be significantly enhanced with a well-thought-out and implemented route planning system.

In This Article:

  1. Route Planning Goals and Results
  2. Working with Vendors
  3. Cleaning Up Bad Data
  4. System Integration Strategy
  5. Implementation Teams
  6. Testing the Solution
  7. Future Enhancements

The following are best practices you won’t hear very often, but they produce route planning implementations that deliver meaningful outcomes and value that go well beyond distribution or fleet operations.

1. Cast a Wide Net for Goals and Know How Results Will be Measured

The obvious approach for goals is to focus on reducing delivery times, minimizing fuel consumption, or improving overall efficiency. They are all good but leave a lot of potential value to the business on the table.

2. Give Vendors the Opportunity to Show What is Really Possible

Don’t bind the software vendors to rigidly defined RFPs and feature reviews. Allow them to understand the underlying business requirements and objectives and be creative in their approach to delivering value.

3. Fix Your Data Problems Now

Don’t expect the route planning vendor to fix your bad data problems. They need accurate and timely data to produce the best feasible results.

Collect and cleanse information on:

4. Don’t Underestimate the System’s Integration Effort or Complexity

This may be the top reason companies experience lengthy implementations and possibly poorer results.

5. Use Three Types of Implementation Teams

Most companies only focus on having a project implementation team and struggle to achieve their desired performance improvement results.

6. Get It Right Before Rolling It Out

It’s better to spend more time testing and validating results in a limited rollout than trying to quickly deploy the system widely.

7. You Are Never Done, Just on to the Next Phase

Don’t treat a route planning implementation like a fixed project where the resources get disbanded shortly after the system goes live.

Solution Highlight

Route Planning, Optimization & Dispatch

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Conclusion

For many distribution and logistics organizations, implementing a route planning solution is a “once in a lifetime” event and a chance to deliver huge results. Think big about the goals and give solution vendors the opportunity to show their true capabilities.

Interested in routing software that can help transform your fleet's performance? Descartes has many years of experience and expertise to help businesses in a wide range of industries experience a seamless buying and implementation process. Learn about our robust route planning and optimization solutions or contact us to speak to one of our knowledgeable experts today.