RaaS: Redefining Route Planning and Optimization in a Post-Pandemic Era 

The industry’s shift towards API-driven access to route planning and sequence solvers has been driven by faster changes within the e-commerce and last-mile delivery sectors. Firms are seeing greater daily change, difficulty hiring and retaining delivery drivers, more fluctuation in delivery volumes, and a more competitive environment. All of this has been accelerated by recent events, notably the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Post+Parcel last month in Amsterdam was more than a conference and exhibition; it was an event where the postal and logistics industry continued to witness a pivotal shift to API-driven solutions. As a top player in this dynamic field, we were thrilled to be part of the event, as it allowed us to showcase our RaaS software. With traditional desktop-centric solutions becoming less popular, the spotlight is now firmly on cloud-based, subscription-model software.  

Changing Dynamics 

The industry’s shift towards API-driven access to route planning and sequence solvers has been driven by faster changes within the e-commerce and last-mile delivery sectors. Firms are seeing greater daily change, difficulty hiring and retaining delivery drivers, more fluctuation in delivery volumes, and a more competitive environment. All of this has been accelerated by recent events, notably the global COVID-19 pandemic.  

In addition to industry changes, there are financial and economic considerations. Organizations are increasingly seeking more cost-effective alternatives, moving away from traditional large-ticket desktop solutions and toward consumption-based solutions for route planning and optimization. Companies want to remove any barriers to entry and simply pay for what they plan to use. 

RouteSmart is at the forefront of this transformative wave, providing a low-cost entry point for clients looking to optimize routes seamlessly through solutions such as Routing as a Service (Raas).

Embracing Subscription Models 

A significant trend observed at Post+Parcel is the shift to subscription models for route planning, reflecting the need for flexibility and adaptability in the face of rapid technological advancements. Our RaaS web service aligns perfectly with this evolving landscape, offering organizations the opportunity to subscribe to scalable, secure, cutting-edge route optimization without the constraints of traditional desktop solutions. 

RaaS, which is available directly through RouteSmart Technologies and on the AWS Marketplace, offers users API access to our suite of workload balancing and delivery order sequencing solvers. This empowers businesses to automate daily workload planning for last-mile delivery operations by embedding RaaS with their existing business systems.  

What makes the RaaS API stand out is its ability to empower clients with the same parameters and constraints as our industry-leading desktop solutions. Some features that set our RaaS API apart: 

• Side of Street Service: RouteSmart’s RaaS API allows clients to maintain the precision of side-of-street service, ensuring that deliveries are optimized based on specific street characteristics and requirements. 
• Route Sets for Varying Fleet Characteristics: Catering to diverse fleet requirements, our API offers the flexibility to create route sets tailored to varying fleet characteristics, ensuring optimal performance and resource utilization. 
• Park and Loop for Parcel Delivery: National postal services looking to integrate parcel delivery into their existing postal routes can leverage our RaaS API’s park and loop feature. This functionality streamlines the process for efficient parcel distribution within established postal routes. 
• Swift Route Generation: One of the standout features of RaaS is its remarkable speed in generating routes. The efficiency of the API ensures that clients can achieve route optimization swiftly, saving valuable time and resources. 
• GDPR-Compliant Solution: Recognizing the importance of data privacy, RouteSmart’s RaaS API is available within the EU, adhering to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Clients can trust that their data is handled with the utmost care and compliance. 
• Scalability: RaaS is fast and efficient, and designed to scale as your operations grow and change. Daily route planning can be updated based on daily and seasonal fluctuations.  
• Speed: Solutions are returned to users quickly because RaaS has been engineered and refined over more than a decade to provide efficient routes faster than other optimization systems. 

With the industry’s shift towards more integrated and flexible route optimization solutions, we take pride in offering our API, a decade-strong solution that not only embraces this shift but sets new standards. As we continue to empower our clients with the ability to manipulate parameters and constraints seamlessly, our advanced solutions stand as a beacon of innovation in the evolving landscape of postal and logistics technology. 

About the Author

Jason Fry

Senior Business Development Manager

Jason Fry serves as a Senior Business Development Manager at RouteSmart, where he has crafted route planning and optimization solutions for clients in the postal/parcel, local delivery, and newspaper industries for more than 16 years. Jason is respected in the industry for his expertise in returning value to clients through route planning and optimization. He specializes in enhancing operational efficiencies with solutions like RouteSmart Online and RaaS (Routing as a Service). Committed to innovation and a forward-thinking mindset, Jason consistently helps organizations tackle their most complex route-planning challenges.