Route optimization reorders a beat's stops over real road distances, so the executive drives the shortest practical loop instead of the order the stops happened to be authored in. It is an on-demand action — each run queries a routing service over road-network data and costs a request, so you run it when the beat's stops change, not on a timer. There is no continuous or daily background re-optimization.
The three sequence kinds
Every ordering of a beat's stops is stored as a run, and three kinds coexist:
| Sequence | Where it comes from | When it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Planned | The authored stop order on the route | When a planner edits the route |
| Optimized | Road-network optimization on demand; a computed shortest-chain estimate otherwise | When you run the optimization |
| Mostly Followed | Learned from execution history: the average position of each stop across the order visits were actually started in | Recomputed as visit history accrues; also per executive, so a rep's own habit is captured separately |
Each run records its total distance, estimated duration and how many stops it resequenced, and superseded runs are kept — so you can always compare what the optimizer proposes against what the beat used to be, and against what the field actually does.
Prerequisites
- A beat (visit route) with approved stops, and coordinates on the outlets — stops without coordinates cannot be ordered and will trail at the end in their authored order.
- The routing provider configured for your organization (an administrator sets this up).
Procedure
Step 1 — Run Optimize Route on the beat
Open the intended Visit Route and review its approved stops, start/end locations and coordinate coverage before selecting Optimize Route. Resolve obviously wrong coordinates and note the planned distance as a baseline. The confirmation represents a paid road-network request, so submit once and wait for completion. Verify a new sequence-run link appears; if no stops have coordinates, the action should create no run and consume no request.
Step 2 — Review the run
Open the newest run and confirm its kind, created time and stop count identify the request you just made. Compare total distance, estimated duration and moved-stop count with Planned, Mostly Followed and earlier Optimized runs. Inspect the ordered stop list for duplicates, omissions and implausible jumps; ungeocoded stops should trail in authored order. Activate the run only when the route is operationally credible, then verify it is visibly marked current while history remains intact.
Step 3 — Let new plans pick it up
Generate one disposable future plan after activating the sequence. Open its visits and verify their order matches the route's current sequence, including how ungeocoded stops are handled. Compare an existing plan created before activation and confirm its order did not change. Delete or clearly label the disposable plan after the check so it cannot be mistaken for real field work.
Step 4 — Apply a sequence to an existing plan
For an existing day, open the exact plan, review completed and remaining visits, and apply the chosen stored sequence only after confirming the executive. Verify the stamped working order changes for the intended visits and completed work remains historically accurate. On mobile, optimize the current day only with a fresh GPS fix; it anchors on the executive's present position and should reorder remaining visits. Reopen the agenda and confirm the first suggested stop and total remaining route are plausible.
Expected result
A new Optimized sequence is stored with plausible distance, duration and moved-stop counts; every geocoded approved stop appears once and ungeocoded stops remain at the end. Newly generated plans adopt the current sequence while existing plans and historical runs remain unchanged.
Common problems
If the optimized order looks partly wrong, check coordinates first: stops without them are placed at the end, unordered by road. If running the action appears to do nothing, the route may have no approved stops — proposed stops are excluded. And remember the scope rule that surprises most people: optimizing the beat changes future plans, not today's, unless you explicitly apply the sequence to the plan.
Common questions
Does xMatix re-optimize my routes automatically every day?
No. Road-network optimization runs only when someone asks for it — it is a paid, deliberate action. What does refresh in the background is the learning: the Mostly Followed sequence is recomputed as new visit history accrues, without any external requests.
What is the "Mostly Followed" sequence for?
It is the beat as it is actually driven. If the field consistently deviates from the planned order, that deviation usually encodes real knowledge — opening hours, parking, lunch rushes. Mostly Followed makes it visible and appliable instead of leaving it as private habit, and it is computed per executive as well as for the route overall.
Which order does the executive see on mobile?
All three. The plan agenda has a Planned / Optimized / Mostly Followed selector on both the timeline and the map, with a comparison banner showing distance saved and stops resequenced, and the executive remains free to visit in any order.