Beat the clock!

Why time-of-day scheduling and parking intelligence are driving productive fleets

Fleets and field services operations can be incredibly complex and require careful planning to ensure efficiency and profitability. One often-overlooked aspect of this planning is time-of-day scheduling and time-of-day parking. In this blog, we’ll explore why these factors are so important and how they can impact the success of your business.

Time-of-day scheduling refers to the practice of scheduling jobs and routes based on the time of day. This can be important for several reasons. For example, if you have a fleet of trucks that are delivering perishable goods, you’ll need to ensure that they’re making their deliveries at the right time to ensure that the goods arrive fresh. Similarly, if you’re providing field services like in-home repairs, you’ll want to schedule appointments during times when customers are likely to be home.

Another reason why time-of-day scheduling is important is that it can help you optimise your routes. By scheduling jobs in a way that minimises travel time and maximises efficiency, you can reduce your fuel costs and increase your productivity. For example, if your travel to an appointment takes you through a busy area during rush hour, you may need to schedule those visits for early in the morning or late at night when there’s less traffic.

Companies like AppyWay partner FLS – FAST LEAN SMART are helping fleets and field services by providing cost-optimised, instant-response scheduling and dynamic route planning. Their system provides intelligent predictions for appointment durations and arrival times and delivers the prioritisation of service orders and optimised rescheduling in case of emergencies (in real-time). Their response scheduling and dynamic route planning are helping businesses achieve up to 50% lower dispatching expenses and a significant reduction in miles driven and CO2.

Time-of-day parking is another important consideration for fleets and field services. Depending on where you’re operating, parking can be a scarce resource, especially during peak hours. This is why it’s important to plan ahead and find parking spots that are convenient for your operations.

Another important consideration when it comes to time-of-day parking is the impact it can have on your operations. If you’re parking in a busy area during peak hours, you may be blocking traffic or making it difficult for other vehicles to pass. This can cause delays and frustration for other drivers, which can impact your reputation, time-to-fix SLAs, and ultimately your bottom line.

To avoid these issues, it’s essential to be mindful of where you’re parking and how it might impact others. This may mean finding alternative parking spots or adjusting your schedule to avoid peak hours.

One way to do this is by using technology like AppyWay’s parking API to identify parking spots that are best or nearest to your destination. AppyWay’s parking intelligence data helps drivers identify the most suitable place to park in advance of deployment providing drivers true A to B. Operators can increase efficiency on the ground by providing to-the-minute information on where to park for every job. In addition to this, you can reduce fuel consumption and emissions by avoiding wasted miles to find parking, reduce parking uncertainty, reduce PCNs, remove the hassle for your drivers, and increase customer satisfaction scores by significantly reducing the number of delayed or missed jobs.

Time-of-day scheduling and time-of-day parking are two important factors that can impact the success of fleets and field services. By carefully planning your routes and finding convenient parking spots, you can optimise your operations, reduce costs, and improve your reputation. So, if you’re looking to improve the efficiency and profitability of your business, take some time to consider how these factors might be impacting your operations and make any necessary adjustments.