Working with Delivery Routes

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Creating a Delivery Route

A delivery route is a delivery trip that a driver makes to deliver multiple orders. Each route can consist of any number of orders across multiple delivery zones. Mercury Delivery assumes that you want to create routes only for orders with the same delivery date, so by default, the Delivery Snapshot window lists zones with orders only for a single date.

Delivery routes can only be created for delivery orders entered in Order Entry and Point of Sale. Pick up and carry out orders do not display in the Mercury Delivery application. If you change a delivery order to a pick up order in Order Entry or Point of Sale, the pick up order is removed from Mercury Delivery and from your delivery route, unless you already marked that route complete.

You can also add non-order stops to delivery routes using custom push pins (for example, to stop for gasoline or for lunch).

To create a delivery route, first you select the orders that will go out on that trip, and then map them in the order sequence that you want them delivered. The goal is to make the delivery trip as fast and efficient as possible, delivering all of your orders on time. Mercury Delivery suggests a delivery route for you automatically, and can calculate the fastest or shortest delivery route. It also maps the route and calculates driving directions (turn by turn).

The basic steps to creating a delivery route are:

1. Selecting zones
2. Adding orders to the route
3. Saving the route
4. Completing the route

Selecting Zones

The first step in creating a delivery route is to select the delivery zone(s) that include the orders that you want to deliver. You do not have to route all of the orders within the zones(s); you just need to select all zones that contain orders that you want to include in the new route.

To select zones and begin the route creation process:

1. In the Delivery Snapshot window, enter any search parameters necessary to locate the zones including orders that you want to route.
2. Select the box next to the zone(s) containing orders you want to route. (A check mark will appear for zones you want to include in your route.) You can also click Select All to select all zones in the Delivery Snapshot window.
3. Click the Create Routes button to open the Create Routes window, which you will use to add orders to the delivery route.

Adding Orders to the Route

You add orders to the delivery route from the Create Routes window. This window displays all orders from the delivery zones you selected from the Delivery Snapshot window. When you first open this window, no orders will have been added to the route.

Orders are listed in the Orders for Zone(s) area. Each order is marked with an icon, with a legend explaining the icons above the order list.

To add an order to the route, do any of the following:

• Right-click on the order in the Orders for Zone(s) area and click Add to Route.
• Click and drag the order from the Orders for Zone(s) area into the route at the bottom of the Create Routes window.
• Use the freehand tool in the map to circle the order on the route and then click the Add to Route button. (You can also use this method to add multiple orders at the same time to the route.)
• Select multiple orders (by holding the Control Key) down on the keyboard), right-click one of the selected orders, and select Add to Route.
• Drag an entire zone from the order list to the route.
• Right click on the order’s pushpin on the map, and select Add to Route. In the case of a multi-order pushpin, the system will present a list of orders corresponding to that pushpin, and will allow the user to select one or more (or all) of the orders to be added to the route.

Repeat for additional orders. As you add orders, the route list at the bottom of the window includes each one, and a check mark appears next to the order in the Order for Zones(s) area.

The Store column displays the store from which the order was placed. This is beneficial if you have a multi-store environment, so your driver knows where to pick up the order.

As you add orders, the map automatically creates a suggested delivery path and updates the driving directions. The orders are numbered on the map in the order that the program recommends delivery.

If a route origin has been configured, it will appear in light green. If a route origin has not been configured, the first stop appears in dark green and the last stop will appear in red.

High priority orders appear in the Order for Zone(s) pane in green.

Saving the Route

When you are finished creating the delivery route, you can either save the route to edit later, or you can complete it if the delivery route is final and the truck is ready to leave.

To save the route to complete later, click the Save button. The routing slip, driving directions, and map are not printed. This feature is useful if you want to prepare delivery routes ahead of time.

To complete the route, click the Complete button. You are prompted for driver and truck information.

Completing the Route

To complete a route:

1. Click Complete on the Create Routes window.
2. Provide the date that the route was completed.
   By default, this is today’s date. If a date that is in the past is entered, the following message appears: “The route date for this route is in the past. Do you wish to complete this route?” To confirm, select Yes. To enter a new date, select No.
3. Select the appropriate driver, truck, and enter the truck’s starting mileage.
   By default, the driver selected is “Administrator.”
4. Specify if the route’s manifest, directions, or bar codes will be printed by checking the appropriate checkbox.
5. Specify if the route should be downloaded to the phone.
6. Click Complete to complete the route.

Once you click Complete in this window, the route can only be changed using the Modify Route screen.

If you attempt to complete a route that does not contain any stops, the following message will appear: “An empty route cannot be completed.”

Additional Tasks

In addition to creating a delivery route, you can also perform the following tasks:

• View route details
• Add orders to an existing route
• Remove stops from a route
• Change a route's name
• Modify a route
• Print the Map and Manifest
• Delete a route

View Route Details

You can view the following route details from the Order Details window:

• Sale ID
• Address
• Zone
• Recipient Name
• Recipient Phone
• Priority
• Design Status
• Route Status
• Delivery Status
• Verified/Unverified Address

To view route details:

1. In either the Create Routes or Saved Routes window, select the Show Details button. Alternately, you can use the command alt + H. Or, to view the details for one specific order, double click on the order’s pushpin on the map.
2. View the read-only order details.
3. To close individual labels, click the label’s X.
4. Click Hide Details to close the route details.
   The Show Details button reappears.

Add Orders to an Existing Route

You add orders to the delivery route from the Create Routes Window. This window displays all orders from the delivery zones you selected from the Delivery Snapshot window. When you first open this window, no orders will have been added to the route.

As you add orders, the map automatically creates a suggested delivery path and the driving directions (above the map) are updated. The orders are numbered on the map in the order that the program recommends delivery. High priority orders appear in green.

The route origin displays as the first stop in green, the last stop displays in red, and all stops in between are numbered in yellow.

To add orders to an existing route:

1. From the Create Routes window, either:
   • Click the Add Order button and enter the order number via the Add Order window.
   • Right-click on the order in the Order for Zone(s) area and click Add to Route.
   • Click and drag the order from the Order for Zone(s) area into the route at the bottom of the Create Routes window.
   • Select multiple orders (by holding the Control Key) down on the keyboard), right-click one of the selected orders, and select Add to Route
   • Drag an entire zone from the order list to the route
   • Right click on the order’s pushpin on the map, and select Add to Route. In the case of a multi-order pushpin, the system will present a list of orders corresponding to that pushpin, and will allow the user to select one or more (or all) of the orders to be added to the route.
2. Repeat for additional orders.
   As you add orders, the route list at the bottom of the window includes each oneis updated to show the added orders, and a check mark appears next to the order in the Order for Zones(s) area.

Remove Stops from a Route

Stops that are in your delivery route are listed at the bottom of the window in the routes area. Each tab represents a different delivery route. You may need to remove a stop from a route.

To remove an stop from a route:

1. In the Create Routes window, click the tab that represents the route from which you want to remove the order.
2. Click on the stop you want to remove to highlight it.
3. Click the X button at the bottom right of the window.

Once you delete a stop from a route, the following occurs:

• The push pin and stop number are removed from the map
• The turn by turn direction are updated to reflect the removed order
• The action item remains on the map. By right-clicking the action item, you can add the stop to a route.
• The priority status of the stop in the Order for Zone(s) pane is modified to reflect the removal of the stop from the route.

Change a Route's Name

To change the name of the route in the Create Routes window:

1. Right-click the Route tab (or the tab for the route you want to rename) and click Rename. The Rename Route Window opens.
2. Enter a new name for the route.
3. Click OK.

Modify a Route

You can modify the route by specifying the order in which orders are delivered. This is done using the up and down arrows or reverse button in the bottom right-hand pane.

If you have previously optimized the route, modifying the sequence of orders will undo the optimization.

To modify the sequence of orders using the arrow buttons:

1. Select the order you wish to modify in the route tab of the Create Route or Save Route window.
2. Click the up arrow to move the order up a stop.
3. Click the down arrow to move the order down a stop.
   The map and the turn by turn directions are updated based on the new sequence of orders.

To modify the sequence of orders by dragging and dropping:

1. Select the order you wish to modify in the route tab of the Create Route or Save Route window.
2. Drag and drop the order to a new location in the route list.
   The map and the turn by turn directions are updated based on the new sequence of orders.

If you select the first order and attempt to move it up in the sequence or if you select the last order and attempt to move it down in the sequence, the following message appears: “Please select a valid stop from the active route.”

If the origin is configured, the first and last stops are set as the origin address.

To reverse the route: In the route tab of the Create Route or Save Route window, select the Reverse Route button.

If you attempt to modify the sequence of the route using the up, down, or reverse route arrows and there are no orders in the route, the following message appears: “The Active route is empty. This operation cannot be performed.”

Print the Map and Manifest

You have several printing options available:

• Print driving directions
• Print the route manifest
• Print a list of all the delivery zones

To print the driving directions or the route manifest, click the Print Map button prior to completing the route. While the route is in progress, you can print driving directions from the Routing Progress window by clicking the Print Map button.

The print manifest shows the names of the recipients, the quantity of products to be delivered, whether multiple recipients are listed on an order, and the store from which the order was placed.

To print a list of all the delivery zones, from the Create Zone window, select the Print List button.

Delete a Route

To delete an existing route: Right-click on the tab of the Route you wish to delete, and click Delete.

The system removes the route’s tab. Any orders that were included in the route are removed and the order tree, direction, and map are refreshed to reflect the orders without a route.

For more information on routes, see the following:

• Complete Route
• Create Routes
• Optimize Route Options
• Rename Route
• Route Origin
• Editing Saved (Incomplete) Routes
• Mapping and Routing Using Mercury Delivery
• Viewing the Route Details
• Routing Progress Window
• Completing Delivery Routes in Mercury Delivery for IVR
• Optimizing Routes
• Saved Routes Window