Managing Services

Updated:

This document will show you how to view, create, and manage your services.

Each service defines when a client’s order can be delivered, along with any date, time, or geographic restrictions.

This article will cover:

Services Overview
Accessing the Services Page
Service Table View
Services Detail View
How Services Quotes are Determined for Clients

Services Overview

A Service defines the delivery options available to clients, specifying when and where orders can be delivered. Each service can be configured with an SLA, along with optional restrictions on geography, weight, item count, and specific days and times for availability.

Key Components of a Service:

  • Service Level Agreement (SLA): Specifies the delivery timeframe once an order is marked as ready. You can set SLAs for same-day or next-day delivery and define specific cutoff times for when orders are eligible.
  • Service Availability: Controls the days and times when the service is offered. Availability can be set for specific hours each day, and you can also define restricted dates (e.g., holidays) when the service is not available.
  • Service Area (Optional): Defines the geographic boundaries within which the service is available. Using a GeoJSON file, you can upload specific zones or areas where orders can be picked up and dropped off. Orders outside this area are ineligible for the service.
  • Additional Settings: Optional restrictions on weight and item count. Set maximum limits for total weight or the number of items to ensure that only orders meeting these criteria are eligible for the service.

Service and Rate Table Assignment:

On the Client Page, you can assign a Service and Rate Table pair to each client, giving them access to specific delivery options with appropriate pricing. There are a few key rules for these assignments:

  • One Rate Table per Service per Client: For a given client, each delivery service is associated with one rate table.
  • Flexible Combinations: The same rate table can be associated with multiple services for a client, allowing flexibility in how you set up and manage delivery options.
  • Updating Service/Rate Pairs: If you need to update an existing Service/Rate pair, you must first delete the entire pair, click Save, and then re-add the updated pair with the new settings.

By assigning Service and Rate Table pairs to each client, you ensure that clients only see the delivery options and rates that apply to them.

In Summary: Services provide control over delivery timing, availability, and geographic reach, allowing for each client’s needs. Paired with Rate Tables, Services ensure that clients receive accurate and consistent delivery options that align with their requirements.

Accessing the Services Page

The Services page is accessible from the side navigation menu. If you don’t see the “Courier” page as an option, please contact sales to let them know you are a courier.

Service Table View

The Service Table provides a quick overview of all existing services. Each row in the table represents a unique service, with columns that outline key details:

  • Service: The name of the service as it appears to your clients.
  • Due By: Specifies the delivery completion time, when orders must be delivered after being marked “ready”.
  • Service Area: The name of the service area associated with this service. If configured, the service area will restrict order pickup and dropoff locations to be within the specified region. Orders outside this area will not be eligible for this service.
  • Clients Configured: Indicates the number of clients currently set up to use this service.

To view or edit the details of a specific service, click on the service name in the table.

Services Detail View

General Settings
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Service Area
Deleting a Service

In the Detail View, you can configure all settings for a specific service. 

General Settings

Define the basic details of a service that will be visible to both your users and your clients:

  • Service Name: The internal name of the service, used by your operation.
  • Client-Facing Service Name: The name displayed to clients when they view or select this service in the client portal.
  • Description/Help Text: Optional instructions or reminders displayed to clients when they select this service, helping to clarify details or provide specific guidance about the service.

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Defines when and how orders are fulfilled for this service, including time zones, availability, restricted dates, delivery timeframes, and additional settings.

  • Time Zone: This time zone will apply to all settings within the SLA, ensuring consistent timing across availability and restrictions.
  • Service Availability: Specifies the days and times when this service is available. At least one day and time slot must be configured to make the service accessible to clients.
  • Restricted Dates: Allows you to set specific dates or date ranges when this service will not be available, such as holidays or other non-operational periods.

Due By: Defines the delivery timeframe after the order’s ready by time. Choose from two options:

  • Within: Used for same-day services. Set the number of hours and minutes required to complete the order from the time it is marked as ready. If this timeframe extends beyond the available time slot for the day, the service will not be available on that day.

  • By: Designed for next-day services. Specify an exact due-by time and the number of days after the order is marked ready for delivery completion.

Cutoff Time: The cutoff time specifies the latest an order can be placed to qualify for the service on the applicable delivery day.

  • If Within is selected, the cutoff time is automatically calculated based on the Due By settings. For example, if Due By is set to 2 hours and 0 minutes, the cutoff will be 2 hours before the end of the service availability each day.

  • If By is selected, you can manually configure the cutoff time by specifying a time and the number of days before the due date. Enter “0” for days if the cutoff is on the same day as the due-by date.

Additional Settings

  • Max Weight: Sets a weight limit for the service. Orders exceeding this weight will not be eligible for the service.
  • Maximum Pieces: Sets an item count limit. Orders with more pieces than specified will not be eligible for this service.

Service Area

Optionally define the geographic boundaries where your service is available. Orders with pickup or drop-off locations outside these area(s) will not be eligible for this service.

To set up a Service Area, you’ll need a GeoJSON file that outlines the specific geographic region for the service. GeoJSON files allow you to import one or more shapes, each representing distinct areas within the service’s geographic boundaries.

  • Open GeoJSON Tool: 
    • Go to geojson.io, an online tool for creating and editing GeoJSON files.
  • Draw Your Service Area:
    • Zoom in to the area you want to define as your service region.
    • Use the drawing tools on the toolbar:
      • Polygon Tool: Draw a custom shape for your service area by clicking on the map to add points. Complete the shape by clicking the first point again.

  • You can create multiple shapes within one GeoJSON file to cover different zones for the same service.
  • Edit or Adjust Shapes (Optional):
    • After drawing, you can move points to adjust boundaries by clicking and dragging them.

  • To delete a shape, select it and choose “delete”
  • Export the GeoJSON File:
    • Once your service area is defined, click on Save in the top menu.
    • Select Download GeoJSON to save the file to your computer.

  • Import the GeoJSON File to Your Service:
    • Go to the Service Area section on the Services page in Onfleet and enable this service for a particular region.

  • Select Upload a file and upload your saved GeoJSON file.
  • The system will apply your service area boundaries based on the shapes defined in your GeoJSON file.

  • If you need to make any changes to the services area, you can update your shape in geojson.io, download the file, and upload it again
  • Enter a name for this Service Area
  • Click Save once you are complete with the Service Area configuration
  • Deleting a Service Area:

Deleting a Service

You can delete services that are no longer needed, but certain conditions must be met to ensure client configurations are not disrupted. Deleting a service does not impact any historical information about past orders. All order data associated with the deleted service will remain accessible.

Deletion Rules:

  • Services Not Assigned to Clients:
    • Services not assigned to any clients can be deleted directly.
  • Services Assigned to Clients:
    • Services currently assigned to clients cannot be deleted immediately.
    • You must first remove the service/rate pair from all listed clients before it can be deleted.

How Services Quotes are Determined for Clients

Overview

To determine which services are displayed to clients when they are quoting orders, Onfleet uses the following parameters:

  • Service Assignment: Only services that are assigned to a client are considered in the quoting process.
  • Days of Service Availability: Services operate only on specified days (e.g., Monday–Friday).
  • Service Availability Hours: Deliveries occur only within delivery hours (e.g., 9:00 AM–5:00 PM).
  • Service Cutoff Time: For next-day services, orders must be ready by a specific cutoff time (e.g., 3:00 PM).
  • Ready-By Time: The time the client specifies when their order will be ready for pickup.
  • Service Due-By Time: The delivery deadline set by the service, adjusted to align with the SLA and availability.

Internal Quoting Adjustments: If the ready-by time falls outside configured working hours, adjustments are made as follows during the quote retrieval process for the client:

  1. Ready-By Before Service Availability Hours: Adjusted to the start of the Service Availability hours for that day.

Same-Day Service

A service is considered same-day when the ready-by and due-by times fall on the same calendar day.

  • Example Service Configuration:
    • Name: "Same-Day Delivery (1 Hour SLA)"
    • Service Availability Hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
    • Days of Service Availability: Monday–Friday
    • SLA: Order must be delivered within 1 hour of the ready-by time.
  • Example Client Quoting Scenario:
    • A client quotes an order on Tuesday at 10:00 AM with an 11:00 AM ready-by time. The system checks if the entered times fall within working hours and calculates the SLA accordingly. For this example, the service is shown with a quoted due-by time of 12:00 PM.

Services for Multiple Days Out

A service is considered multi-day when the ready-by time is one day and the due-by time is on a calendar day further in the future. This includes standard next-day (1 day out) services as well as delivery options for 2, 3, or more days out. 

  • Example Service Configuration:
    • Name: "Next-Day Delivery (By 5 PM)"
    • Service Availability Hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
    • Days of Service Availability: Monday–Friday
    • Cutoff Time: Orders must be ready by 3:00 PM the day prior.
    • SLA: Order must be delivered by 5:00 PM the following day.
  • Example Client Quoting Scenario:
    • A client quotes an order on Tuesday at 9:00 AM with a 2:00 PM ready-by time. The system verifies that the ready-by time is before the cutoff (3:00 PM). For this example, the service is shown with a quoted due-by time of 5:00 PM on Wednesday.