22/01/2016

Three words to save time and money when routing between jobs

Delivery drivers, tradespeople, engineers and bailiffs don’t know where they will be working on any given day, and they often have multiple appointments throughout the day. Travelling between each place is a challenge that can take time and cost money. For any businesses that have a mobile workforce or individuals who move from job to job, keeping on top of scheduling is a challenge.

RouteXL is a road route planner to help people optimise their appointments, meetings, pickups and deliveries. It takes the hassle out of figuring out the best order for them and calculates the most efficient route between them. It connects to various smartphone navigation apps, GPS and satnav devices and the telematics system of TomTom®.

Their web platform is tailored for small businesses, with a free plan for all routes with less than 20 stops. Upgrades allow up to 150 stops per itinerary, and an API is available for seamless integration of its route optimization algorithm with client systems. RouteXL is also used by some larger multinational companies.

The system allows people to plan their travel from A to Z efficiently. Unfortunately defining where A, Z and everywhere in between are can prove just as challenging, especially if they are new or unfamiliar places. Many places, such as business parks, large offices, and rural homes are not well addressed and prove difficult to find. Often places have no street address at all: parks, solar installations, telephones exchanges or even street furniture.

To solve this RouteXL have integrated what3words.

what3words is the simplest way to talk about location. It has divided the world into 3m x 3m squares, each with a unique 3 word address. It means that now people can refer to any precise location – a delivery entrance, a picnic spot or a drone landing point – using three simple words. This is simpler than any other geographic reference system. Words can easily be remembered, written, said over the phone or shared digitally.

Screenshot-2016-01-22-14.47.53

RouteXL users can currently input 3 word addresses into the system and find the best route between them. A precise location combined with intelligent routing means that people can get to the right places in the most efficient way possible, saving businesses time and money.