Minimum Version Required: 26.09
Pre-Conditions
The MerchSync application must be installed.
This functionality applies specifically to users and routes that are not utilizing live GPS tracking.
Events must be assigned to a Plan for the current day.
Steps
Start/End Times:
This functionality operates automatically in the background to ensure your route estimates remain accurate throughout the day. As field users complete their planned stops, the system continually updates the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) for all remaining scheduled events.
When a scheduled event is completed, the system receives the completion time (synced from the mobile app) and compares it to the originally planned completion time.
If the user is running ahead of or behind schedule, the system calculates the exact time difference.
The system then automatically rolls this time difference forward, updating the Adjusted Start and End times for all remaining, unserviced events on that daily plan.
Example: If a user finishes a morning stop 30 minutes later than their planned schedule, the Adjusted Start and End times for all remaining stops on their itinerary that day will automatically be pushed back by 30 minutes, giving users an accurate view of the new expected arrival times.
Service Times:
With MerchSync installed Customers Average Service Times for all activities are averaged by day of the week. When events are planned for all activities the planned start/end times are based on these daily averages.
A customer's merchandiser average service time on the customer record could be different than the daily average on the Customers Daily Average Service Times table.
For example, customer A is visited 8 times total: Mon (11 minutes, 5 minutes), Tue (7 minutes), Wed (3 minutes, 9 minutes, 7 minutes), Thu (5 minutes), Fri (10 minutes). So the average is (11 + 5 + 7 + 3 + 9 + 7 + 5 + 10) / 8 = 7.125. This will not equal average of the daily times because the daily averages are calculated first (e.g., Mon 8, Tue 7, Wed 6.3, Thu 5, Fri 10). 36.3/5 = 7.26.
Other Data:
On Board Diagnostics and Vehicle Trips Data - Originally, data in these tables was for Fleet Tracker integrations only, however they have been repurposed to also include handheld data if MerchSync is installed.
On Board Diagnostics is a good way to validate that a device is "pinging" about every minutes. This can be done by searching for the On Board Diagnostic table and filtering a user's specific Handheld ID.
Vehicle Trips is another table that will link a Handheld, Plan, and Events, which can be tied to a customer.
Fields And Definitions
Planned Start / End Time: The initially scheduled times for an event before the route begins.
Adjusted Start / End Time: The recalculated, dynamically updating ETA based on the user's actual pace (whether they are running early or late).
Actual Start / End Time: The exact, real-world time the event was started and completed. This is typically recorded and synced directly from the mobile application when the user enters and leaves a customer's geofence.
Best Practices
Ensure mobile users are connected and syncing their application frequently throughout the day. Because the automatic ETA adjustments are triggered by the "Actual End Time" of completed stops, consistent syncing guarantees dispatchers and managers always have the most accurate, real-time visibility into route progress.
For best results when users arrive or depart a customer's geofence, users should ensure the Encompass Mobile location setting is set to Always.