FieldKo’s route planning feature integrates seamlessly with Google Maps to help field teams plan efficient travel routes for their visits. With FieldKo, you can visualize your day’s calls on a map, get driving directions, and adjust the order of stops to minimise backtracking. Google Maps powers the routing – providing turn-by-turn directions and live traffic-based timing – so planners and reps always have up-to-date routes. This article covers how to view planned routes on desktop and mobile, and how to manually reorder visits for optimal sequencing.
Viewing Planned Routes on Desktop
On the desktop (Salesforce Lightning) interface, FieldKo provides a Visit Calendar and map view that allows planners or managers to review each rep’s daily route. The Visit Calendar lets you schedule and visualize visits on a timeline, and a corresponding map displays the route connecting those visits. Here’s how to view a planned route on desktop:
Open the Visit Calendar: In FieldKo’s Lightning app, navigate to the Visit Calendar or scheduling tab. Select the user and date whose route you want to view (e.g. a field rep’s schedule for today).
Review the list of visits: You’ll see all planned visits for that day, including appointment times and account names. Visits are listed in scheduled order (e.g. 9:00 AM – Acme Pharmacy, 11:00 AM – Beta Grocers, etc.).
Switch to map view: Toggle on the map visualisation (for example, click a Map view button or icon). FieldKo will display the route on an embedded Google Map, with pins for each account location.
Interpret the route map: The map will draw lines connecting the visits in their planned sequence. You can click on individual pins to see the account name and scheduled time. The Google Maps integration also calculates travel time and distance for each leg of the route in real time, helping you understand the day’s driving duration.
Get driving directions (if needed): For turn-by-turn navigation, you can click a “Directions” or “Navigate” link on a visit. This will open Google Maps directions from your current location (or the prior stop) to that account, factoring in live traffic conditions.
FieldKo’s desktop map view is especially useful for planners who want to ensure a rep’s visits are geographically sensible. For example, you can quickly spot if a route has an out-of-the-way stop that might need rescheduling. Because the routing is powered by Google Maps, travel times update automatically based on time of day and traffic, giving an accurate picture of how the schedule will run. Planners can adjust the plan accordingly (e.g. allocate more time for a long drive or move stops to different days).
Viewing Planned Routes on Mobile
Field reps using the FieldKo mobile app can also easily view their daily routes. The mobile app provides a “My Visits” dashboard for each day, with both list and map representations of the route. On the “My Visits” screen, you’ll see all visits for today (and upcoming days), each with scheduled time, account, and any pending tasks, allowing you to manage your day at a glance.
To visualise the route on the map and get directions on mobile:
Open the FieldKo app and select the day: The app usually opens to “Today’s Visits.” If you need a different day, navigate to the calendar or date selector and pick the relevant date.
View the list of visits: Under My Visits, you’ll see your calls in chronological order. For example, you might see “8:00 AM – Visit: Elm Street Pharmacy (Not Started)” followed by later stops. This list indicates the planned sequence and status (Not Started, Completed, etc.).
Switch to the map view: Tap the map icon or Map tab within the My Visits screen. This will display an interactive Google Map with your route for the day. Each stop is marked with a pin, and a path connects them in the scheduled order. At the bottom, FieldKo may show the total expected travel time (e.g. “Total drive: 2 hr 20 min”) for the route.
Tap stops for details or navigation: You can tap on a pin to see which account it represents and the scheduled time. When you’re ready to drive to the next location, tap an option like Navigate or Directions – FieldKo will open Google Maps (or your preferred map app) with the route to that stop pre-loaded. This provides real-time turn-by-turn navigation using Google Maps data without manual address entry.
The mobile map view is handy for field users to visualise their route on the go and ensure they are taking the best path. If you are offline or in low coverage areas, FieldKo’s mobile app still lets you view the planned route (with cached map data) and log visits, thanks to its offline capabilities (data will sync when back online). This means even in remote areas, you have a reference for the order of stops and approximate directions.
Manually Reordering and Adjusting Visit Sequences
Even with planned routes, you may need to adjust the sequence of visits – for example, to accommodate a customer request or to save travel time. FieldKo supports manual reordering of visits on both desktop and mobile, giving users flexibility to fine-tune their routes.
On Desktop: Planners can reorder visits by adjusting their scheduled times or sequence in the calendar. Simply drag and drop a visit to a new time slot on the calendar day view (if, for instance, you want to swap the order of two visits). FieldKo will automatically update the route on the map to reflect the new sequence. You can also edit a visit record and change its time manually. If two visits have flexible timing, a planner might move the nearer one earlier in the day to reduce driving. After reordering, check the map view again to ensure the route looks efficient.
On Mobile: Field users can also make on-the-fly adjustments. If you decide to visit a nearby store first, you can effectively reorder by selecting that visit and starting navigation to it, even if it was scheduled later. The FieldKo app provides a feature to “Optimise Route” which will rearrange the day’s stops in the optimal order (shortest path) if your schedule is flexible. To use it, go to the map view and tap Optimise Route – the app will suggest a re-sequenced route that minimises travel distance or time. Alternatively, if you need to stick to the original sequence (due to fixed appointment times), you can tap Suggest Route to follow the planned order with directions. This dual option allows reps to choose between adhering to the pre-set schedule or dynamically reordering stops for efficiency.
When manually adjusting sequences, keep the following in mind:
Business priorities: Ensure critical visits or time-specific appointments remain at appropriate times. You might not always take the absolute shortest route if a key customer needs an early visit.
Notify or update the schedule: If a rep significantly changes the planned order on the fly, communicate or update FieldKo (if possible) so that managers see the accurate status. FieldKo’s check-in/check-out timestamps will still record actual visit times, which can be compared to the plan.
Use travel times as a guide: After reordering, verify the updated travel time and distance on the map. FieldKo’s Google Maps integration will recalculate these instantly, helping you confirm that your adjustment indeed saved time.
By leveraging these route planning basics – visualising routes and adjusting sequences – FieldKo users (both planners and mobile reps) can ensure each day’s field visits are logically ordered and efficient. In summary, FieldKo makes it easy to plan visits, map them out, and tweak the route as needed, so you spend more time with customers and less time driving.