Color Coded Logistics Calendar

This article explains how to use the Color Coded Logistics Calendar to visually manage delivery and pickup availability by assigning colors such as yellow for soft holds and red for no availability. It describes how dispatchers and counter staff can view scheduling capacity, monitor delivery activity, and enforce security overrides when booking on restricted dates. The article also covers store-specific settings, audit tracking, holiday handling, and the option to switch between calendar and legacy detail views.

Topics Included in This Article

• Benefits and Purpose

• Security Setup

• Accessing the Logistics Calendar

• How it Works

Benefits and Purpose

The Color Coded Logistics Calendar helps dispatch and sales staff quickly identify delivery and pickup availability by using color indicators on the calendar. Yellow indicates a soft hold that may require further consultation with dispatch, while red indicates no availability for that day. This allows users to make scheduling decisions more efficiently without reviewing detailed dispatch information.

The feature also provides visibility into the total number of deliveries, pickups, will calls, and associated gross revenue for each day directly within the calendar. This information helps dispatchers determine whether additional drivers may need to be added to the schedule. Audit tracking through the System Edit option also allows users to see who assigned color designations and when those changes were made. 

Security Setup 

• There is no additional security to allow access.  If a user has access to the Dispatch Center or to the Delivery & Pickup setup window (for example: within a contract), they can access this calendar.

• If a counter user selects a blocked/restricted date (yellow or red date) for pickup/delivery, they must have the security to override the status for that day or book on another day.  Generally, this would require a manager override, since a yellow or red designation should involve a conversation with dispatch.

  • The security setting is called "Override Delivery Per Day"

    

       

  • To get there go to:

    1. Gear icon > Under System, press Security

       

    2. In the search bar, enter "deliveries" > press Transactions

       

Accessing the Logistics Calendar

From the Dispatch Center

This can be done from the Maximum Delivery/Pickups Calendar screen in the Dispatch Center.

This screen can be accessed from Dispatch Center > Tools or System Configurations > Delivery Calendar.

From within a Contract

This screen appears in a contract when scheduling a delivery or pickup. The calendar view is the default view for a store running on a party code rate engine, but the legacy details view is also available as a tab for reference.  Either view can be used by manually switching tabs for any rate code.

How It Works

Color Code

• No color means the day is clear. 

• Yellow is a Soft Hold for the day (a day is busy and needs further consultation with Dispatch). 

• Red means there is No Availability.

• Holidays can also have a red or yellow designation assigned to them if a company runs logistics on a holiday.  They will then have a split color designation.
  

Dispatchers

• Colors are set by a left click on the date bar and choosing an option from the resulting menu. These days are set on a store by store basis and cannot be applied regionally or company wide.

• Within the date squares the total number of and gross revenue for deliveries, pickups, and will calls are displayed to help easily make determinations about adding additional drivers or not to the schedule.
  
  
  

• A label at the top of Dispatch Center allows the dispatcher to easily see when a day was set to red or yellow for a specific store.
  
  
  
• The System Edit menu option at the top left keeps an audit trail of who assigned colors to specific days and when. (This screen can be accessed from Dispatch Center > Tools or System Configurations > Delivery Calendar > System Edit)
  

Counter Staff

Once a dispatcher has set days, when a counter user goes to set a delivery or pickup on a contract, they will be able to see what the availability for a certain day is based on the color.  The calendar in this view shows three months at a time.  Users can change the delivery/pickup date at the top or by selecting a date on the calendar.

If a yellow or red date is selected, the user must have the security to override the status for that day and book something else.  This is tied to the overrides deliveries security option.  Generally, this would require a manager override, since a yellow or red designation should involve a conversation with dispatch.

Holiday Setup

Holidays do not automatically become unavailable for logistics scheduling. They are pulled from the set closed days in calendar maintenance. To learn more, see the article Calendar Maintenance.  Holidays can also have a red or yellow designation assigned to them if a company runs logistics on a holiday.  They will then have a split color designation.