Creating & Managing
Route Schedules
Learn how to use the Route Assignments page to create, edit, and manage the recurring service schedules that form the backbone of your daily operations.
Duration
25 minutes
Category
Routes & Scheduling
Part 1: The "Set It and Forget It" Schedule
In the previous modules, you learned how to manage your customers, locations, and technicians. Now, it's time to connect them all with a Route Schedule.
What is a Route Schedule?
A Route Schedule is the template for a customer's recurring service. It tells Upbuoy:
👤 WHO
Which technician is responsible.
📍 WHERE
Which service location to visit.
📅 WHEN
On which day(s) of the week.
🔄 HOW OFTEN
The service frequency (e.g., weekly, biweekly).
Automation in Action: Once you create a Route Schedule, Upbuoy's automation takes over.
Our system uses these schedules to automatically generate the individual Service Stops that appear on your technicians' daily dashboards. This "set it and forget it" approach saves you from manual data entry and ensures no customer is ever missed.
Part 2: The Route Assignments Page
This page is your master view for all recurring service schedules.
Navigation & Layout
🧭 Navigate to Route Assignments
From the main sidebar, click on Routes, then select Assignments.
📋 The Layout
The page is designed for clarity:
On the left, you'll see a list of your technicians and the days of the week they have scheduled stops.
On the right, a map visually plots the locations for the selected day, helping you see the geographical distribution of your routes.
Part 3: Creating a New Route Schedule
Let's schedule a new customer.
Step-by-Step Creation Process
Click "Create Route Assignment"
This button opens the route creation form.
Select the Customer and Location
First, choose the Customer.
The Service Location dropdown will then automatically populate with only the locations belonging to that customer.
Assign a Technician
Choose the technician who will be responsible for this route.
Set the Schedule Details
This is the core of the setup.
🔄 Frequency
How often does the service occur?
Weekly is the most common.
Twice Weekly is for customers needing service twice a week. When you select this, a "Second Day of Week" field will appear. Upbuoy will suggest a second day 3-4 days after your primary day, a common industry practice.
Daily / Twice Daily are typically for commercial pools.
📅 Day of Week
The primary day of service.
📆 Starts on / Ends on
Set the date the service should begin. If it's a seasonal client, you can set an End Dateto automatically stop generating stops after that day. Leave it blank for year-round service.
⏰ Time Slot
This is the preferred time window for the service (e.g., 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM). It's used for route optimization and to give customers an idea of when to expect you.
📝 Notes
Add any permanent instructions for the technician that apply to every visit.
Examples:
• "Beware of dog in backyard"
• "Gate code is #1234"
Click "Save"
This creates the permanent schedule. Your new assignment will now appear on the main page under the assigned technician and day.
Part 4: Managing Existing Route Schedules
Your business is dynamic—customers move, technicians change routes. Managing these changes is simple.
✏️ To Edit a Schedule
Find the customer's route card on the main assignments page.
Click the Edit icon.
This opens the edit form, where you can change the technician, day of the week, frequency, or any other detail.
When you save, Upbuoy will automatically update all future, uncompleted service stops to reflect the changes. For example, if you reassign the route to a new technician, all their future stops will now appear on the new technician's schedule.
🗑️ To Delete a Schedule
On the route card, click the Delete icon.
A confirmation dialog will appear to prevent accidental deletion.
Confirming the deletion will permanently remove the recurring schedule. This will stop any new service stops from being generated for this customer. It will not delete their service history. This is the correct way to end service for a customer.
Part 5: Key Concepts & Pro Tips
📋 The Unassigned Customers List
On the left sidebar of the Route Assignments page, you'll see a filter for "Unassigned Customers." This is your built-in to-do list.
It shows you all active customers who do not yet have a route schedule. Your goal should be to keep this list empty!
🗺️ Visual Route Building
Use the map on the right to visualize your daily routes. If you see one technician's route is geographically spread out, consider reassigning some stops to another technician who is already in that area to save on driving time.
🎯 Smart Customer Selection
The system tracks the last customer you interacted with. This means when you click "Create Route Assignment," the form can intelligently pre-populate with that customer's information, saving you clicks.
Key Takeaways
Route Schedules are templates that automatically generate individual service stops through Upbuoy's automation.
The Route Assignments page provides both list and map views for comprehensive schedule management.
Keep your "Unassigned Customers" list empty to ensure all active customers have recurring service schedules.
Use the map view to optimize geographical distribution and minimize driving time between stops.
Next Steps
You now know how to build and manage your master schedule. The next step is to see how that master schedule translates into the day-to-day reality for your technicians.
Ready to explore daily route management?
Proceed to Module 11: The Technician Calendar & Daily Route View