Advanced dispatching tools that create optimized routes are designed to be as fuel and time-efficient as possible. This is optimal in saving money and conserving resources, but what about deadlines when a delivery needs to be made first, regardless of the mileage or time considered? Elite EXTRA considers these to be priority customers: those customers who have specific time windows or are important clients that need to receive their products as soon as possible. Priority customer optimization is a method of optimizing a route that places customers who need to receive their product first into that priority position and then optimizes the route following that stop.
This option allows dispatchers to place priority customers at the beginning of a route, and lock them into that position. If there are multiple customers who need to be prioritized, they can be locked into the order set by the dispatcher. After locking the priority customers into the appropriate order, the rest of the route will be optimized based on those first priority stops. Priority customer optimization can even be automated by setting priority rankings for each appropriate customer. These rankings would then automatically prioritize the customer according to their importance ranking, without any further action from the dispatcher.
To accomplish this, a dispatcher could simply remove a specific customer from the manifest and place it at the top; however, the results of doing that may not be optimal. Additionally, if orders are added to the manifest, the priority customer could be bumped out of its number one spot. With the Elite EXTRA advanced dispatching tool, you can prioritize customers and optimize routes based on those first stops. Once the manifest is completed, it can then be immediately dispatched to an active driver, or queued for a driver who is already on a route or has not yet started their shift. Dispatching personnel can track the drivers in real-time so they know exactly when a product was delivered.
The benefits of this tool don’t stop at your own business. With our real-time ETA alerts, your priority customer will receive email or text alerts that their order is on its way. They can even log into the Customer Portal and view the status of their order with up-to-the-minute accuracy. This complete visibility of an order helps to provide even better customer service to your most important customers.
Advanced dispatching tools like Elite EXTRA can streamline your business operations, improve your delivery times, and save you money all while helping you provide exceptional customer service. How would improved routing capabilities, with the ability to prioritize orders, improve your business overall?
