Below are some of the commonly asked questions...
If you don't see your question here, drop us a line!
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How to get started?
Contact us and we will work with you to understand your exact needs. We will then provide you with a quote for initial routing and on-going route maintenance.
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What is C2Routing®?
C2Routing® is a web based route optimization solution which was developed to allow companies of any size the ability to take advantage of technology what was previously only available to large corporations to route vehicles and/or workers in the most efficient, economical way. The solution was built to be easy to use and cost effective. Most customers achieve a 10 to 25% savings over manual or other routing methods.
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How long will it take?
Once the street and customer databases are ready, you will receive draft routes within weeks. Tweaking and modifying the routes to finalize them depends upon your needs and the type and number of routes.
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How much cost savings can I expect from optimizing my routes using C2Routing®?
Total operating costs can often be expected to be cut from 10 to 25% on average and in some cases even greater savings can be achieved. These savings stem from a reduction in labor and benefits cost, fuel costs, mileage and maintenance costs, vehicle costs, and time spent creating routes. Because of these hard cost savings, there are many soft cost savings including extending the useful life of your fleet.
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How is C2Routing® different from other routing software?
C2Routing® optimizes routes for multiple vehicles over multiple days without having to pre-allocate the points to a specific vehicle. Some other routing software can only optimize a sequence of points in an itinerary for one vehicle. Furthermore, C2Routing® takes over 100 constraints and parameters into account while calculating the most cost-effective routes.
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Is outsourcing cheaper than buying the software and doing it ourselves?
Sometimes, yes. Each routing situation is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We have dedicated routing experts with extensive knowledge of the software and waste/recycling vehicle routing. We have some of the world’s leading GIS experts to troubleshoot problems. Our technology infrastructure is established for handling the synchronization with customer service and billing systems. Routing is all we do!
When considering the cost of the software, training, and the inevitable need for consulting services to assist your staff up the learning curve, outsourcing to FleetRoute™ Services is usually less expensive and under a fixed budget. If your organization has GIS staff and numerous or extensive routing projects, it may be less expensive and aligned with your organizational strategy to a buy the software and do it yourself.
FleetRoute™’s automated and timesaving functions make it viable for us to offer FleetRoute™ as an outsourced service and will make maintaining your in-house routing projects easier.
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What about data security?
All client information is stored on a secure network, protected by software and hardware technologies. Each client will be provided a secure file transfer protocol (FTP) site for sending and receiving information. Only the experts working on your routes can access your data. We will not use your data for any other activity than providing the contracted services to you. A confidentiality agreement will be established that legally binds our pledge to only use your information in providing services to your organization.
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What does the term "Route Optimization" mean?
"Route Optimization" is the development of routes to manage all planned stops for various businesses that have requirements to go to locations (stops) away from their "Home" office or location. The result of the optimized routes are the most economical paths to reach all of the stops within the particular parameters of the individual business and still complete the work on time and at the lowest possible cost. These costs include but are not limited to, Labor, Fuel, Time, etc..
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Can C2Routing® plan routes in advance?
YES! C2Routing® can calculate optimal routes for one or more field worker or vehicle at the same time. This can be done for one day, multiple days, weeks, or months in advance.
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What if we do not have a customer list?
It is not uncommon for residential collection services to be based on an area and not a list of actual customers being serviced. Route optimization can still be performed. You have two choices: (1) develop routes based on population estimates, or (2) develop a customer database. Because a customer database helps improve customer service, developing a customer database is likely the preferable solution. We will assist you in developing a customer database by conducting an audit and/or acquiring an existing database from a utility or marketing company.
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Can C2Routing® take the capacity of my trucks into account to make sure my deliveries or pickups will fit?
YES! C2Routing® has the ability to use specific vehicle capacities for multiple items being delivered or collected.
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Can FleetRoute™ Services integrate with our accounting, billing, and customer service systems?
Through a secure synchronization process, FleetRoute™ can integrate with most accounting, billing, and customer service systems. The frequency of data synchronizations depends upon your needs, from a daily to quarterly basis. The process entails scheduling a data export from your existing systems that is transmitted to FleetRoute Services via a secure connection, then uploaded into FleetRoute, updated with new routing information, and then transmitted back to your systems.
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My customers have specific times of the day when they can be visited. Can C2Routing® accommodate these specific time visits and still optimize my routes?
YES! C2Routing® allows the option to set specific times that any customer can be visited. These can be set for each individual customer if needed.
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Can C2Routing® take my vehicle inventory into account so that I can be sure that the right materials are on the vehicle when it gets to the desired location?
YES! C2Routing® can account for planned inventory depletion for specific vehicles.
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How do you input data into the application?
C2Routing® allows users to upload Home Base locations, stop locations, vehicles, or entire saved projects from Microsoft Excel files. "Pushpins" are then displayed on the map for each location. They can also be added individually through the interface.
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I would like a tool to plan sales calls and visits well in advance. Some customers need to be visited multiple times per month. How much cost savings can I expect from optimizing my routes using C2Routing® plan optimal routes for my sales force?
YES! C2Routing® can plan and optimize sales calls for your sales force while taking the specific nuances of your business into account including visit frequency, appointment length, and appointment time into account.
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What is the available geographic coverage?
Currently, C2Routing® is available for the entire US and Canada (including Hawaii, and Alaska.)
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How are customers located on the map?
Plotting locations on a map is achieved with C2Routing®'s highly accurate "geocoding" technology. After specifying an address for a location, GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) are created for each location. Users can move locations on the map by dragging the "pushpins" while referencing detailed aerial satellite imagery. You can also save your GPS coordinates so that you can maintain 100% accuracy.
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Does C2Routing® provide driving directions and maps?
YES! C2Routing® can plan and optimize sales calls for your sales force while taking the specific nuances of your business into account including visit frequency, appointment length, and appointment time into account.
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Do you provide technical support?
YES! We have a highly knowledgeable technical support team that is available for your assistance at 1-866-927-8324.
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Is there a free C2Routing® demo?
YES! We provide free online demonstrations of C2Routing®. Feel free to contact us at 1-866-927-8324 to schedule your demonstration.
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Our routes require overnight travel to complete all of our customer visits. Can C2Routing® accommodate overnight routes?
YES! C2Routing® does not force a route to start and return to the starting location every day. It can accommodate routes where it makes more sense to spend nights out on the road due to drive-time, cost or distance from the starting location. C2Routing® allows the user to dictate if and when the route will stay out overnight. C2Routing® will manage the routes so the drivers will stay compliant with Federal and Local, "hours of service," regulations.
Contact Us today and ask for a free demo or to request more information