Most routing and optimization implementations should begin with territory planning to facilitate depot assignments, visit frequency, and right-sizing order volumes.
Chris Tuttle, ORTEC Director of Customer Impact, sat down with BizSpeed’s Chris Henry to discuss territory planning strategy, processes, technology, and people.
Listen or watch the video as we discuss the following areas of territory planning:
Overview
- What is territory planning?
- Can you share some examples?
- What tools do you use?
- Who should implement, or is there a company profile?
Strategy
- Why is territory planning important?
- Do you see planning done more for efficiency or customer service?
- Is this led by operations or the c-suite?
- What are some factors to consider when planning?
- Market demand across territories
- Segmented customer needs
- Right amount of product @ right time to avoid excess deliveries
Process
- How often should you plan?
- What data is needed?
- What KPI’s are used to measure efficiency?
- How do you develop master routes and still accommodate call-in orders?
- What are common process challenges?
Technology
- What tools do you use?
- Are there supporting tools or integrations?
- How do you easily consolidate data to re-plan?
- How does a planning tool work with an execution tool (daily route plan optimizer).
People
- What do you see as the biggest people challenges?
- Who is involved in planning?
- Are there common questions you ask regarding the team before starting a plan?
- How do you overcome dispatcher or sales rep resistance?
This interview was part of our Best Practices in Bulk Logistics series of webinars and panel discussions.
If you’d like to learn more or get a demo of Territory Planning Software, please contact us below.
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Learn more about petroleum logistics best practices through additional panel interviews with industry partners. Catch replays of our previous sessions:
