A route planner is one of the most valuable tools a cleaning company can have. Travel between jobs is usually the biggest chunk of paid time that earns nothing, and it is also a major cause of late arrivals and tired cleaners. But many businesses switch on route planning once and never think about it again. With a little attention, the same tool can save far more.
This guide shares practical tips for getting more from route planning in ProCleanerUK.
Tip 1: Let the planner do the maths
Working out the best order for a day of jobs by eye is hard, especially across several cleaners. The route planner calculates an efficient order based on distance and travel time, taking the guesswork out. Start with its suggestion, then adjust only where local knowledge says otherwise.
Tip 2: Choose the right optimisation mode
Different days need different approaches. Advanced planners let you choose how routes are optimised. A balanced mode shares the workload fairly across the team, so one cleaner is not given twice as many stops as another. That matters for fairness and for keeping good cleaners.
Tip 3: Use estimated arrival times
The planner produces estimated arrival times for each job. Use them to set realistic expectations with customers. When cleaners press Start Journey, customers see when they are on the way, and Running Late lets them know about delays in one tap.
Tip 4: Fix the start and end points
Many cleaners start from home and finish at home. Make sure start and end points are correct, so the first and last legs of the day are realistic.
Tip 5: Respect fixed times
Some customers need a particular time, such as a school before opening or a home where the customer is only in until 10am. Fix those times, and let the planner arrange the rest of the day around them.
Tip 6: Group customers by area
The planner can only work with the jobs you give it. When taking on new customers, think about where they sit. A customer on the way between two existing jobs is far more profitable than one across town. Use the Availability Finder to see who is free nearby before accepting new work.
Tip 7: Price isolated jobs properly
Sometimes a job far from your rounds is still worth doing. Price it to cover the extra travel time and mileage, rather than absorbing the cost.
Tip 8: Check route recording
Route recording between jobs can be viewed on a map. Look at it now and then to see whether real journeys match the plan, and where time is being lost.
Tip 9: Review routes regularly
Routes drift as customers come and go. Every month or two, review each cleaner’s regular week. Are there long gaps? Criss-crossing journeys? Customers who would fit better on another round? Small changes add up.
Tip 10: Watch late start alerts
If late start alerts keep appearing on the same route, the route is probably unrealistic. Adjust the order, the timing or the number of jobs.
Tip 11: Rebalance when things change
When a cleaner leaves or changes hours, Reassign Staff moves their jobs to someone else from a chosen date. Run the planner again afterwards to make sure the new round makes sense.
Tip 12: Involve your cleaners
Cleaners know the roads, parking and traffic patterns. Ask for their views on routes, and use their knowledge to fine-tune the plan.
Tip 13: Plan around commercial time windows
Commercial sites often have strict windows: before opening, after closing or during a quiet lunchtime. Fix those windows first and build domestic work around them. Custom Weekly Pattern handles contracts with different times on different days, so the planner always works with the right windows. Our guide to custom weekly scheduling explains how.
Tip 14: Think about parking
In towns and cities, finding parking can take longer than the drive. Record parking tips in each customer’s job notes, and consider walking routes between close-together jobs where parking is difficult.
A route review in practice
Picture a cleaner whose Tuesday has drifted over the past year. New customers were added wherever there was a gap, and now the day zigzags across town three times. A review moves one customer to Wednesday, when another cleaner is nearby, swaps the order of two jobs and moves a fixed-time customer to the start of the day. The cleaner finishes forty minutes earlier and arrives on time at every job. Small reviews like this, done regularly, keep routes efficient.
What good routes deliver
- Less time and money spent on travel.
- More cleans per day without longer hours.
- Fewer late arrivals and happier customers.
- Fairer workloads and less tired cleaners.
- Lower mileage and fuel use.
Common route planning mistakes
- Setting routes once and never reviewing them.
- Accepting new customers without checking where they fit.
- Ignoring fixed customer times.
- Overloading one cleaner while another has gaps.
- Not asking cleaners for their local knowledge.
Plan better routes
Route planning, estimated arrival times, live journeys, route recording, the Availability Finder, Reassign Staff and late start alerts are included on every ProCleanerUK plan. Start your 28-day free trial and plan tomorrow’s routes, or book a free demo and we will show you the route planner. For more on travel savings, see our guides to cleaning company route planning and measuring the time a route planner saves.
FAQs
How does a route planner help a cleaning company?
It orders each cleaner’s jobs to cut travel time, which means more cleans, fewer late arrivals and lower costs.
What is a balanced route?
A route that shares the workload fairly across cleaners.
Can customers see arrival times?
Yes. When cleaners press Start Journey, customers see when they are on the way.
How often should routes be reviewed?
Every month or two, as customers come and go.
What about jobs far from my rounds?
Price them to cover the extra travel, or fit them onto a round that passes nearby.