Looking At Different Objects In RouteGenie
Viewing A Trip
Viewing A Trip In RouteGenie
There are many different instances in which you would view a trip in RouteGenie, From the Dispatch and Pre-Assign interfaces to reservations it is one of the most common objects you are going to encounter.
Looking at a trip in the log
Lets take a look at what trips look like as you encounter them throughout the web app, no matter what interface your looking at trips appear in a similar fashion. A horizontal log/list.
While the way the log is displayed my vary slightly depending on the interface for the most part it looks like what is shown above (the black boxes are just blocking PII) and regardless of the slight variances the way information is displayed is uniform across all interfaces.
Trip Status and Trip ID
Trip ID
One of the first things you will notice on any given trip line is a colored box with a number on it. That number is what is known as the Trip ID. Each trip will have a unique one and depending on the broker some of them may differ in the way they are generated.
Trip Status
Next to the Trip ID we see what is called the Trip Status. It is displayed in an abbreviation, you will also notice that the background color changes depending on the abbreviation shown. While there are a lot of options dont worry, its nothing too complicated.
Next we will take a look at all the different options for Trip Status.
Unassigned (UA)
This is an unassigned trip, it is the initial status a trip will generally take once entered in to the system. It means that the trip has been entered/scheduled in to our RG instance but there is not currently a driver assigned to it.
Assigning (AG)
When a trip has been assigned to a driver and is in the process of being assigned you my briefly see this status, if the trip is being offered to the driver and they have not accepted it yet you will come across the next one.
Offering (OF)
Missing Screen Shot
This status will briefly show while a trip is in limbo and the system is waiting for the driver to accept the offer. This status can be skipped many ways but we can cover that in different guides.
Pre-Assigned (PA)
This is the status that is assigned to a trip when a trip has been assigned via the pre-assign mode. There are many differences between this and simply assigning a trip but we wont get into that here. This status will only show while a schedule is still in pre-assign mode. Once it becomes the current day and drivers log in to their shifts and start the trips will change to AS(Assigned).
Assigned (AS)
Once an order has been assigned for good it will obtain this status, this means the order is assigned, on a current day, and everything is in good standing.
In Route (IR)
Once a driver is ready to start working on a trip they will hit a button on their app that tells the system they are "In Route" (IR). This means the driver is on the way.
Loaded (LO)
Once the driver has arrived at the pickup location and the passenger is on board the vehicle the driver will change the status to "Loaded" (LO) via the driver app.
Will Call (WC)
This status can be a little frustrating because it is not viewable in the pre-assign interface. Will Call (WC) is used when the client has no clue what time they will be ready for a pickup/return ride. This is generally set by a broker via the API or if we fill out a trip with no pick up time entered on the return. At lakeshore we try our best to only use this when absolutely required as they often become problematic.
Canceled (CA)
Just as you would expect this means the trip has been Canceled, the letters underneath can give us an idea of the method (iSi = canceled internally, LGC = canceled by LogistiCare, MTM = canceled by MTM, etc.). If a trip is accidentally cancelled, dont worry they can always be re instated.
Trips can not be removed from RouteGenie once entered in to the system. CA is the end of the line for a trip, it will always remain in the system.
No Show (NS)
Another version of cancelled, No Show (NS) indicates that it was the clients fault/doing. This useful for charging cancelation fees and things of that ilk. This is sometimes automatically applied by the system when a trip is cancelled very close to the pickup time.
Completed (CO)
Last but not least, Completed (CO), means that an order has been completed in good standing.
Further Trip Information
Times
You will notice in any given log you will have a number of different times on display, they may vary from system to system but these are the ones you will generally see by default and most people will choose to use. Also remember when looking at these times that a trip has being scheduled by pickup time or appointment time can cause great variation.
Pick Up Time
The actual time a client is supposed to be picked up
Drop Off Time
The actual drop off time taking into account just the distance and normal travel speed.
Approx.PU
This one can be a little more tricky and you may find that it is often incorrect. The system will calculate what time it thinks the driver will actually arrive based on GPS, Speed, Status Changes, and various other factors. If this time seems to be off it is best to have a look at the GPS and see where the driver actually is, or call them.
Approx.DO
Again this one is an approximation and tends to be the most out of wack. This time will change and take into consideration everything it has available including the actual time the driver was loaded and started driving. If you wait until the driver has loaded and started driving that is when you will get the most accurate reading. Again, when in doubt, look at the GPS map or ask the driver yourself.
Vios
Short for Violations it is based on the violation windows that have been set in the main settings menu. This will allow you to see if you are running late or early and by how much. Green good, Red Bad.
PII and Address information
The rest of the information we see across a trip line in any given log is all self explanatory. It includes things like a passengers name, Address, Payer and any other relevant stuff a driver or dispatcher may need to know. You will also see stuff like distance.
Expanding A Trip
On any given Trip log you can also expand a trip to take a closer look.
It will lay everything out in a much more easy to read format and give you quick access to stuff like the passenger profile, trip history, dispatch notes and even a place to attach files for easy storage. Signatures can also be found here if the trip requires them.
After a trip has been completed GPS information can also be accessed.
Because expanding a trip looks different across most of the interfaces depending on where you are in the system and what you are doing when you click it, it would be crazy to deep dive on that here. However I do plan to write a follow up article that does cover some of the more advanced stuff you will encounter in the menus found within the expanded trip interface.
Looking At Vans In RG
Vehicle Overview
First things first lets get started by taking a look at the Vehicle interface. In this log you will see a list of all the vehicles we currently have available to us at lakeshore. Unlike a lot of the other logs we take use in RG this one will for the most part stay the same, as in you wont be adding and removing things to it regularly.
Careful Adding Vehicles
One of the more important take aways from this article should be that adding a vehicle will cost the company money! Unlike other objects in RG its not something we can play around with, we cant add test vehicles for practice and in fact we should not be adding a vehicle PERIOD unless you have been specifically tasked to do so.
Vehicle Log Entries
Each vehicle in the list represents a digital version of a vehicle we actually own.
The information provided on the line is all pretty self explanatory, app version is a little out of place unless your drivers are using the same van every day. We do try to keep ours on the same van but that does not always work. App version just refers to the version of the driver app in use.
Expanding A Vehicle
Clicking on any given vehicle will open up a detailed menu that includes a wealth of information.
If you need to make any changes to a vehicle it is generally here where you will do it. Along the top of the expansion you will see a set of tabs you can click on (shown below).
Capacity
Allows you to view and edit the capacity of a vehicle.
Service
Has to do with controlling the application service to the vehicle. If all properly setup it can be remotely locked as well as other actions but we do not currently utilize this here at Lakeshore and the Driver app is simply installed by the drivers on their phone.
Zones
Meant to group a geographical zone, vehicles can then be assigned to specific zones but again this is not something we use at Lakeshore.
Files
A place to upload and store any needed paperwork of files for any given vehicle.
Notes
Add any notes about a vehicle.
History
Like the history menu on anything else this allows you to view the history for all actions taken on the vehicle within the RouteGenie system ... all actions will be tied to a user or internal user.
Deactivation and Maintenance
At the bottom of the expanded vehicle view we also have these options. We wont worry about Archive because the RG website does not even list what it does, but from what I personally remember it is a way to keep a vehicle activated (without paying for it?) when you still have it but wont be using it.
Temporarily Out Of Service
This will allow you to check a vehicle out of maintenance.
Deactivate
This is used to Deactivate a vehicle and take it out of use. It should not be assumed that simply doing this will mean billing will stop or change based on that vehicle being removed. Make sure to call RG as well and speak with someone to ensure we are being charged correctly.
Looking At Clients In RG
Client Overview
The next object we will take a look inside of RG will be clients, The ongoing Client log is found in the Passengers interface:
Taking a look at the passenger interface it is pretty straight forward, it provides a list of passengers along with some PII and the ability to quickly add an order or message them.
Ignore the black boxes, they are just protecting client PII ... without that black boxes you would see passenger names in the first column and phone numbers in the next.
Expanded Client View
As with any of the other similar interfaces we have covered we can click on any given passenger and expand their profile for some more options and settings. Something to keep in mind here is that passengers should be viewed as an object within the system. They are created in this interface and can then be used through out the website. This log is your database and you can access from the other interfaces as needed.
As you can see from the screenshot above passengers come with a pretty wide range of settings and options to help us insure that they operate the way we need them to inside our system. I cant even fit the whole window inside a screenshot. We are not going to deep dive on client information here but lets take a look at the tabs that represent some of the options available for manipulating a passenger profile.
Outlined in red (shown above) are all the options available on a user profile. You will notice a box all the way at the end with a drop down symbol, this actually allows us to see all the other options that did not fit, this will vary depending on your screen size. Clicking it will expand the drop down.
We will start out going from left to right:
Custom Fields
An expansion of the main info page, some other fields are available to use including "Billing Frequency", billing frequency MUST be set to make any other changes after the passenger is created.
Duplicates
Any duplicate passengers will be listed here so that you can easily remove them.
Authorizations
Lists the payer or payers that passenger is using. Payers can also be added to their profile here.
Passenger Credit
A place where we can store credit card information for a passenger, we do not actively use this at Lakeshore as our billing is done through Quick Books.
Drivers Blacklist
Putting a driver on this list for a passenger will ensure that the passenger can not be paired with the driver. This is generally used when there is a problem between the two.
Driver Group Blacklist
The same thing as a Driver Blacklist but instead aimed at an entire driver group, we dont utilize driver groups at Lakeshore so it is of no use to you.
Passenger Blacklist
This blacklist is for other passengers, it will keep them from being multiloaded together.
Files
A quick place to store specific files for a passenger so that you can have quick, related access to them. Signatures will also be stored here.
Personal Notes
A place for the team to add personal notes about a client that they think other drivers, dispatchers or admin will need to know.
Private Notes
The same thing as notes except they are private!
History
A system history of actions being taken on a Passenger object ... these actions will have a brief description and be tied to a user or internal user along with a timestamp.
Passenger Area
Information from feedback in the customer app can be seen here however Lakeshore is not currently utilizing the passenger app.
Case Managers
Information for a clients case manager(s) can be stored here. A case manger generally oversees the client and their trips as they pertain to the payer.
Automation
This allows us to automate the adding of trips in to the system for a passenger although i believe there is not much use for it as creating a standing order works better and it is much easier to manage. If i do find a use case for this I will come back and make an edit.
Balance
If a client carries a balance it will appear here but again we do not use RG for our billing.
On Board Time
For tracking the amount of time a passenger is in a vehicle, this is not enabled by default.
Review History
A history of reviews/ratings a passenger has given from the passenger app, but again, Lakeshore is not actively utilizing this.
Looking At Employees In RG
Employee Overview
Last up in this series we will take a quick look at employee profiles. These have a lot in common with the way they work in the sense that you can also think of employees as an object that can be used through out RG and edited in the profile.
To edit or create an employee profile head over to the Users interface located in the left side navigation bar in "The Users" drop down:
Ignore the black box as usual, in this instance it is just blocking out names.
Looking at the Driver Interface we can see that it barely looks different than the passenger interface. Aside from a few small differences everything is the same. It is a log that lists all the current employees we have at lakeshore. In the top right there is a button to add a new user. Regardless of what type of user is being created they are all made by clicking on this button.
Expanded Employee View
Just like passengers you can also expand an employees profile by selecting them from the log and clicking on them.
Something to make note of is that this profile page will be outfitted with different options depending on what type of employee we are looking at.
For instance a driver wont be logging into dispatch trips so they wont have as many access options as an admin would, instead they will have things like license status and renewal as well as other driving related options.
Employee type can be chosen when creating a new user.
Further User Options
Just like other objects we have tabs that allow us to select more options:
Reset Password
This is where a user can reset a password, alternatively another admin can do it for them by coming here and generating a password reset email.
Multi-factor Authentication
Enable Multifactor Authentication, must also be turned on in settings.
Availability
A drivers availability can be set here, this also interfaces with the driver app where they can similarly set it , because our drivers do not like using technology we dont currently utilize this extremely useful feature at Lakeshore.
Zones
This can be used to map a driver/employee to specific zones, however, we are not currently using zones at lakeshore and probably wont anytime soon because it just does not really mix well with our operations.
Files
A convenient place to store files for an employee for quick and related access.
Notes
Add notes about an employee/user.
History
See history for any given User object ... the history will track any action done to or with a user and list the user or internal user/method responsible for the action along with timestamps.