Configure Routing and Travel for Workforce Scheduling

Workforce Scheduling routing is used to calculate travel times between locations. Point-to-point predictive routing is always applied. The engine predicts travel times based on historical traffic patterns and routes using exact location coordinates for accurate travel time calculations. Aerial routing is used as a fallback when point-to-point predictive routing fails to calculate travel. With aerial routing, travel time is calculated by using the straight-line distance between the two points and the configured travel speed.

Point-to-point predictive routing provides features to improve accuracy of travel calculations for different scenarios.

Travel Modes

Optimization services with different travel modes enhance predictive travel by providing more accurate travel time predictions and improving the completion rate of service appointments. Travel modes account for differences in routing, travel speeds, and start and end locations. Create travel modes for service resources who use different modes of transportation, such as walking or cycling, instead of driving. Dispatchers use the created travel modes to schedule appointments. Each new travel mode that you create requires its own routing engine ID. Workforce Scheduling includes ready-to-use travel modes for driving, walking, and cycling, with their travel times. Set up travel modes per territory, resource, or both for accurate routing calculations based on transportation type, toll road preferences, and the presence of hazardous materials. The default travel mode is set to car, using toll roads, and not carrying hazardous materials. Assign a travel mode to a service territory or service territory member. Service resources inherit the travel mode from their service territory member assignment. Service territory members without a specific assignment fall back to the service territory’s travel mode.

Default Travel Speed and Travel Time Buffer

The scheduling engine uses a default travel speed to estimate drive time when detailed map data isn’t available for a route segment. You can set the travel speed unit used for drive-time estimates, and the default travel speed. With a travel time buffer, you can systematically add extra time to the travel duration calculated for each service appointment to better schedule your workforce. Use a travel time buffer to define the additional minutes required for activities other than driving, such as finding parking, unloading technical gear, walking time in a building complex, or handoff on either end of a trip. The additional travel time is added to new service appointments when they’re scheduled or to preexisting appointments if the schedule changes. You can also define buffers per territory.

• Routing Used for Workforce Scheduling Travel Time Calculations
  Workforce Scheduling calculates travel times so that mobile workers can complete more jobs in less time and arrive when customers expect them. Accurate routing reduces travel costs and improves service levels. Point-to-point predictive routing is the primary mechanism, with aerial routing as a fallback when a route can’t be predicted. Routing and travel time calculations are relevant to field appointments only.
• Routing Fields and Country Coverage for Workforce Scheduling
  Reference the fields that Workforce Scheduling uses to calculate travel time, and check whether point-to-point predictive routing is available in the countries where your service resources work. Routing and travel time calculations are relevant to field appointments only.
• Set Up Travel Modes for Workforce Scheduling
  Travel modes let Workforce Scheduling dispatchers schedule appointments based on a service resource’s preferred mode of transportation, such as driving, walking, or cycling. Set up travel modes, create the modes for your service resources, and assign them to a service territory or service territory member. Point-to-point predictive routing is always applied when scheduling appointments. Travel modes is applicable to field work only.
• Create Travel Modes for Workforce Scheduling
  Create travel modes for service resources who use different modes of transportation, such as walking or cycling, instead of driving. You can create travel modes per territory, resource, or service territory member so that routing calculations are accurate based on the transportation type, whether the resource can drive through toll roads, and whether the resource is carrying hazardous materials. Travel modes is applicable to field work only.
• Assign a Travel Mode to a Service Territory or Service Territory Member in Workforce Scheduling
  Assign a travel mode to a service territory or service territory member so that the engine can consider the resource’s routing and travel preferences. Routing requests are based on the travel mode selected at the service territory level unless specified otherwise at the resource level. In this case, the resource territory membership setting overrides the territory-level setting. Only primary territory members can have a travel mode assigned to them. The primary service territory member’s assigned travel mode determines the travel mode for all service appointments for that resource, regardless of the service territory of the appointment. Travel modes are relevant to field work only.
• Configure Workforce Scheduling Travel Time Buffers
  Add a buffer to travel time to account for additional travel-related activities such as parking, security checks, on-site navigation to better schedule your workforce. Configure travel time buffers at the org, service territory, or individual service appointment level to improve the precision of your scheduling operations. Travel time buffers are relevant to field work only.