Here's a preview video of what's new in this release:
New features included in this release
It is now possible to create an order and immediately dispatch it to a driver.
- In Order Entry, the behavior of the Time section has been modified: Users can now enter any time for the ready-at, and Pick-up/Delivery windows. If the times are impossible to achieve, the system will display an error message.
- The Dispatch Board has a new layout option to view orders and drivers.
- Administrators can copy dispatch boards and send them to other users.
- Administrators can specify which additional fields are visible to drivers
- Administrators can now select an order cancellation cutoff trigger for Self Service users on the customer portal.
- An invalid price will be returned when vehicle selected on order is not in the failover price list
Other updates:
- The Orders List Vehicles dropdown filter has been enhanced
- Driver commissions can be entered with 3 decimals
- Clicking the "i" symbol next to an order on the order-entry screen provides additional details about the order
- Past dates are no longer visible in the calendars of the Time section in Order Entry. They are left blank
- The process for un-assigning an order from a driver is now the same on both the Dispatch Map and the Dispatch Grid; in both cases, the dispatcher must first select Dispatch, then choose Un-assigned in the dropdown.
Definition
The release notes refer to different sections of the application:
Back Office: Where Customer Service Representatives (CSR) create and edit orders, create accounts, review drivers, etc.
Dispatch Board: Where Dispatchers assign orders to drivers, get notifications for invalid orders, etc.
Auto-Dispatch: This section refers to the automated order assignment setup and its process.
Administration: This section is in the Back Office but refers to sections only an administrator will use like Settings and Pricing.
Customer Portal: Where account users log in to create orders, view their order history, enter a credit card, etc.
Tracking site: Where customers enter a tracking number like the order ID or a reference number to view the status of their order.
OData: Data fields and variables saved in OData
Account API: API provided to your accounts to create, update and get orders. For documentation, please follow this link:https://api.dispatchscience.com/
Tenant API: API provided to you to create orders for your accounts, retrieve invoices and change invoice status. For documentation, please follow this link: https://api.dispatchscience.com/
Back Office
Manual Order Entry Interface
Driver Info section
It is now possible to assign a driver to an order when a new order is being entered and up to the time it is accepted by the driver.
How to assign a driver at Order Entry:
1) in Orders>New Order, start creating an order, then when it's time to manage order details, click on Driver Info. Click on the Driver dropdown and start typing a driver name or number until you can select the desired driver. When you click on CREATE ORDER, the order will be immediately dispatched to that driver and the order history and dispatch boards will reflect this assignment:
How to assign a driver after an order has been created:
1) Edit an order
2) From the Menu, select Dispatch Order
3) Type in the name or number of the driver to filter the list. You must enter at least 3 characters for the filter to show you drivers.
4) Select the Driver and click on Dispatch.
Note: If the driver is missing an attribute or going off duty, a warning message will be displayed.
Manual Order Entry Interface
Time section
Users can now enter any time for the ready-at, and Pick-up/Delivery windows. If the times are impossible to achieve, the system will display an error message.
Example:
In the example below, the Pickup Between end time is earlier than the start time. This is impossible. Consequently, when clicking on CREATE ORDER, an error message as shown will appear at the top of the screen and order creation will not proceed:
Pricing on Orders
Failover Pricing Behaviour Modifcation
On orders using a failover price list, the price returned will be set as invalid when the vehicle on the order is not available on the price list.
Dispatch Board
Dispatch Grid
Dispatch Grid Layout
The Dispatch grid now offers new layout options for the dispatcher. It is now possible to assign a driver to an order when a new order is being entered and up to the time it is accepted by the driver.
How To:
1) In Dispatch>Boards, click on the gear icon next to a grid:
2) The Board Setting menu will slide in from the right. Click on the Select Layout Type dropdown, and select Horizontal grid, and click Apply:
3) The horizontal layout will appear. Click and drag on the center line to move the Drivers section up or down on the screen:
The same filtering and drag/drop capabilities are available in this view as in the vertical view.
Two additional viewing options are available in the setting: Orders only grid and Drivers only grid. When using the Orders only or Drivers only.
Note: When using Orders only, you will not be able to select multiple orders and slide to another window to dispatch to Drivers.
Administration
Dispatch Management
Copy Dispatch Grid Layout
Administrators can now copy existing grid layouts and send them to different users.
How to:
1) In Dispatch>Boards, the administrator click on the gear icon next to a grid (see above). The Board Settings will slide in from the right. Click on the three dots next to CONFIGURATION, then select Copy Board:
2) A dialog box will appear. Give a name to the board, then select, one by one, the users you want to share the board with from the dropdown:
Check or uncheck Overwrite boards with the same name as needed, and click Copy:
The board will now be added to these users' list of Grid tabs.
Additional Account Fields
Showing/Hiding Additional Account Field information in Driver app
It is now possible to control the visibility of Additional Account Field information in the Driver app.
How to:
1) First ensure you have created the appropriate Additional Account fields in your settings. See Release 1.33, Account and Driver Settings section, for details on how to perform this task.
2) Go to Drivers>Profiles>Driver and select a Driver Profile. Scroll down to the Field Visibility section at the bottom right and click on Edit:
3) Select Visible from the dropdown if you want this field to be visible in the Driver app, then click Save:
The field will be visible in the driver app in Order Details.
Account Profiles
Customizing Order Cutoff Triggers
It is now possible to customize the stage at which customers are allowed to make changes in already-created orders on their customer portal.
How to:
1) Go to Accounts>Profiles and select an account profile. Scroll down to find the Self-Serve Options section and click on Edit:
2) Check SHOW ATTACHMENTS if you want to allow clients to see order attachments on their Customer portal. Then select the desired stage at witch you want to allow customer to be able to apply changes to their orders:
Cutoff options for order edition are:
Cutoff options for order cancellation are:
3) Click Save to save your options.