Understanding sequencing

We know that getting your jobs in the right order is key to a smooth shift. Sometimes, though, the NowGo app might sequence your deliveries in a way that seems unexpected. You're not alone if you've wondered why your route changed, or why jobs aren't in the order you thought they'd be.

This article discusses how sequencing works, and some of the different things you might see when sequencing your jobs in the NowGo mobile app. If you want to troubleshoot some other aspects of the app, see the app troubleshooting article.

Sequencing helps you plan your day in an efficient way without guesswork. It helps ensure all your stops are in an order that makes sense, and factors in time windows and priorities so you don’t have to worry about being late.

When you have stops assigned to your shift, tap the More menu icon and select Sequence to reorder the stops in a more appropriate order based on their details and stop locations. The sequencer takes into account your current location, your shift time and ending location, as well as the jobs you have assigned to your shift.

If you're having trouble getting the sequencer to run, try this first:

If you're not happy with the way the sequencer has organised your jobs, try starting in a different location. Drive to the location you want to start at, and sequence again to get a new order that starts where you are.

The sequencer is designed to optimise your routes for efficiency and speed. It is designed to get you to your jobs as quickly as possible, and you might notice some specific behaviours in how it orders your jobs, which are the result of deep calculations and adjustments. This section explains some common sequencing behaviours you might encounter, helping you understand why they occur and how they ultimately help your day run smoothly.

Your safety is important, and NowGo always tries to avoid unsafe manoeuvres. The sequencer allows for busy roads, and whether or not it is safe for you to cross the road with a delivery. This means that, especially for a highway or other high-traffic road, you might get sent up one way, then turned around and sent back down the other direction. This can feel unintuitive sometimes, but the sequencer always looks for the most efficient solution. You are only sent back down the same road if it is faster than finding a spot to turn around, or if it is the only safe option.

When humans try to organise stops, we tend to think in terms of tackling one suburb at a time. When you run the sequencer it looks at all the possible combinations of stops, and comes up with efficient solutions that aren't always obvious, and doing one whole suburb at a time usually takes longer than needed. The sequencer uses the road network as a whole to determine the order of stops, rather than what suburbs the stops happen to land in. This usually means that suburbs don’t get fully completed in one go.

When you run the sequencer it looks at all the possible combinations of stops, and comes up with efficient solutions that aren't always obvious. It often sets snaking paths that loop up through one side of a suburb, then back down the other side. If the next closest stop is on the other side of the road, it can be faster to skip it for now and wait until you drive right past it later. It can often seem intuitive to do the closest stop next, but the bigger picture of all possibilities across the whole shift can save you a lot of time over the course of a day.

NowGo sends the coordinates for your job to the navigation app that you choose to use, such as Google or Apple Maps, or Waze. Sometimes, the navigation app has

trouble figuring out the best road to send you on based on the set of coordinates.

Drivers are the experts when it comes to all things addresses, and you can help resolve issues when you onboard jobs. When you have information about the job address, or can locate a better address for the entrance, make sure you edit the stop to ensure that you get the best directions available. You can also let your dispatcher know if you have improved directions.

For more information about adjusting addresses, see the fixing addresses article.

This section has some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of sequencing.

Sequence frequently throughout your day: NowGo is dynamic and designed to adapt to changes as they come up through the day. As you receive new jobs, update your sequence to find out if you can get your work done faster.

Ensure your stop data is correct: NowGo relies on whatever is in the address field, so always make sure you have the most accurate location information available. You can also help by correcting addresses or other information when you notice a problem.

Sequence before loading your vehicle: This can help you to make sure you use load sortation to load your vehicle in reverse order. This can save you time on the road because the next package you need is right to hand.

Sequence when you get to the suburb you want to start at: Drive to the location you want to start your shift at, and run the sequence to get a job order that starts where you are.

Set an end location: If you have to return to a specific location or depot at the end of the day, make sure you set your end location for your shift. You can also do this if you are finishing your shift at home, or by picking up your children from school. Setting an end location for your shift can improve job sequencing through the day, and can reduce the distance it takes to drive from your last job to the end location.

Sequence again after making manual changes: You might find you can perform jobs out of order by looking at the map view directly. For example, you might be able to walk between buildings in the CBD, or some stops might be on the other side of a street that is safe to cross. If you perform some stops out of order, sequence again to make sure you're back on the right track for the rest of your jobs. If your company shares ETA information with your customers, make sure you are not breaking any customer promises or time windows by doing jobs out of order.