Next Day Planning helps you prepare tomorrow's deliveries today, ensuring you start each day ready to go. This feature gives you an overview of what's coming and helps identify potential issues before they become problems.
Accessing Next Day Planning
Go to Next Day Planning in the sidebar. You'll see:
- Summary of tomorrow's orders
- Orders by delivery zone
- Cutoff time warnings
- Route readiness status
Planning Dashboard
Orders Summary
- Total orders for tomorrow
- By status - Confirmed, Pending, Assigned
- By priority - Urgent, High, Normal
Zone Breakdown
Orders grouped by delivery zone:
- Zone name and cutoff time
- Order count
- Status indicators
Capacity Overview
- Available drivers
- Vehicle availability
- Potential capacity issues
Cutoff Times
Each delivery zone has a cutoff time - the deadline for accepting orders for next-day delivery.
Before Cutoff
- New orders can be added
- Changes can be made
- Zone shows as "Open"
After Cutoff
- Zone is "Closed"
- No new orders accepted
- Final routes should be planned
Cutoff Warnings
System alerts when:
- 1 hour until cutoff
- 30 minutes until cutoff
- Cutoff has passed
Planning Workflow
End of Day (4-6 PM)
- Review all orders for tomorrow
- Confirm pending orders
- Verify customer addresses
- Check for special requirements
Before Cutoff
- Accept late orders if possible
- Communicate cutoff to customers
- Finalize order list
After Cutoff
- Build or optimize routes
- Assign drivers and vehicles
- Send route notifications
- Prepare pick lists for warehouse
Next Morning
- Final route review
- Driver briefing
- Dispatch
Route Preparation
From Next Day Planning:
- Click Build Routes
- Auto-generate or manual build
- Assign drivers
- Mark routes as "Ready"
Routes marked "Ready" appear in driver apps.
Identifying Issues
Next Day Planning highlights:
Unconfirmed Orders
- Orders still pending approval
- Action: Confirm or contact customer
Missing Information
- Incomplete addresses
- Missing time windows
- Action: Update order details
Capacity Warnings
- More orders than drivers
- Vehicle capacity exceeded
- Action: Adjust resources or timing
Zone Imbalances
- Some zones overloaded
- Others have few orders
- Action: Rebalance routes
Reports and Export
Generate planning reports:
- Summary PDF - Overview for management
- Pick lists - Warehouse preparation
- Driver manifests - Route summaries
- Customer notifications - Delivery confirmations
Automation Options
Set up automated planning:
Auto-Confirm
Orders meeting criteria confirmed automatically.
Auto-Route at Cutoff
Routes generated when zone cutoff passes.
Notifications
Automatic alerts for planning milestones.
Configure in Settings > Planning.
Best Practices
- Set realistic cutoffs - Allow time for planning
- Review daily - Check before leaving work
- Communicate early - Tell customers about deadlines
- Plan for exceptions - Have backup capacity
- Track trends - Monitor daily order volumes