April heralds fresh advancements in our ongoing enhancement of Locate2u. We regularly update the platform to enrich your user experience and expand its capabilities.
Keep an eye on this space as we delve into the details of our latest updates, aiming to make Locate2u even more robust and efficient.
Product Update: Version 2.8.2 – April 29
Release version: 2.8.2
Note: There has been a delay in posting release notes for versions 2.8.0 and 2.8.1.
During this period, our team has been focused on significant internal changes to support upcoming features that require infrastructure enhancements.
Feature: Shipment support in Customer & Team Member invoicing
Feature description:
This feature streamlines invoice distribution by allowing multiple stakeholders within a customer organization to receive invoices simultaneously.
It improves communication and ensures that all relevant parties are kept informed promptly.
After optimisation, the placard now includes:
- Source reference (linked to Stop details page if available; otherwise, L2u reference)
- Address
- Contact name (displayed as a dash if not present)
- Contact number (displayed as a dash if not present)
- Team member assigned (includes photo and name)
- Action option to reassign
- Action option to delete from optimisation
Feature: New Reports Added to the Reporting Section
We have enhanced invoice functionality to include shipment details for Enterprise customers, with the invoice feature enabled.
Previously, our invoicing system primarily focused on Stop-based information.
Enhanced Functionality
➡️ Invoice Line Generation: Functionality now supports more information of Shipment such as:
- Source Reference,
- Pickup Suburb,
- Delivery Suburb,
- Item Count,
- Weight,
- Cubic, and
- Fuel Surcharge.
➡️ Invoice PDF Generation:
- Includes comprehensive shipment details in generated PDF invoices.
➡️ Invoice Breakdown (Excel) Generation:
- Provides detailed Excel breakdowns including Shipment-specific information.
Customer Impact:
Locate2u customers can now generate detailed invoices with multiple line items per shipment, improving billing accuracy.
Example Template:
The examples below demonstrate the format for incorporating shipment details into invoices, ensuring clarity and accuracy in billing.
Feature: Multiple Accounts Emails for Customer Profiles
Description:
This update introduces the ability for users to add multiple ‘Accounts Emails’ under a customer profile.
When an invoice is generated, the system automatically sends it to all configured account emails.
Key Changes:
Enhanced Customer Profiles:
Users can now input multiple email addresses separated by commas in the ‘accounts email’ field.
Upon entering emails into the ‘Accounts Email’ field:
Email1@example.com, Email2@example.com, Email3@example.com
Each email address will be displayed as a separate clickable badge, facilitating easy management and visibility.
Email Notification:
Invoices will be sent to all email addresses listed as soon as they are generated.
Customer Impact:
This feature streamlines invoice distribution by allowing multiple stakeholders within a customer organization to receive invoices simultaneously.
It improves communication and ensures that all relevant parties are kept informed promptly.
Example:
Feature: Customer Invoices now available in Customer Portal
Description:
With this update, customers now have the ability to view their invoices directly within the Customer Portal.
Key Changes:
➡️ Invoice Visibility: Customers can now access and view their invoices online through the customer portal.
User Interface Enhancements:
➡️ Invoice Section: A dedicated section within the customer portal displays all invoices associated with the customer’s account.
➡️ Details Display: Each invoice includes essential details such as invoice number, date, amount, and status for easy reference.
Feature: Updates to Stops/Shipment Placard in Optimiser
Description:
Enhancements have been made to the placards displayed when viewing Stops or Shipments in the Optimiser.
Key Changes:
Pre-Optimisation Placard (Without Capacity Settings):
Before optimisation, the placard includes:
- Source reference (linked to Stop details page if available; otherwise, L2u reference)
- Address
- Contact name (displayed as a dash if not present)
- Contact number (displayed as a dash if not present)
Post-Optimisation Placard (Both with and without Capacity Settings):
After optimisation, the placard now includes:
- Source reference (linked to Stop details page if available; otherwise, L2u reference)
- Address
- Contact name (displayed as a dash if not present)
- Contact number (displayed as a dash if not present)
- Team member assigned (includes photo and name)
- Action option to reassign
- Action option to delete from optimisation
Capacity Settings Display:
If capacity settings have been configured by the team:
- Displays pieces, volume, and weight capacity settings.
- If no values are input for pieces, volume, or weight, these fields are shown with a dash.
Customer Impact:
The enhanced Optimizer provides customers with clearer insights into Stop and Shipment details.
This facilitates more efficient operational management.
Feature: Skills & Services Display on Stops/Shipment Placards in Optimiser
Overview
This update enhances the Optimizer by displaying skills and/or services on Stops and Shipments placards.
This provides users with detailed information crucial for allocation and optimization.
Feature Description
Logic for Display:
- If no skills or services are allocated to a Stop/Shipment: Placard will show ‘Skills: -‘ and/or ‘Services: -‘.
- If skills or services are present on the account but not allocated to a Stop/Shipment: No skills/services will be displayed.
- If skills or services are present on both the account and allocated to the Stop/Shipment: Placard will display ‘Skills: [List of Skills]’ and/or ‘Services: [List of Services]’. Multiple skills/services will be separated by comma and space.
Example Displays:
- Services: Electrician, Plumber
- Skills: Install, Removal
Feature: Team Member profile is now clickable in Optimiser Screen
Overview
In this update, we have made team members listed in the ‘Select Team Member’ form to be clickable.
Clicking on a team member’s name will open their detailed profile card in a new browser window.
Feature: Date Range Filter added for Ignition On/Off Report
Overview
This update introduces a new date range filter for the Ignition On/Off report, providing users with the flexibility to view data across a specified period rather than only for a single date.
Benefits
The new date range filter enhances the Ignition On/Off report’s usability and analytical capabilities by allowing users to:
- Users can analyze trends and patterns over extended periods.
- Provides more comprehensive insights into vehicle usage and operational behavior.
Feature: Behavior changes for ‘Active’ Tile on Trip Screen
Overview
This update modifies the logic of the ‘Active’ tile on the Trip Screen to enhance clarity and relevance.
Instead of displaying all unassigned jobs, the tile will now show the number of assigned Stops that are pending, en route, or arrived.
Details:
Updated Display Logic:
The ‘Active’ tile on the Trip Screen will reflect the number of assigned Stops categorized as pending, enroute, or arrived.
Improved Relevance:
This change provides users with a clearer view of assigned Stops that are actively being processed during Trips.
Feature: New Reports Added to the Reporting Section
Overview
This update introduces several new reports to the Reporting section, enhancing the capabilities of the platform with detailed insights into unit health, live data reporting, location history suburb display, and rating analysis.
New Reports
➡️ Unit Health Report:
Provides comprehensive insights into the health status of units, including diagnostics, performance metrics, and maintenance indicators.
➡️ Live Data Report:
Displays real-time data and analytics, allowing users to monitor current operational metrics and performance metrics as they occur.
➡️ Location History Suburb Display:
Presents historical location data with enhanced geographical context, displaying specific suburbs or localities where events or activities occurred.
➡️ Rating Report:
Analyzes customer or user ratings and feedback, providing insights into satisfaction levels, trends over time, and areas for improvement.
List of Improvements in this release :
- Improved asset scanning functionality for specific names. Previously there was a discrepancy in the name of the tracking unit in the tracker tab and the asset groups tab.
- Enhanced UI consistency by fixing the color of Run Schedule links so that it is blue like all other links in the application.
- Fixed missing merge fields in custom SMS templates. As a customer when creating a custom SMS template with event triggers set as: Stop Assigned to Team Member, Trip changed To Started, Trip changed To Complete, General Tracking Link Created, and Stop Tracking Link Created, the brand and customer merge fields are not being pulled through to the SMS.
- Improved default behavior of Stop Status filter in Optimizer. The filter now displays Stops of all statuses when no specific status is selected.
- Addressed ETA display issue in Optimize Stops. The ETA now aligns with the Trip’s starting time when using Runs.
- Improvements to ‘Invoice type’ in Customer Invoice PDF Generation.
- Added Shipment Source reference display on Optimizer Stops markers.
- Improvements to service line generation in Customer Invoices.
- Process improvements for manual creation of run schedules.
- Improvements to Photo questions appearing in POD PDF reports so that they only contain the answers as photos with no additional text information.
Product Update: Version 2.7.3 – April 19
Feature: Trip Summary Page Enhancement
Explore the latest enhancements in our product update, featuring new functionalities and improvements to optimise your Locate2u experience.
Part 1: Addition of ‘Unassigned’ Tile
Feature Description:
A new tile labeled ‘Unassigned’ has been added to the Trip Summary page between the ‘Cancelled Stops’ and ‘Average Driver Rating’ tiles.
This tile displays the number of unassigned stops or shipments for the selected trip date.
Rationale:
The addition of the ‘Unassigned’ tile provides valuable information to allocators, indicating the presence of unassigned jobs for the selected trip date. This prompts timely assignment and optimization of resources.
Part 2: Linkability of Trip Screen Tiles to Stops Screen Filters
Feature Description:
Each tile on the Trip Summary page is now linkable to an automatic filter on the Stops Screen.
Clicking on a specific tile will open a new tab displaying the Stops Screen with the corresponding filter applied.
If a team region filter is applied on the Trip Screen, the same filter will be applied on the Stops Screen.
Use cases
Clicking on the ‘Completed’ stops tile opens a new tab displaying all completed stops for the specific trip date.
Clicking on the ‘Active’ stops tile navigates to the Stops Screen, filtered to the specific trip date, and shows active stops.
Clicking on the ‘Average Driver Rating’ tile directs the user to the Stops Screen, filtered to all jobs with ratings for the team region (if applicable).
New Feature: Option to Display Source Reference on Optimizer Step 2:
Users now have the option to view the source reference on the second step of the optimizer.
When selecting stops or shipments from the list, if a source reference is present on a stop/shipment, it will be displayed on step 2 of the optimization process.
This enhancement provides users with greater visibility into the source reference information, facilitating smoother decision-making during the optimization process.
New Feature: Display Source Reference on POD PDF:
Source references, when present, are now displayed on the Proof of Delivery (POD) PDF.
Instead of showing the L2u reference number at the bottom of the POD PDF, the source reference is displayed if available.
This update ensures that pertinent source reference information is readily accessible on the POD, improving document clarity and accuracy.
New Feature: Enhanced Custom Action Emails for Start/End Trip:
The Start Trip and End Trip custom action emails have been enhanced to include Stop contacts and customers as recipients.
Previously, these emails supported only team members, teams, and managers. With this update, customers and stop contacts can also receive these notifications.
When trip level charging is implemented, the system now recognizes the customer bound to the trip. This ensures that the start/end trip emails are triggered only once per trip.
This enhancement improves communication by extending email notifications to relevant stakeholders, facilitating better coordination and transparency throughout the trip lifecycle.
Enhancements: User Profile Field Title Update
The field title on the user profile has been changed to ‘ABN/ACN’ (Australian Business Number/Australian Company Number).
Previously, the field title may have been labeled differently. This update ensures clarity and consistency in capturing relevant business identification information.
Users can now easily input and manage their ABN or ACN within their profile settings, facilitating accurate record-keeping and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Improvements:
Team Region Fixed Address Form:
Addressed an issue where the team region filter was not functioning correctly on the fix address form.
Users can now effectively utilize the team region filter to narrow down address options, enhancing efficiency and accuracy in address selection.
Trip View Map Route Persistence:
Resolved an issue where the map route in trip view disappeared when viewing trips in the future.
The map route now persists as expected, providing users with a consistent visual representation of trip routes regardless of the trip’s timeframe.
Recalculation improvements for Review Charges:
Review Charges form was not recalculating.
Users can now initiate recalculation of charges in the review charges form, ensuring accurate and up-to-date charge information.
Product Update: Version 2.7.1 – April 2
Feature: Customer-Specific Templates in POD Configuration
This month, we’re eager to unveil new features and improvements specifically designed to streamline delivery processes.
Overview:
This new feature enables users to configure customer-specific templates in the Proof of Delivery (POD) system.
Similar to Rate Filtering by customers, this functionality allows for tailored POD templates based on specific customer requirements.
For instance, one customer may necessitate photos and signatures, while another may prefer an ‘authority to leave’ (ATL) option without such requirements.
Key enhancements:
➡️ Customization Flexibility:
Users can now tailor POD templates according to individual customer preferences.
This includes defining specific fields, requirements, and options unique to each customer.
➡️ Streamlined Customer Management:
This update simplifies the management of diverse customer requirements by offering customizable templates directly within the POD configuration interface.
➡️ Improved Compliance and Accuracy:
It ensures adherence to customer-specific protocols, enhancing compliance and accuracy in delivery processes.
➡️ Efficient Workflow:
Facilitates smoother operations by eliminating the need for manual adjustments or separate systems to accommodate varying customer preferences.
How it works:
➡️ Template Creation:
Users can create customer-specific POD templates through the administrative interface.
➡️ Customer Assignment:
Assign each template to corresponding customers within the system.
Template Customization:
Customize each template according to specific customer requirements, including fields for photos, signatures, delivery instructions, etc.
Automatic Application:
When selecting a customer during POD creation, the system automatically applies the corresponding template, ensuring consistency and accuracy.
Feature: Allow Shipment Custom Fields on POD PDF
This release introduces the capability to display shipment custom fields on the Proof of Delivery (POD) PDF. Previously, only Stop Custom fields were visible on the POD PDF.
With this enhancement, users can now include relevant shipment custom field data directly on the POD document, providing comprehensive information and improving document accuracy.
Key Features:
➡️ Expanded Data Visibility:
Shipment custom fields are now accessible for inclusion on the POD PDF, alongside existing stop custom fields.
This ensures that all pertinent shipment information is readily available to stakeholders.
➡️ Enhanced Document Accuracy:
By incorporating shipment custom fields into the POD PDF, the document reflects a more complete and accurate representation of the shipment details, fostering transparency and trust in the delivery process.
➡️ Customization Options:
Users have the flexibility to choose which shipment custom fields to display on the POD PDF, tailoring the document to meet specific business needs and preferences.
➡️ Improved Decision Making:
Access to comprehensive shipment data on the POD PDF empowers stakeholders to make informed decisions quickly, leading to more efficient operations and better customer service.
New Feature: Custom POD Question Type – Barcode Scanning
Overview:
In this release, we have added a new custom question type: Barcode Scanning.
This enhancement empowers users to customize their POD processes by incorporating barcode scanning functionality directly into their tailored questionnaire.
Previously available only within the POD configuration settings, barcode scanning is now accessible as a custom question type, providing greater flexibility and granularity in capturing delivery data.
Key Features
Users can now include barcode scanning as a question type within custom POD questionnaires.
This enables precise data collection tailored to specific customer requirements or regional preferences.
For customers seeking to apply barcode scanning only to particular regions or shipments, this feature allows for selective implementation, ensuring optimal alignment with business needs.
Allocate Child Region Stops/Shipments to Parent Region Driver
Feature Description:
This update includes a refined logic for assigning Stops or Shipments to team members within a hierarchical region structure.
Previously, Stops or Shipments could only be allocated within the immediate region of the assigning user.
With this enhancement, users belonging to a parent region can now assign Stops or Shipments – not only within their region but to any child regions below.
Users with access to parent regions can now allocate Stops or Shipments to team members in their region or any child regions beneath it.
This assignment logic ensures that users attempting to allocate Stops or Shipments must belong to the same parent region, a parent region above, or have an unspecified region setting to make the assignment.
This prevents users from inadvertently accessing regions higher in the hierarchy than their allocated permissions.
The user interface has been modified to reflect the updated logic, providing clear guidance to users during the assignment process and indicating any restrictions based on their regional permissions.
New Feature: Made GPS Reports Available from the Customer Portal
This update allows customers to access GPS reports directly from the Customer Portal.
With the recent functionality allowing team members or asset groups to be bound to specific customers, this new feature empowers customers to generate reports for drivers associated with their accounts, enhancing self-service capabilities.
GPS reports are now accessible directly from the customer portal interface, providing customers with convenient access to vital information.
Customers can now generate reports for drivers associated with their accounts, streamlining the process and reducing dependency on support channels for report generation.
Enhancement: Add Stop Type and Source Reference to Stops Export
With this update, Locate2u now provides users with additional data points in the stops export.
With the inclusion of Stop type and Source reference information, users can now have more details on the stop data, facilitating more comprehensive analysis and reporting.
Enhancement: Add skills support to Shipments
We have added a new capability to the platform by adding support for skills in shipments.
With this enhancement, users can assign specific skills or qualifications to shipments, allowing for more precise matching with qualified team members.
This ensures smoother execution of deliveries of shipment. It also helps users who want to use our optimization feature with Skills matching ON for Shipments.
Enhancement: Surface Brand field on Stop and Shipment form
This update introduces a new enhancement to Stop and Shipment forms, providing users with the ability to specify a brand for stops and shipments.
If a team has a brand set up under Settings > Brands, a new ‘Brand’ field will be displayed within the stops and shipment form.
Users can now associate a brand with Stops and Shipments, providing additional context and information.
The Stop form has been updated to include a new ‘Brand’ field, positioned below the existing ‘Source Reference’ field.
The brand field is dynamically populated based on the brands set up by the team under Settings > Brands.
Improvements:
1. Invoice Tab Renaming:
➡️ We renamed the ‘Export Shipment’ tab to ‘Export Invoice’ for clarity and consistency.
2. Team Member Invoice Export improvements:
➡️ Resolved an issue where exporting data with no selection resulted in missing results. Now, all available data, including those from other pages, is exported.
➡️ Implemented a change to disable the export button when no data is available, with a corresponding tooltip indicating ‘No Available Data.’
➡️ Corrected the exported file to include only selected invoices if specific data export was requested.
3. Stop Label Barcode Display:
➡️ Addressed an issue where barcodes for stop labels were breaking into two lines. Now, barcodes display correctly.
4. Customer Maps Error:
➡️ Fixed an issue where assigning a stop to a customer without assigning it to a user resulted in map screen data loading errors.
The fix ensures that when a Stop contains a trip date but is not assigned to a user, the map screen data loads correctly, with the date matching the set date.
5. Rate Zones Creation UI:
➡️ Corrected a distortion in the User Interface for creating Rate Zones. This ensures that the UI displays properly.
6. Item Movement Display:
➡️ Addressed an issue where the display of item movement was broken. Now, all item movements display correctly.
