Geocoding Customers in Map View
Geocoding assigns latitude and longitude coordinates to a customer record based on address or mapping information. This ensures:
Accurate calculation of estimated times of arrival.
Accurate engineered labor standards per driver.
A customer must be geocoded if:
The customer appears in the UNGEOCODED CUSTOMERS tab in Map View.
The dispatcher identified that the customer's map location was incorrect.
The map displays a route line that goes off the visible page.
Geocoding a Customer
To geocode a customer:
Go to the UNGEOCODED CUSTOMERS tab in Map View.
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Right-click on the customer and select Geocode.
The Geocode Address window appears.
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Choose one of two geocoding methods:
A. Edit Address Fields:
Update the address fields to correct typos or spelling issues.
Note: These edits do not update the customer record—only help locate a geocode on the map.
Click Geocode to validate the changes.
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A list of matching results will appear, sorted by match percentage.
These results are also shown as numbered blue pins on the map.
Once selected (via list or map), the chosen result appears in bright pink.
B. Manually Assign Using the Map:
Click on the map to find the customer’s location.
The selected location appears in the results list.
Select the desired result from the list to continue.
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Optional Actions in the Geocode Address window:
Click Reset Fields to restore the original address data from the import process.
Click Delete to clear current geocode data (latitude and longitude only, not the customer record).
Click Cancel to discard unsaved changes and close the window.
Click Save once a result is selected and confirmed as accurate.
Editing Time Windows
Customers use time windows to communicate when they want to receive a service (e.g., delivering/picking up items or performing a service at the stop). If the stops are planned to be serviced outside the time windows configured, exceptions will be visible on the Map View page. Users can specify a time window for a shipment where one has not been applied during the creation of the shipment. Editing time windows is not an available feature by default. A Descartes representative must enable this functionality to edit time windows.
To edit time windows:
From the Map View page, right-click on a shipment on the UNROUTED or the ALL SHIPMENTS tab of the Shipments pane.
From the right-click menu, select Edit Time Window. You can also expand a route from the Routes pane, right-click on a stop, and select Edit Stop > Edit Time Window.
You can select a time window bucket or input the time for Segment 1.
If the time window has another segment, select the Two Segments option and either choose a time window bucket or input the time for Segment 2.
If you want the time window saved to the customer record, click off the 'Set the time window to customer profile' setting. This option changes the time window for all stops/shipments for this customer moving forward, which is created within the application. This function is not available by default and must be enabled by a Descartes representative.
Click Save or Cancel.
Editing Planned Service Time for Unrouted Shipments
In version 24.10, a new configuration parameter allows users to edit the planned service time for unrouted shipments in the On-demand application. This feature allows service time to be set before routing occurs, either manually or via optimization.
To enable this functionality, a user with the dispatcher_admin role must activate the Enable Unrouted Shipment Service Time Edit parameter in Configuration > Parameters > Service Time. By default, this parameter is set to off.
Editing Order Priority
Before creating routes, you may want to set order priorities to ensure that the highest-priority orders are scheduled on routes during optimization. A Descartes representative must enable order priorities.
To set a priority to an order(s):
From the UNROUTED tab in Map View, right-click on a shipment and select Edit Order Priority.
Enter a value for Order Priority, only values of 1-10 are supported (e.g., the higher the number, the higher the priority), 0 value represents priority is disabled.
Click Save Order Priority.
Editing Shipment Due Date
In some cases, the due date for an unrouted shipment may need to be changed. A Descartes representative must enable this option.
To change the due date for a shipment:
Right-click on a shipment from the UNROUTED tab in Map View and select the Edit Shipment Due Date option.
Enter a Due Date by selecting a date using the calendar controls.
Click Proceed.
Clicking Clear removes the shipment’s current due date.
Clicking Cancel closes the window without saving the information.
The Due Date column on the UNROUTED and ALL SHIPMENTS tabs in Map View are color-coded. The color displayed depends on whether the date has been violated or is expected to expire for a shipment. If the cell is red, the due date for the shipment violates the currently assigned date. If the cell is yellow, the due date is expected to expire on the currently assigned date.
Linking and Unlinking Shipments
Linking shipments allows for a pickup shipment and a delivery shipment to be combined to create a transfer order (customer-to-customer) to have the product moved from customer A (pickup shipment location) to customer B (delivery shipment location). Additionally, a linked shipment (pickup and delivery shipment) may need to be unlinked to be serviced separately, reinserting the associated depot stop into the equation.
This functionality may be helpful when planning routes. For example, a dispatcher may identify that an item at one customer's location is needed at another customer's location. Instead of having the driver pick up the item, bring it back to the depot, and then deliver it to the next customer, the dispatcher can create a customer-to-customer transfer type order by linking the two shipments to one.
This functionality is not available to all users and must be enabled by a Descartes representative. To learn more about this functionality, go to Linking and Unlinking Shipments.