PestBossPro Blog — Scheduling & Routes

Closest First or Furthest First: Auto-Routing a Pest Control Day From the Shop

A list of twenty stops can be driven in a lot of different orders, and most of them are bad. Putting a day in a sensible order by hand works, but it takes time and it depends on whoever is doing it knowing the area. Auto-routing gives you a sensible starting order in one click.

One Truck, One Day

Auto-routing works on a single truck's day, which is why it pairs with the truck filter described in Filtering the Dispatch Board by Truck: One Pest Control Route at a Time. Filter to the truck, look at the day, and auto-route it.

PestBossPro offers two options, both measured from the shop.

Closest First

Closest First starts with the stop nearest the shop and works outward from there. The truck leaves, hits the first stop quickly, and moves steadily away through the day.

It suits days when:

• Early stops have a reason to be early. Commercial accounts that need service before opening are often close to town. Getting them first makes sense.
• The tech may need to come back. If the truck might need to return for more product or a different piece of equipment, being near the shop in the morning helps.
• Weather may cut the day short. If afternoon rain is likely, doing the close stops first means the ones you miss are the far ones, and the tech is already out there for tomorrow's reschedule.
• A new tech is on the route. Starting close to the shop keeps a new hire near help for the first part of the day.

Furthest First

Furthest First drives out to the far end of the route first and works back toward the shop. The long drive happens at the start of the day, and the tech finishes close to home.

It suits days when:

• The route is far from the shop. If the whole route is out in one distant area, get the drive done while traffic is light.
• The day should end at the shop. Techs who restock or clean equipment at the end of the day finish close to where they need to be.
• Morning conditions suit the far stops. Some techs like to do outdoor work early while it is cooler and calmer, then finish nearer the shop.
• Late stops need flexibility. If the last stops of the day are close to the shop, a call-back can be tacked onto the end without a long drive.

Choosing Between Them

There is no single right answer. Some owners pick one and use it for most days. Others decide day by day. A simple way to think about it: Closest First when the morning matters more, Furthest First when the end of the day matters more.

Weather and product labels also play a part. Wind and temperature affect exterior treatments, and many product labels set limits on application conditions. Some techs prefer to save the most exposed outdoor stops for the calmest part of the day. That is an operator decision, and it is one reason you can always change the order after auto-routing.

Auto-Route, Then Adjust

Auto-routing gives you a starting order. It does not know that a customer asked for afternoon service, that one street is closed for construction, or that a gated community only lets vendors in after 9am. After auto-routing, look over the order and set it by hand where the tech's knowledge beats the map.

That adjustment step is covered in the next guide, Setting Route Order by Hand When the Pest Control Tech Knows the Area Better. Usually it is only a few stops that move. The auto-route does the heavy lifting, and the person who knows the route does the fine tuning.

What the Tech and Customer See

Once the order is set, it is the order on the tech's phone. The tech opens the app and sees stop one at the top, with navigation, service and access notes on each card. They work down the list, tapping Start, Skip or Complete.

The order also drives customer alerts. A customer who chose “when I'm next” gets a heads-up when the stop before theirs is done. The customer app shows their place on the route. On-the-way and arrived texts go out as the tech works through the list. A good route order is not just about miles. It is what makes those alerts accurate.

Building the Habit

For most pest control offices, auto-routing becomes a step in the daily routine: circle the due accounts, schedule them to a truck and day, filter to the truck, auto-route, adjust, done. Repeat for each truck. It takes a few minutes and saves the tech from working out the day in the truck at 7am.

To see how auto-routing fits with the Waiting List, dispatch board and tech app, visit the PestBossPro pest control scheduling software page.