Doody Calls Maximizes Capacity and Reduces Payroll Expenses With OptimoRoute

July 24, 2020 2 min read

Doody Calls is a pet waste management company based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dog owners who want their yard regularly cleaned simply contact Doody Calls for a technician to come and do all of the scooping. Founded in 2000 by the entrepreneurial couple Jacob and Susan D’Aniello, it now has a franchise network in 23 states across the United States.

Tedious Routing and Zero Insight Into Live Operations Created Inefficiency

In early 2019 the founders realized that Doody Calls needed “more simplicity and accountability” in the entire operation – and knew that the solution was to be found in technology. Jacob D’Aniello says planning routes was complicated and time-consuming:

“Three components were needed to do routes: a piece of paper that had the order of stops and also a separate route list with information for each stop, plus a GPS on the dashboard. It was unnecessarily complicated – you shouldn’t need 3 different items for your route for the day!”

Not knowing exactly where technicians were and what jobs had been completed at any given time was also frustrating:

“In today’s world, when a customer wants to know if you were at their house, you should be able to definitely and immediately answer. It was frustrating that we couldn’t give customers the information they asked for.”

The founders looked at many route optimization software solutions, but D’Aniello was impressed by OptimoRoute’s robustness and ability to handle “everything from technician skills to inserting rush jobs”, which was lacking in other solutions they were testing. OptimoRoute checked all their boxes:

⏰ Make technicians more accountable, and also make their job easier
😄 Improve customer service
💰 Increase profitability and efficiency in the whole franchise model

OptimoRoute’s Maximum Efficiency Tandem: Fast Planning and the Functional Mobile App Work Together to Increase Capacity

With OptimoRoute, Doody Calls has the automated planning that D’Aniello was looking for: it’s fast, simple and efficient. The efficiency gained by automating daily planning is complemented by the OptimoRoute mobile application for technicians. D’Aniello is relieved that the reliance on printed order lists and schedules is gone for good. The app gives technicians order instructions and door-to-door directions at their fingertips. And the biggest benefit? It takes technicians less time to perform the same amount of work:

“He just clicks that button and it takes him to the next stop in the most efficient way. He easily picks up 30 to 45 minutes a day of actual work time – where that time used to be spent typing an address into GPS. We do about 30 stops a day, so all of a sudden it’s a significant time saving – that really makes a difference.”

D’Aniello describes other benefits of more efficient waste collection planning and routing in tandem with the mobile app. Payroll expenses went down because overtime was reduced:

“Doody Calls technicians are paid a combination of per stop and hourly. In effect they were getting their routes done more quickly, therefore the payroll as a percent of revenue is going down.”

And, technicians say their job is now less stressful and more enjoyable:

“I think that in route-based businesses staff expect a mobile experience at the technician level, and when you don’t provide that they think that you’re not ‘with it’, so there’s dissatisfaction.”

Accurate Scheduling and Live Tracking for Superb Customer Service

D’Aniello emphasizes that Doody Calls’ mission has always been to put customers first. Since implementing OptimoRoute, the company uses numerous features to ensure each service exactly meets clients’ needs. Schedules match customer timing preferences – availability windows, before a certain time, or after a certain time – all taken into consideration without sacrificing efficiency.

OptimoRoute’s Live Tracking gives Doody Calls the detailed insights and accountability that the operations were lacking. Live Tracking lets D’Aniello and other franchisees proactively identify and react to issues, like technicians spending too little time at a stop:

“It allows more real-time and present management of the work. Now, you can see if people aren’t doing the job properly and intervene before it’s a chronic issue. Before OptimoRoute it was difficult to quickly pick up on these problems.”

Doody Calls customers get to experience Live Tracking too! Before OptimoRoute, there was no real-time information for support agents to access – so customers would have a frustrating wait before getting their questions answered.

“Now, the call center can immediately answer people with ‘Yes, I can see that your yard was cleaned at 11.17 this morning.’ That’s a huge move forward for Doody Calls. Customer complaints went way, way down – immediately. I want us to be able to prove to customers that we did what we said we would, and Live Tracking helps us do that.”

A Scalable Solution for Every Franchisee

D’Aniello is confident that he has the evidence to show all Doody Calls franchisees that OptimoRoute is the right route optimization software for their business:

“We want to provide the best experience for our customers and we want our franchise owners to be as profitable as possible. We have 100s of scoopers across the country, some teams as small as two and some as large as thirty. Regardless – OptimoRoute is appropriate for every single one of these!”

The franchise support department at Doody Calls has been trained to guide franchise owners implement OptimoRoute, giving D’Aniello a streamlined and scalable implementation process for the growing number of Doody Calls franchises. It’s the simplicity of use and the improvements it makes to efficiency and customer service that makes D’Aniello believe in the value of OptimoRoute for all Doody Calls franchises:

“Where does OptimoRoute bring the most value to me and my franchisees? It’s less time route planning, less time doing the work and because you’re making customers happier, it’s more retention – which is the name of the game for everybody’s business.”