Which Software Can Plan Technician Routes for Service Companies?
Service companies can plan technician routes with three types of software: calendars and spreadsheets, a standalone route tool, or a field service management platform with built-in route planning. For companies with field technicians and many tasks per day, the last type typically makes the most sense, because the route is based on the same tasks, the same planning, and the same time registration that the rest of the operation uses.
Three types of software that can plan technician routes
Calendars and spreadsheets
Many start here. The tasks sit in a calendar or a spreadsheet, and a planner puts the order together based on knowledge of the area. It works as long as technicians have few visits per day and changes are rare. A calendar can show when a technician is busy, but it doesn't calculate the distances between addresses.
Standalone route tool
A standalone route tool calculates an order based on addresses and distances. It can produce shorter routes, but tasks, time registration, and invoicing basis typically sit in other systems. That means addresses and tasks have to be entered into the tool, and the result has to be moved out again before technicians and the office can use it.
Field service management platform with built-in route planning
In a field service management platform, route planning is part of the same solution as task management, planning, time registration, and invoicing. In Microbizz, route planning optimizes the route based on location, deadlines, priority, and employees, and skill requirements are included in planning. The planner can see the route on maps, in lists, and on timelines, and assign tasks to the best-placed employee.
What should service companies look for when choosing?
Does the software take deadlines, priority, and skills into account?
A short route doesn't help if the technician lacks the right skill, or a task with a deadline ends up last in the day. Check that the route can be built on more than distance.
Can the planner adjust the route manually?
Optimization is a suggestion, and the planner often knows things the software doesn't. Look for routes that can be adjusted manually, for example with drag-and-drop, without starting over.
Can the route change during the day?
Urgent tasks and delays are part of everyday life. It's an advantage if the route updates automatically when something changes, and if the planner can see where technicians are when an urgent task comes in. In Microbizz, the planner can see live position via GPS for urgent tasks.
Does the technician get the route in a mobile app?
The route needs to be easy to follow out in the field. In the mobile app, the technician can see the day's route and navigate to the next location, instead of calling the office for the next address.
Is the route connected to time and invoicing?
This is where a standalone tool most often falls short. When the route is connected to planning, time registration, and invoicing, nobody has to transfer data between systems once a task is completed.
Frequently asked questions about software for technician routes
What is the difference between calendar planning and route planning?
Calendar planning decides who does what and when. Route planning decides the order in which addresses are visited, so the driving is as short as possible. See how route planning software works if you want to understand the mechanics behind it.
Do we need a standalone route tool, or is a platform enough?
If you already have a platform for task management, it's typically simpler to use the route planning that comes with it, so data only has to live in one place. A standalone tool can make sense if route planning is the only thing you need to digitalize.
Is it worth it for a service company with few technicians?
It depends on how many addresses the technicians reach per day. If they only have a couple of visits daily, the gain from optimization is smaller. The more stops, the more there is to gain. Read more about how to improve route efficiency for technicians.
Can the planner still decide once the software has suggested a route?
Yes. Routes can be adjusted manually, for example with drag-and-drop, so the planner's knowledge of customers and areas can still be used.
