Logistics Feature Ideas for Development

Hi Wialon team, as you are currently working on a bunch of logistics enhancements I thought it would now be a great time to provide some feedback,  feature requests, and ideas for logistics.

Astreon heavily utilizes Logistics with our VAR partners and their clients and we have a lot of feedback and feature request ideas.

General Concept of Logistics

In our opinion this is a very broad product and is not just meant for the delivery or logistics industry.  It's well suited to any task based business.  A dispatch is really just a task that gets assigned to a field worker when you simplify it.

The advanced features of logistics with routing, etc are fantastic, but the point is this should really be viewed as a tool that almost any business can leverage.

Logistics Enhancements

Ability for a driver to create their own task.
Today you can only receive a dispatch and reject it or complete it.  You should be able to create your own new dispatch or task which can be enabled or disabled in Admin.  This would be based on templates per-configured.  The driver would simply choose which template they wanted to use and then fill out the fields accordingly.  This way they can pick up extra work or log other tasks that were not explicitly assigned.  Back office can still report on it and manage it.

Ability for the Driver to attach files (not just photos) to a completed Dispatch
Often a field worker will have to fill out information on site, get a private BOL (Bill of Lading), client invoice, etc, which needs to be attached to an order.  Being able to add it to a dispatch would be very helpful and help with record keeping, reporting, etc.

• Driver Fillable List/Driver input fields -  Think of a lightweight Form

Dispatcher creates a task for the driver.  There are input fields that the driver needs to fill out while on site.  In the process of completing a task, they fill out blank fields.  The dispatch still has the same fields, new or custom fields in their template when assigning dispatches, but the can be marked as fillable or not.  If it's fillable, we expect the driver to add content.  Attach a file, fill in information, prices, etc.

A few practical applications examples:
- Pre trip inspections.  Vehicle circle checks that need to be created everyday pre and post trip.  We need a record of this and a way to report on it.  Have a pass/fail flag which can be tied to notifications.  Could even be tied to Fleemate to create an open ad-hoc maintenance event.
- Service companies.  They are on site, doing a task.  They need to check off completed tasks, or add information which is tied to reports.  For instance a pest control company, inspected rat trap, added materials.  Add cost for added materials, etc. 

• Recurring Tasks/Automatically Assigned to a list of vehicles/driver each day

These are daily tasks which need to be completed and can be added to other dispatches assigned, but not necessarily part of a route.  A great example would be the Pre& Post Trip inspections each day for each driver/vehicle.  Dispatchers don't want to manually assign recurring tasks like this to hundreds of vehicles/drivers.

These can also be nested to they are always available in the app, similar to a task that a driver can create for themselves.  They can open the Inspection Task/Form, select the vehicle, fill it out and complete it.  This needs to include photos and signature.

• Forward Geocoding by Google

Here data is really good for reverse geocoding.  Better than Google.  But they are terrible with Forward geocoding.  This is searching for an address.  Have the Google service perform address searches for better accuracy of tasks/route creation, but use Gurtam (Here) for everything else like reverse Geocoding.  You don't even need to charge for this as it's not a mapping license.  Their address search API is free.

• Multiple Dispatch/Route Status'

Logistics and Delivery companies have multiple stages of a task. 

Pick up, Drop Off, Return to warehouse, etc.

Currently you need to create 1 task to go pick up and another to go delivery.  Some of these orders need to go to the warehouse in between, then to the final customer the next day.  These all have the same BOL/Weigh Bill, etc.  Logistics companies need to see these as a single task with multiple status' or stages.  The driver needs to select the stage of the task that they've completed for updates and action items. 

For pickup the driver would complete that part of the task, add photos, signature, notes, etc.  The client would get notified their package was picked up.

For Drop off, there's a different address.  The same thing would happen in terms of driver feedback, but the drop has a different commit time or date.  It's part of a route later in the day or the next day. 

For intermediate warehouse it has a 2nd destination and a 3rd.  The 2nd destination is the chosen warehouse with a commit time.  Once it's on the 3rd leg, it reverts to the commit time of the final delivery.

• Warehouse Visits - Better Flexibility

We'd like to be able to chose a warehouse visit anytime.  Some clients need to go back to the office after every 3 tasks, some go mid-day, some never go.  Some go after every task.
Ability to select a different warehouse each time.  Attach a warehouse visit with a list of warehouses to each task.

• Group Messaging

A lot of our accounts require messaging by groups.  This would be super easy to do.  Tie it to Groups in Wialon to make them very easy to create.

We actually built our own group messaging app to resolve some client requirements and needs but we'd prefer to have this fully integrated.

• Arrival Status by Driver

This is optional.  I have a separate forum post on this.

Driver arrives on site but has paperwork to fill out for 10 minutes.  They hit arrive when they are about to complete the deliver/pickup, etc.  The arrival is then taken by date/time/lon-lat stamp with the completed task and not based on geofence entry.  They bill their clients if they have to wait too long to pickup or unload but they don't count their admin time in waiting time when they bill the customer.  If we only mark arrived based on geofence entry, they won't have accurate data.