One of our clients uses their fleet of ten trucks to pick up medical waste from various offices and laboratories within their community. Their drivers make about fifty stops every day, and the client wanted to eliminate the laborious, manual scheduling process their drivers had to go through each morning. They wanted something that was informed, accurate, and mostly automated for their fleet management process.
Off-the-shelf route planning software exists, but our client decided to go with a custom Google integration due to its tight integration with their existing FileMaker solution. Ultimately, they determined the more complex subscription services such as Fleetio or Cal/Amp were not needed and would be more costly long-term.
Our Google Route API allows each driver to review the list of customer addresses, choose the ones to visit that day, and see the selected addressed on an automatically generated map. The drivers maintain the ability to adjust their order of stops if something makes more sense to the human eye. And the mapping can also be programmed to incorporate things like travel advisories and road conditions in order to maintain the best route. The driver can print out the directions or send them to their mobile device with the click of a button.
Outcome
After a few months of programming and testing, our client now enjoys a multitude of benefits through the Google Route API. They have eliminated the bulk of the manual entry of addresses. They have reduced extended drive times due to unintentionally taking a circuitous route or having to double back. Google’s address validation tool also helps prevent wasted wandering.
As a company, our client values having an at-a-glance overview of where each of their drivers will be throughout the day, and also in comparison to each other. They are also benefiting from being able to increase customer satisfaction due to their more efficient routing approach. Our integration increased their overall efficiency and staff satisfaction.
About the API
Google has combined their previous Directions and Distance Matrix APIs into a single service offering a tool which, in their words, “enables you to provide more informative and flexible routes for your users, and improve ETA accuracy.” Efficient routes are no longer a mystery or pleasant surprise. They can be the standard practice for your fleet operations.
The Google Maps platform overall provides an impressive range of mapping capabilities – rich geospatial data, real-time route optimization, local area customization, advanced markers, and the proverbial “so much more”. It’s almost limitless.
The platform provides an interactive pricing tool to help estimate monthly costs, which scale to fit your needs. There is a monthly usage credit which equates to 28,500 map loads per month at no charge, and the API doesn’t have commitments, termination fees, or usage limits. We can assist with working through the pricing tool to focus in on the options that will be best for your delivery routes.
Move toward sustainability with an eco-friendly routing option
Google’s recent addition of eco-friendly routing has added even more flexibility and purpose to the mapping process.
Planners can make sustainable driving choices through estimates of fuel consumption data, based on engine and fuel types, with just a few filtering options. Their drivers are still able to see the default routes, alongside more fuel-efficient ones, to choose the best path for their needs as their day progresses.
Route optimization doesn’t need to be complicated or years away
Adding the Google Route API to your own FileMaker solution will bring noticeable benefits to your company and staff, as described above. If you don’t currently have a FileMaker solution, we’ll be delighted to introduce you to the simplicity and ease of the platform.
Improving the workflow for you and your drivers doesn’t need to be complicated, and the nature of FileMaker and the Google API allows functionality to improve and grow as your company grows.
It also doesn’t need to take forever. Most API integrations can be completed in a few weeks to a couple of months, after which your staff will be enjoying the best routes possible along with smoother, more predictable days. (Although traffic jams, construction, and weather are, unfortunately, out of our hands.) Contact us for a free consultation.