OptimoRoute

Pros

First and foremost what I like the best is the pricing. I know that seems like a shallow response but I have not been able to find a comparable route planner that realizes I am only one person, not a fleet, and offers me a reasonable price for their service. Other benefits are the address matching function, it is much better than the programs I have been using. Better yet, if the program does not recognize an address in my upload lists it will proc a geotag I can move to where I want the address located. I work in a rural area and this is probably the most amazing ability I have found. Want it to be better?? It saves the name of the location in your active address book and will pull it up the next time eliminating future corrections. The fact that the computational process is all done on their servers means I can run the webservice on a very basic machine I feel safe leaving in my vehicle for this service. The mobile phone app is so simple, yet elegant in its design it boggles my mind. No heavy features to get in the way just simple functionality. The GPS tracking in real time is also quite accurate. The fact I can just push a route to my mobile from the Web service is outstanding. There are a host of other commonalities that this shares with other services like "in delivery" and "complete" functions.

Cons

OK, so I cannot ramble on about the service and not have something a little clunky about it so here it is... updating "live" delivery lists is a bit un-possible, I say un-possible because it is not impossible but the work around is a little bit of a PITA. The inability to have more than one "depot" at a time is a personally unique challenge seeing as I do an in and out run, but I just do my afternoon in reverse.... hardly the end of the world. That's the worst I have to say about it =)

Pros

I like how fast and easy it is to use. You upload your customer addresses and routes are created within minutes.

Cons

New addresses can leave you to the wrong house or areas.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to OptimoRoute

Pros

I like that I'm able to move addresses Geo-Location to accommodate for alleys or driveways that are on a different street (aka, service spot is different than actual address spot). I like the functionality of the software, uploading routs etc. It's pretty simple to use!

Cons

The maps are outdated, and I almost ALWAYS have to fix the route. It marks roads that are not roads, are blocked off, or it will label a creek or wash (Arizona) as a road.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing OptimoRoute

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to OptimoRoute

Pros

OptimoRoute has helped us streamline our pick up and delivery service. We are a small business usually just sending out one truck a day that makes multiple stops.
The app continually updates delivery times throughout the day. We are able to track our driver without having to call. The app automatically sends out text to clients when delivery is on the way. So many other applications we love.

Cons

Although the program saves addresses, it does not save the contact/cell phone numbers. We figured out a workaround, so it's not a big deal.

Pros

One of my favorite features is the ability to track the route live, I also appreciate the notifications for proof of delivery and ETA updates for customers.

Cons

Honestly, there's not much I dislike about Optimo Route. Whenever I’ve encountered an issue, the support team has resolved it quickly.

Pros

Very easy to deploy and use.
Simple integration into existing hardware.

Cons

The mapping that Optimoroute uses is different to google maps therefore produces different travel times.
No option to avoid tolls for routing. Believe it would be better to have the routing tool imbedded in the app. Also some reporting could be looked at as it does not appear to be correct. Also if hardware is attached to a vehicle the driver cannot sign on and off, and you can only track the truck not the individual.

Pros

The user interface is nice, clean and fast, options for routing are pretty flexible, being able to setup a pickup before a delivery has been very useful for us.
The Api is also quite good and simple to use.

Cons

The biggest issue we've had has been a lack of logging, with multiple users changing things around it can be a bit tricky to find out who did what.
Their support is very helpful in these situations but it would be nice with an audit log or similar functionality in the customer frontend.

Pros

Other than the application itself, the support people and the developers taking extra mile to accomodate requests and modifications catering the personalized business requirements.

Cons

Limited visual customization of the web application.

Pros

Tracking - this solved so many client enquires.

Cons

The inability to easy return a sent order for new scheduling

Pros

The ability to Print the route in excel.

Cons

Moving the Depot location, seems to be difficult.

Pros

We signed up with Optimo Route early on when they came out, price point is good when you have a small fleet. We utilize it with a rotating of 2 drivers at a time with 7-12 stops each. I use it mainly for the fact that I can send the route to the guys via app & e-mail.
*Easy to set up
*Easy to use once you get the hang of it
*Great customer service on getting locations set up. We only use locations for our customers not customers. Most of our customers have a single location that we go to.
*Some customization via custom fields (We transport chemicals and I wanted a way to put down which chemicals we transport. While I don't have a great way to do this I did do a work around to get it to work.
*Mobile app for drivers
*Online only which is fine with me
*Live tracking of trucks - this feature works maybe 80% allot in my assumption has to do with network and users device quality. I use it to see how my guys are doing on their route and to get an idea when they will be back or if they are meeting someone else.

Cons

*Don't have a monthly calendar view or RSS feed - this is nearly a deal breaker for us. I would like to be able to share the schedule with my sales people via a calendar where they can view future deliveries.
*They have a Depot showing up but it is unusable in the scheduling. Working with OptimoRoute we did come up with a work around. Minor inconvenience.
*Routing doesn't allow you to take in account for Hazmat routes. (Not a deal breaker for us as my drivers know the routes and use it primarily for order of stops, and will drive the correct route if needing a hazmat route.
*No mobile website or app for schedulers, only use on a tablet or mobile phone if you want to lose your hair.

Pros

Ease of use, specifically the ability to copy customer orders/routes as well as upload them using Excel.
Flexibility of routing settings, planning and desktop/mobile application display.
The accompanying mobile application is exceptionally stable and easy to use for our technicians.
Live service schedule with status.
Email notification of arrival feature will be useful for customer communication.

Cons

Wish List -
We need additional custom fields to be able to display multiple services within the mobile application (only 5, could use 10).
Mobile application does not capture actual start time when technician starts the day by logging in On Duty, which could assist in timekeeping and reduce the need for an additional service.
Must log in to send routes to the mobile application daily rather than being able to schedule to send weekly.
Currently there is no customer signature capture through the mobile application.
Would like to see analytics reports with more detail/display choices instead of basic bar graphs and be able to export all reports.

Pros

This software has solved my routing problems and greatly increased employee productivity. It's very easy to set up the routes and transmit them to employees on a daily basis. The app works great and is very fast and easy to use. The price of the software is reasonable and pays for itself with the increases in productivity. It has made my job so much easier.

Cons

We sometimes start and stop from different locations and I would like to see it easier to set start/stop points for commonly used locations. I would like to see some ability for the driver to make stop specific notes when necessary. I would also like to see the route timing schedule adjust to when the driver specifically starts their route so they know if they are on time. If they have to start a little early or a little late then the scheduled times are not as useful.

Pros

The software is very easy to implement and use. The mobile tracking element simple and effective and we had no problems with any drivers using it. The optimisation process is very fast which allows the user to create several possible what-if scenarios.

Cons

The location database is difficult to manage as it appeasr to add an entry everytime there is a slight change which leads to multiple entries for each location in the gazetteer. If you accidently copy or delete orders there is no "undo" button which can be disasterous when working to a tight schedule. We are unable to plan strategically as in our case I would need to create a large one-off schedule that would require me to add the number of drivers and add cost. As I only need to add drivers as a one-off this make it not cost effective to pay for a months worth of extra drivers. Operationally this biggest problem is hours worked does not include implant and explant that would apply to any driver. I cannot therefore use the system report to calculate hours as I am unable to add time for vehicle check, refuel debrief etc.

Pros

Customer satisfaction & Employee satisfactionOur customers are well informed about when they woll receive their purchases. They can adapt in advance. Our drivers have all customer information at their finger tips. To ensure a speedy delivery.

Cons

We are very seasonal. A lot of work around Easter en Christmas. Less during the year. During the busy times we may need 2 or 3 drivers. But we only have a license for 1. That makes it difficult to operation efficiently. We don’t want a 2nd license for just a few weeks of work.

Pros

I like that it is easy to use and routes are created quickly. I like the fact that you can have more than one vehicle routed at a time and that you can export the route to the driver if need be.

I like that you can have more than 21 stops per vehicle without having to create a new route.

I have not utilized the program to its full capacity as of yet.

Cons

That when you add an address and you want to copy and paste it into the name field it it tends to default back to the location section causing you to enter the location twice on the line.

That you actually have to download the trip info to retrieve times etc.

That sometimes it give you wacky driving times and if you reference the two driving destinations with google maps, you get different times. Although, traffic may be the indicator here.. not sure.

Pros

Easy to use and set up and very easy to use. The driver end is extremely easy to use. Instantaneous feedback on driver position and delivery status. Importing orders are easy. Scalability is great so you can manage cost as well effectively.

Cons

More support videos needed. Would be good to have more consistent product updates with new features. Similar street names sometimes put to wrong zip codes, and cities.

Pros

For the use of Optimoroute software no special technical knowledge is needed, other than the simplest knowledge of excel. The best thing is, after you import all the data, choose number of drivers and optimize the route, you are able to print routes for each driver, but even better, you can import the routes into their Google maps so the only thing left for them to do is drive!

Cons

I didn't find any downsides of OptimoRoute software.

Pros

Ease of use and the API was very easy to integrate into our software.

Cons

I believe the API has more features than the web dashboard does, I wish they would implement these. (Clustering Factor)

Alternatives Considered

Pros

Able to automatically route multiple drivers, persistent software updates, when it comes to questions, the support team does get back to us fairly quickly.

Cons

There are some small glitches, for example, our "depot" was always printed out as "New York, NY", although these can be fixed by contacting the support team, it was a bit annoying. But regarding the "Route Balancing" function, it is a weird one as sometime it works, and sometime it doesn't.

Pros

I used to spend hours typing every address each night and now with OptimoRoute it’s just the click of a button letting me get to bed earlier and saving me hours of work. I upload my addresses, sort them and export them - soo easy

Cons

I’d like my driver to be able to re-sort and optimise when out on the road. Hopefully this will be a feature coming soon

Pros

Fairly way to use. Live tracking. Route planning works well.

Cons

Can’t cancel a delivery mid-route. Expensive to send sms to customers. Not always intuitive.

Pros

Program is direct and does not include unnecessary functions for our use. Able to calculate the route at a high speed.

Cons

Would love that when you send an email of the route to the driver it would attach a picture/graphic of the route that is to be driven. So they can refer back to the email just to see a snapshot of the following stops.

Pros

We love that it puts all our pick up and deliveries in the correct order and gives us times. The BEST feature though is the real time tracking! I can call our customers and give them up to date times throughout the day if we hit traffic or or ahead of schedule. It has completely changed the way we communicate with our drivers and our customers. It also helps us form the dreaded "over-scheduling".

Cons

It is not able to differentiate between the fact that our truck has to be empty of our deliveries before we can pick up but that is I think unique to our business. If not, that would be a great software upgrade!

Pros

I create multiple routes daily for different locations - no routine stops at all. Optimo Route allows me to import waypoints, populate routes and distribute those routes to my drivers quickly and accurately.

Cons

I wish there was a way to create a Custom Excel Export - where I can define which columns of information I need exported and maybe even customize the format so I don't have to format the file for my unique application. I'm not saying what's available should have anticipated our specific needs, only that I wish this feature was available.

Pros

Our company maintains beehives in backyards. Prior to finding OptimoRoute, I spent hours in front of Google Maps manually planning our routes. I thought it would be impossible to find a platform that would let me add such a huge number of variables. I can tell OptimoRoute a date range that we want to go back to our hives, what days the customer prefers we be there, and where our beekeepers reside so that the routes are efficient as possible. What used to take hours now takes 15-20 minutes! Other things I love: customizable emails and texts, the driver app, custom fields.

Cons

I wish there was a calendar feature. A Google Calendar sync would be amazing. The timeline features make it difficult to see the week or day at a glance. The ETAs in the automatic texts are sometimes off by an hour or more.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing OptimoRoute

Switched From

Pros

OptimoRoute is really easy to get started on. The interface makes sense and people on our team were able to figure it out and begin using it very quickly. It has really streamlined our processes and allows us to make changes to our busy routes on the fly. For the cost, it includes a multitude of constraints and optimization/planning tools. It's great that it's able to distribute orders based on truck size and driver skills.

Since the monthly payment is based on the amount of drivers, the software will grow with us and that's exactly what we needed.

Cons

There are a few features that are missing that I hope will be added soon. There is no easy way to set up customer notifications that we've been able to find, though customer notifications are listed as a feature.

Adding the ability for drivers to add a note along with their order status update would be indispensable.

The ability to save multiple depots and create one-way routes between them would make the software more usable for companies like ours who are growing extremely rapidly and have multiple locations.

Pros

I am a recently retired computer geek. I have done a lot of work solving problems for clients. In my retirement I decided, among other things, to drive a snow plow. :)

I was handed a textual description of my route and told to get started. With my background (Computer Science degree), I realized that optimizing the route is a typical 'Traveling Salesman' problem. It is *extremely* difficult to solve.

Before my retirement, one of the many things I would do is analyze software solutions for customers. I employed the same technique to find 'delivery route optimization' packages. I looked at many and found OptimoRoute to be 'best of class.'

o I can easily import a set of 'orders' (stops in my case).
o I can pre-assign the 'orders' to drivers and do it quickly.
o Based on my knowledge of the route, I can fine-tune the optimized route.
o The Android is map-agonistic. It uses my device's default mapping tool. In my case, due to lack of coverage and no data, I use Google Maps in Offline mode.
o Once a route is created, I do not have to re-gen it, I can copy it from day to day. This way a driver can memorize the route.
o The Support staff will actually call you to help you out. I don't think this is sustainable though. ;) Yet, this is pretty amazing.
o The pricing is extremely reasonable for a small (or even large) business.
o They're smart to push the optimization (which is seriously CPU intensive) to a server. As an engineer, this is an at-scale solution.

Cons

With any complicated software, there will always be room for improvement:

o The Online Help has some outdated examples, typos and is trailing the current feature-set. I don't think it's a big deal because they make it up with the stellar Support. But it will need to be addressed.
o The Android app should be enhanced so it can work in Nougat+ split-screen mode: Google Maps in one half of the screen / Android app in the other
o The text box when opening up a Support call does not resize - yeah, a minor issue but hey, if I'm picking on this minor issue, we know the software doesn't have major problems right???

Pros

The software is easy to use, easy to set up for use with out existing software, the route planning is very reliable - cost savings from efficient route mapping, Reliable - have had no interruptions to use or crashes, support team is very responsive and helpful.

Cons

Software update notifications - I can't recall seeing any emails or notifications within the software to advise the user when there have been new features or improvements made to the software. I've noticed some changes such as the option to send routes at a specific time instead of straight away. It would be good to be given a list of patch/update changes to see if there is something new available that might be useful.

Pros

EXCELLENT Support! We have some very specific needs for Route Planning (DAILY/WEEKLY) Optimo has handled our needs with some tweaking by their excellent support! We are satisfied with it performance and Driver's ease of use.

Cons

Learning Curve has been a little difficult but the support for it has been excellent even over the weekends! So I can't say enough about how impressed I am with that aspect of their product, even through the Covid crisis the support has been there for us.

Pros

I need to route two different work crews all over northern Illinois, usually 150+ miles per crew per day. In the past each crew chief would use a Garmin GPS to manually route up to 15 service visits per day but since using optimoroute we have increased work time and decreased travel time plus saved 15% yearly on fuel costs per crew truck. This product pays for itself immediately and will increase your bottom line! The customer service is first rate and I always received an answer from the team at optimal the same day and enjoyed a solution within 24 hours, The program itself is user-friendly and easy to master.

Cons

Absolutely nothing, I could find no negatives using this software, dealing with the company and the people there

Pros

Ease of use and functionality. It has the ability to scale with the size of your organization. We were drawn to it because of the ability to assign "skills" to drivers. This allowed up to split up our fleet according to their specialty.

Cons

The price. It is on the higher end of routing software that we looked at, but with the included features and excellent customer service, it has worked out well for us.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing OptimoRoute

Reasons for Switching to OptimoRoute

Pros

Easy to use.
Great customer support.
No mad price for the product compared with other on the market.

Cons

Noting to write here.
With this Customer service you can sort all your problems.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing OptimoRoute

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to OptimoRoute

Pros

Easy and logical product. Well thought out. Great help when first starting off. Later state of using, the help was no longer required all is going well.

Cons

We are not able to plan with multiple depots within the country. We use over 40 different depot/shugards. It would be brilliant if we could add them to the routes.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to OptimoRoute

Pros

As a logistics manager for a food company, we were looking for ways to increase our reach beyond grocery stores when coronavirus started, so we started a local home delivery business. We tried out a few route managing apps before settling on OptimoRoute and we've had no reason to change.

OptimoRoute's app was by far the simplest for our drivers to use. I also really like the ease of manual scheduling delivery points after I've already created a route. It's simple and intuitive and I can even make changes to routes that the driver is on and it will send the updates right to the driver's app.

Cons

One downside, is that it can be difficult to plan multiple routes at once for multiple drivers in the same city by only using the automatic route generator. I found that often I have to make minor adjustments to the suggested routes in order to optimize the plan.

Pros

Ease of use, very little training needed.
One can be up and running in less then an hour.

Nice to be able to track the trucks live and to see the history vs the planned schedule

Cons

Doesn't take into account the actual traffic.
If you let the system plan your routes, the drivers will get mad.

Can't link a document to the delivery lines so the drivers can't have the clients confirm the deliveries.

Pros

The mapping of the route is very helpful and the most impactful. I love that it takes the guess work out. When a route needs to be adjusted it is with ease. The ability to divide the route between drivers based on time, percentage and miles is a huge plus.

Cons

I wish that it would interact with our Pantry Program and GPS systems. That would be a dream and would ease redundancy. I would love to see a place to add photos, customer sign off of delivery and time card feature would be amazing!

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to OptimoRoute

Pros

We started using this product about 6 years ago to replace home grown javascript + route planning solution + manually loaded GPS's. The quick import, plotting, and route distribution saved us many hours of work to plan pickup routes for up to 6 trucks and up to 450 stops per Saturday for 3 Saturdays each January for a charity fundraiser. Tracking trucks and being able to change routes on the fly are big benefits also.

Cons

I'd like "avoid U Turns" and "avoid crossing street" to be separate routing constraints. We do a lot of side street pickups and crossing the street is no problem, but U-Turns in 16' trucks are difficult.I'd like the time per stop to be able to be seconds and tenths vs whole seconds.

Pros

Love the live tracking abilities for customers, review options for customers, etc. Allows us to give detailed instructions to staff on the task that needs to be completed.

Cons

Cost is good, however wish that we could use the system to send out emails (i.e. notices) to customers to be able to ask whether they want to opt for additional services, etc., sorta like a mail chimp, or some way to integrate into your accounting software such as other apps.

Pros

Optimo, for us it has been the key in our growth of our operation and it keeps costs low, it is an easy program to adapt and above all it has helped us a lot in the last mile.

Cons

They are missing in the driver's application, the proof of delivery of the packages, as well as the photograph and that the client who receives signs.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to OptimoRoute

Pros

I appreciate how easy it is to import my locations and custom fields into the web app.

Cons

Making changes to a plan already dispatched and replotting a new route based on those modifications don't seem straight forward. Also, some functions require repeated actions when it would be nice to consolidate. Example, If you select 4 locations and try to edit them all, if you unselect them from the edit screen, you can't do anything else. You have to go back to the edit screen after unselecting them from the route and then put them on another driver.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing OptimoRoute

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to OptimoRoute

Pros

The OptimoRoute system is suitable for our small company and easy to use. It's a flexibility system with access to a mobile application. The customer service is excellent and since we began using Optimo Route, we have a considerable improvement in our deliveries of product.

Cons

Some times I can't plan the routes with all my drivers because it takes only 2 of them but is not a big deal. Maybe we have something to change in the profiles of the drivers.

Pros

The ease of use, accessibility and the features that the software has to offer. We are able to easily copy previous routes, add/edit the drivers and quickly add new orders. This allows us to update the system in real-time allowing us to be very efficient. The delivery addresses are color coordinated by driver, so I can manually visualize the routes and make changes if and when necessary. I also love the ability to enter specific times that each delivery may take. This allows me to assign routes based on the required time for each driver. In the past, the routes were split up into addresses and equally assigned. However, some deliveries require additional time. This is an amazing piece of software that we are extremely happy to incorporate into our fundraiser drive.

Cons

I'm not sure that there is anything about the software that I dislike.

Pros

Ease of use for both office staff and field personnel.

Cons

Nothing specific for us. I have seen multiple enhancements within the past 12 months that tells me the company is receptive to providing features based on customer feedback.

Pros

The ability to copy routes and individual stops is critical to our business. Also the ability with multiple drivers

Cons

The cost has gone up with options (the live) for companies that just don’t need this

Pros

OptimoRoute has proven to be a very versatile platform for our logistics department. The software accommodates all of our time, date and licensing constraints which was critical for our business needs. In addition to effectively managing our constraints, Optimo also manages the large volume of orders/routes we process every month. Another feature we have found to be beneficial is Optimo's ease of use. The UI is very well thought out and users can begin creating routes with very little need for tutorials.

Cons

Nothing specific comes to mind although some enhancements to the multi-user functionality are something we are looking forward to and are forth coming.

Pros

I loved that I could import the data for my deliveries directly from my website. It takes 2 steps- All you have to do is download the file from the website and then upload the file to OptimoRoute! The program then optimizes everything while allowing you to make customizations easily.

Cons

It has had a few glitches when I try to readjust routes that are in progress and drivers on the road lost their routes and had to work off of the manual sheet we print (from the program) which is handy to have for many reasons. That's only happened once... I don't' know why...most of the time it is very user-friendly.

Pros

1. Ease of uploading data. 2. Makes appropriate routes and can schedule 2 drivers at a time. 3. In some situations, we can schedule 2 delivery timings for 1 driver making the clearer for the user who is live tracking. 4. In case I put an address, it saves it in it's data base for the next time which makes it easier to not rewrite the whole address again.

Cons

1. There are instances where the route setups are completely irrational and then they have to be manually set up.

Pros

We appreciate that this software has a tracking option and communication protocol. In the farming and delivering business communication is key and we are able to communicate with our customers and differentiate us from our competitors. Easy to use and very robust for the amount of money we pay. A great value.

Cons

We are not aware of how to integrate Optimo Route with our Wix E-Commerce platform. Integration would really help us save time but we don't know how to do this. We would like to have a better HELP or Support option in Optimo Route.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to OptimoRoute

Pros

Drivers save time using the software and it ensures customers that their groceries are on their way. The fact that it integrated easily in to apple phones is great. Also helpful that you can download reports, and the driving delivery schedule.

Cons

Sometimes it is hard to know where to go if you need to make unexpected changes in a hurry. For instance if a driver needs to switch their navigation app or if you need to edit some stops.