Optimized deployment and route planning
Breakdown services in winter chaos
Winter is a time when breakdown services are booming. Icy temperatures are not only a problem for drivers - car batteries also suffer from the cold. Countless jump-start operations have to be carried out. Sudden black ice also increases the risk of accidents. Breakdown services are particularly busy in winter during extreme weather events. Does this mean constant work and stress for the employees who provide assistance on site? And do drivers have to be prepared for long waiting times in the freezing cold?
Constant use for mobile helpers and long waiting times for drivers?
In extreme winter weather conditions, the phones of breakdown service call centers often run hot. Planning the deployment of service drivers and vehicles quickly becomes a stressful task. Many factors have to be taken into account when creating route plans. Information such as the type of damage and the location of the breakdown or accident is entered into a database by call center employees.
No two operations are the same
The data maintained by the call center forms the basis for the creation of route plans, for which many different factors have to be taken into account:
Is the emergency „only“ a jump start, for which the use of a service vehicle is sufficient? Or is a recovery necessary after a slippery road accident and therefore a tow truck is required? If the vehicle to be recovered is a truck, it may be necessary to use special vehicles and therefore coordinate the appropriate partner services.
In addition to the question of which vehicle is needed for which type of damage, people also play an important role as a resource in the breakdown service. A reliable duty roster is the basis for a well-functioning day-to-day business. But as life goes - employees have to be absent from work for reasons such as illness. This is not uncommon, especially in winter, but can have a major impact on duty and shift plans.
Current information must also be taken into account for optimal processing of service cases: Where are the breakdown service vehicles currently located? And which of the mobile helpers is currently handling which emergency call? What is the current traffic situation? Do traffic jams and road closures need to be taken into account?
Too complex for manual planning
At peak times, a correspondingly large breakdown service already collects a considerable amount of data. This makes deployment and route planning a very complex task that cannot be solved manually with optimal results in the short time available. The lack of an agile system leads to poor deployment plans with inefficient routes. Not to mention the pressure on service drivers to minimize waiting times for drivers.
Best deployment plans thanks to mathematical optimization
Route planning is a typical optimization problem known as Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). The aim of breakdown service deployment plans is to deploy mobile helpers and vehicles in such a way that they drive the most effective routes possible, thus shortening distances and travel times.
The service case data entered by the call center employees must be compared with the locations of the breakdown service's own vehicles. Ideally, equipping the service vehicles with GPS enables the data to be recorded in real time.
The required resource - consisting of a service driver and vehicle - is selected taking into account all current service requests. Traffic data - ideally in real time - is used to calculate the optimal route, among other things.
OPTANO can do more than just a „little“ route planning
Planning software such as OPTANO uses mathematical optimization to find the best solution to this problem. Our software can be individually adapted to any planning challenge. When planning routes, OPTANO uses all the available data - both the input data from the call center and the real-time data from GPS tracking and information on the traffic situation - and analyses it using advanced processes, complex algorithms and, if necessary Solvern in the shortest possible time.
The result is a sequence planning system for the service drivers and vehicles that bundles service cases and optimizes the routes to be driven, taking all known factors into account. This significantly reduces travel times and at the same time increases the number of service cases carried out. This means less stress for the mobile helpers and shorter waiting times for drivers.
Further interesting content
Robust duty rosters as the basis for resource planning
As already mentioned, in the case of breakdown services, in addition to planning the deployment of the right vehicles, there is the „resource“ of people. Solid plans should also be drawn up for this in order to avoid or at least mitigate the effects of dreaded waves of illness that often hit our latitudes, especially in winter. Robust staff schedules are quickly and easily created by OPTANO, taking into account a wide range of factors such as shift, weekend and on-call duties as well as vacation and leisure planning. Economic aspects are also taken into account: Optimum planning is essential to avoid unnecessary additional costs such as weekend and public holiday surcharges. Changes can be made at short notice at the touch of a button and provide the necessary flexibility.
Forecasts for even better route plans
Buzzwords such as big data and the Internet of Things can be mentioned in the same breath as route planning optimization. The amount of qualified data will steadily increase as digitalization progresses. Statistical data from previous actual data that has been collected by companies over a longer period of time offers another good source of information for creating forecasts.
If all relevant data is included in the planning, route planners can also look into the future. Based on current and historical data, advanced mathematics and complex algorithms are used in predictive analysis to predict what is likely to happen in the future. Prescriptive analysis goes one step further by giving specific instructions on what measures should be taken.
Know what's coming: winter weather, the start of the vacations and pop concerts
Such planning - based on forecasts - also means being better prepared for breakdown services. Factors such as weather and seasons clearly have an influence on the utilization of breakdown services. But the start of the vacations and major events such as soccer matches and pop concerts are also potential focal points for accidents and breakdowns. Optimum planning means being prepared for this. So that every breakdown can be dealt with promptly, even during the vacation season, and the start of the vacation does not have to start with long waiting times in the summer heat for drivers.
The next frost is sure to come
Drivers can also prepare themselves to avoid a call or two to the breakdown service. By replacing the ageing car battery in good time, you will soon no longer need a jump start in icy winter weather.