Urbantz: from basic to advanced topics - a comprehensive overview – URBANTZ | SUPPORT

Introduction to Urbantz

Urbantz is a last-mile delivery management platform designed to simplify how you manage deliveries, track fleet performance, and coordinate logistics operations in one centralized system. Whether you're a retailer, carrier, or logistics provider, Urbantz helps streamline your delivery processes from start to finish.

Core Concepts

Tasks

What is a task? A task is the most basic unit in Urbantz - it represents a delivery or a pickup activity.

In everyday terms, think of a task as a package that needs to be delivered to a specific address at a specific time. Each task contains essential information:

Recipient details (name, address, contact information)
Time window for delivery
Items to be delivered
Special instructions
Status of the task

Tasks move through different statuses as they progress through the delivery lifecycle:

Announced: The task has been created in the system
Unplanned: The task is geocoded (address validated) but doesn't have a delivery date yet
Ready: The task has a timeslot assigned and is ready to be optimized and added in a round
Assigned: The task has been assigned to a round
Ongoing: The task is in a round that has started
Completed: The task has been delivered

Depending on some cases, these statuses can also occur:
In Error: The task address could not be geocoded and requires manual intervention.
Discarded: The task was deleted and it can no longer be used. This is a final status.
Missing: The task has been lost at a step of the workflow.
Ready to collect: The task is ready to be collected.

Hubs

What is a hub? A hub is a central location from which deliveries are organized and dispatched.

Think of a hub as your warehouse or distribution center. It's where your products are stored before being loaded onto vehicles for delivery. In Urbantz, hubs are important because:

Tasks are assigned to specific hubs
Rounds can start and end at hubs
Optimization is performed at the hub level

Setting up a hub is one of the first steps in configuring Urbantz. You'll define:

The hub's location
The hub operating hours
Time constraints for your rounds

Flows

What is a flow? A flow is a representation of your business process.

In simple terms, a flow is like a recipe that tells Urbantz how to handle your specific delivery operations. When you set up a flow, you're telling the system:

How to interpret the data you send to Urbantz
What delivery requirements apply
How to assign tasks to hubs
What information is needed during each stage

Flows are customizable to match your specific business needs, making them a powerful way to adapt Urbantz to your operations.

Rounds

What is a round? A round is a collection of tasks assigned to a driver in a specific sequence.

Think of a round as a driver's journey. It includes:

A list of tasks to complete
The optimal sequence for completing them
Start and end times
The assigned vehicle and driver

Rounds have their own lifecycle with statuses like:

Created: The round has been generated but not yet validated
Validated: The round has been approved and is ready for execution
Published: The round has been made available to the driver
Started: The driver has begun the round
Completed: All tasks in the round have been finished

Getting Started with Urbantz

Setting Up Your Platform

When you first start with Urbantz, you'll need to configure your platform:

Create a hub: Define where your deliveries will originate from
Set up a flow: Configure how tasks will be processed
Create a sender: Define who is sending the packages
Configure your fleet: Set up your vehicle types and capacities

Announcing Tasks

Once your platform is configured, you can start creating tasks:

Manual creation: Enter task details directly in the platform
File upload: Import tasks from a file
API integration: Connect your systems to automatically create tasks

When tasks are announced, Urbantz automatically geocodes the addresses to ensure they're valid and can be located on a map. If the address cannot be found, the system throws a geocoding error, and the user can correct the address.

Intermediate Features

Optimization

Optimization is where Urbantz shines - we take into consideration all your requirements and create efficient rounds based on your tasks.

When you run an optimization, Urbantz usually considers:

Task locations and time windows
Vehicle capacities and constraints
Driver schedules and skills
Restricted and prohibited areas

The result is a set of optimized rounds that maximize delivery efficiency.

Round Editor

The Round Editor gives you manual control over your rounds:

Add or remove tasks from rounds
Change the sequence of deliveries
Adjust round parameters
Split or merge rounds

This flexibility allows you to fine-tune the automated optimization results when needed.

Tracking and Monitoring

Once rounds are in progress, Urbantz provides real-time visibility:

Dashboard: View all active rounds and their status
Round view: See the planned rounds with all their details
Task list: Gives you an overview of all the tasks

This visibility helps you proactively manage exceptions and stay informed.

Advanced Features

Planning and Scheduling

The Planning module allows recipients to select their preferred delivery time:

Recipients can choose from available time slots
Capacity is managed automatically
Time slots can be configured by zone, day, and time
Recommendations can be made for the greenest option

This improves the customer experience while ensuring efficient operations.

Associated Platforms

For more complex operations, Urbantz supports multi-platform architecture:

Owner platform: The organization that owns the task (e.g., a retailer)
Associated platform/carrier: The organization responsible for delivery

This allows for seamless collaboration between different entities in the supply chain.

Ticketing

The Ticketing module facilitates communication about specific tasks:

Create tickets for internal issues or special requests
Assign tickets to your team members
Track ticket status and resolution
Maintain a history of communications

This helps ensure that issues are properly documented and resolved internally on your side.

Webhooks and API Integration

For advanced integrations, Urbantz provides:

Comprehensive API for task creation and management
Webhooks for real-time event notifications

These tools allow Urbantz to connect with your existing systems seamlessly.

Best Practices for Success

Start simple: Begin with basic configurations and add complexity as you become more familiar with the system
Test thoroughly: Perform test scenarios to validate your configurations before going live
Train your team: Ensure all users understand their role in the system
Monitor performance: Use Urbantz's insights analytics to improve your operations continuously
Stay updated: Take advantage of new features and improvements as they become available