Feature highlight: Driver notifications
WHAT’S NEW
We've updated the driver notifications feature for route changes on active tours. Now, if a route changes, a driver will receive a push notification indicating whether the next stop has changed or there's a change further down the route. If the next stop changes, the app will also show an in-app notification to ensure a driver acknowledges the change. If a dispatcher makes multiple route changes in quick succession, only one notification will be sent to the driver to avoid spamming.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT
Informing a driver about the remaining segments of the tour boosts their confidence and sets correct expectations about the tour's duration and complexity. And making distinctions between changes at the next stop versus other stops allows the driver to divert quickly, saving both time and cost.
WHAT’S NEXT
In the next month, we'll finalize the rework of the Quick Edit feature to allow dispatchers to add stops and to provide better support for stops with packages. All route changes made in Quick Edit will be applied to the tour immediately, eliminating the need for a Save button. Driver notifications revamp was one of the prerequisites for these Quick Edit changes.
More features and updates
Stops deduplication
The stop deduplication feature, initially available only via API, made its way to the dashboard. A dispatcher can now deduplicate stops from the Tour Details page. Additionally, we introduced a new 1-click action: "Merge into On Hold tour and deduplicate stops". As the name suggests, the action merges eligible stops of the selected bookings and tours and automatically removes stop duplicates. Learn more about stop deduplication in the Help Center.
Route optimization on the Tour Details page
The route optimization feature, previously available only in Quick Edit, is now accessible on the Tour Details page. Dispatchers can choose one of three optimization strategies and instantly get a reordered list of stops. Learn more about optimization strategies in the Help Center.
Custom durations of stops
The default duration of stops is defined on a service level. However, if it's anticipated that a stop will take a different amount of time, it's now possible to specify a custom stop duration when creating a new booking or inserting a stop. The custom duration will be considered when calculating ETA. This feature is only available via API but will become available on the Dashboard in the coming weeks.
Adding packages to En Route tours
Our new Package Dispatcher now supports adding packages to En Route tours. If new packages become available for pickup after a driver starts a tour, a dispatcher can insert these packages into the current route. To learn more about the new Package Dispatcher, check out the Handbook in the Help Center.
Filtering packages by the properties
Dashboard users can now filter packages based on their properties. As a quick reminder, we support four packages: size, insurance, refrigeration type, and whether the package is a return package. To learn more about packages and their properties, visit our Help Center.
Remove drivers from a tour
Previously, if a driver claimed a scheduled booking, they couldn’t be removed by a dispatcher through the dispatch tools. We've made the necessary changes, and the corresponding button is now available on the Tour Details page.
Support for URLs in metadata values in Package Scanner
The Package Scanner in the Driver apps now recognizes URLs in metadata values. This allows dispatchers to embed links to web pages into the package. One of the use cases for this feature is reporting a package condition directly to any 3rd party system right from the Scanner.
