Our techs are expected to leave their homes in the morning and head straight to their first job of the day, arriving to the client at 8 AM, or a little later if their first job is a longer drive than what each techs Average Commute Time (drive time from their house to our office) is setup as.
For example, if their average commute time (ACT) to our office is 30 minutes, and their first job is 30 minutes or less away from their house, they are expected to still leave their house by 7:30 AM and arrive to that job right at 8 AM. If their ACT is 30 minutes, and their first job is 45 minutes away from their house, they are expected to be at that first job by 8:15 AM (that way they are still leaving their house by 7:30 AM).
On the dispatch board, we have their shifts scheduled to start at 8 AM. Whenever we add jobs to the dispatch board and click "Optimize Technician Route," it always adjusts the start time of the first job to reflect the technician STARTING to drive to the job at 8 AM. This would make sense if the techs were required to come to our office/warehouse first and then leaving here at 8 AM to head to their first job. However, that does not work with how we operate, because our techs leave directly from their homes and straight to their first jobs.
It would be great if we could change a setting so that Optimize Technician Route takes into account each technician's ACT and bases the start of their first job each day on that. So, if the drive time to their first job is less than or equal to their ACT, then the Optimize Route feature should show them starting that first job at 8 AM on the dot. If their first job is a longer drive away than their ACT to our office - again, let's say their ACT is 30 minutes and the job is 45 minutes away from their house - then the Optimize Route feature should show the first job starting at 8:15 AM.
It was suggested to us to manually confirm the first appointment each day for 8 AM, so that other jobs throughout the day can be Optimized for efficiency, however, if we confirm the appointment, then it no longer gets included in the Optimize Route feature, and our drive time is no longer as efficient because that job won't move on the dispatch board.
