Optimizing Technician Scheduling and Routing at V Zone International LLC

Abstract: Field service operations often face scheduling inefficiencies that lead to wasted travel time, underutilized work hours, and decreased productivity (Alp et al., 2024; Yahiaoui et al., 2023). This study examined how V Zone International LLC optimized its technician scheduling and routing to maximize productivity and minimize idle time. Using a case-study approach with operational data from four instances, we analyzed current scheduling practices and identified bottlenecks such as vehicle unavailability and poor coordination (Stein et al., 2024; Gamst et al., 2022). Improved scheduling models based on the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW) were developed to group nearby tasks and sequence visits efficiently (Castañe et al., 2014; Basak & Nguyen, 2023). Simulations compared the status quo with optimized schedules, measuring metrics like tasks completed per day, travel distance/time, and idle time. Results showed that route optimization and task clustering significantly improved technician utilization and reduced costs. For example, optimized scheduling reduced visits from 9 to 3 for 30 installations in one case, saving substantial technician-hours. The study concluded that advanced scheduling strategies could lead to significant productivity and cost savings for V Zone.