Interview with Jason Fry, RouteSmart Technologies

Ahead of the World Mail & Express Americas (WMX Americas) Conference in Miami, we caught up with Jason Fry, Business Development Manager at RouteSmart Technologies. RouteSmart are sponsoring WMX Americas 2019 and Jason offers his thoughts on the conference and the future of the industry.

This interview was originally published on Post&Parcel in January 2019.

P&P – Tell us a little bit about yourself and your company.

JF – My name is Jason Fry and I am a Business Development Manager at RouteSmart Technologies, Inc. the world’s most intelligent routing system. At RouteSmart Technologies, we offer route planning solutions ranging from a traditional desktop deployment to our SaaS offering, dubbed: RaaS (/raz/) that can be integrated into any business system or work flow.

P&P – What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing your business today?

JF – There’s a fine line between determining the “best” –which in our world typically means shortest and fastest–route algorithmically/mathematically and a route that is deliverable in reality. There must be some consideration of driver safety. Asking a driver to cross busy streets (meander delivery) or double-park (illegal) can have down-stream effects including: dismissal of proposed route plans, missed time windows, less customer satisfaction, & driver turnover.

P&P – How can we advance the post and parcel industry?

JF – For a long time, delivery has been exclusive to one thing: “We deliver mail.” or “We deliver parcels.” or “We deliver newspapers.” More and more, we see groups that are enthusiastic about making other types of deliveries beyond their historical services. These companies are telling us, “We’re a delivery service and while we’re out on the street, we’ll deliver other products to maximize our assets.”

P&P – How has the post and parcel industry changed in the past 5 years? What do you predict will happen in the next 5 to 10 years?

JF – I think one of the bigger topics that maybe hasn’t gotten enough recognition is the increase in customer expectation and experience. Delivery time windows are shrinking, real-time tracking is more widely available. Both of these developments present unique and unseen challenges in route planning and execution.

P&P – What is the biggest challenge in the post and parcel industry at the moment?

JF – Static routes simply don’t cut it anymore. We see dynamic routing as an expanding challenge, especially with larger organizations, where not just seasonal but also daily volumes can vary greatly.

P&P – What differentiates RouteSmart Technologies from other routing software providers?

JF – No routing solution is one size fits all…at least it shouldn’t claim to be. RouteSmart solutions provide unrivalled scalability, allowing for deployment at both large and small organizations all over the globe.

Working with leading geospatial technologies from Esri and HERE allows us to constantly focus on the details in solving complex routing challenges. Those details include studying issues like different turn settings in not just determining the shortest route times and fewest route miles, but also…and perhaps more importantly, determining the safest routes.

RouteSmart will be sponsoring the World Mail & Express Americas Conference 2019. WMX Americas 2019 is taking place at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay (10 – 12 February 2019). Visit www.wmxamericas.com for more information.