TreeDots employs about 40 drivers in Singapore who collectively make 800 to 1,500 deliveries per day to customers across the country. However, managing a range of variables that affected delivery schedules—including traffic patterns, prompt delivery requirements for perishable items, minimizing environmental impact, and dynamic customer priorities—proved challenging.  

“We needed to optimize delivery routes and adapt them on the fly, and provide greater visibility of orders to our drivers to help them manage their delivery schedules,” says Medhi Bechina, Director of Engineering at TreeDots. “Google Maps Platform could meet all our requirements.” 

The business deployed a SaaS app to manage driver schedules, but frequent downtime incidents compromised productivity and customer experience. “We couldn’t enforce its use because it was not working properly and it did not have the full feature-set necessary to meet drivers’ needs,” explains Bechina. During these downtime periods, some drivers would have to spend an hour or so at the warehouse to capture order and delivery details, rather than leaving directly to start delivering to customers.

TreeDots is now using a range of Google Maps Platform APIs to deliver its service. The Routes API enables it to identify the best routes between pickup and delivery destinations, the Geocoding API pinpoints addresses, and the Places API provides access to detailed location data. Meanwhile, drivers rely on the Directions API to navigate to and from desired locations with clear instructions. The business has also employed the Maps JavaScript API to create customized maps that visualize its delivery network, gaining visibility of its operations to improve its strategic planning and decision-making. 

“Overall, our drivers love the new app and I receive a lot of positive feedback from them, including questions about offline mode and other capabilities,” says Bechina of the result. 

The integration of Google Maps Platform into its applications has driven a notable improvement in delivery efficiency. The proportion of failed deliveries has fallen from 2% to less than 1%, and service support calls made to check on driver ETAs have fallen by 20%. The company also experiences 10% less rescheduled deliveries.

“The reduction in support calls we’ve achieved with Google Maps Platform directly translates as time our customer success team gets back to support customers with their day-to-day orders,” explains Bechina. “Our drivers now receive considerably fewer ad hoc requests, which makes their day much easier to manage. They are much less stressed because they’re not doing the overtime they otherwise needed to finish deliveries due to last-minute changes.”

By locating delivery addresses with greater accuracy and ensuring drivers take the fastest and most direct routes to their destinations, TreeDots has reduced fuel consumption and consequently lowered the cost of delivery operations. The business has gained 30 minutes of additional time for deliveries per driver per day.

“Our improved timeliness and accuracy has also improved the experience of our customers, improving loyalty and retention, and helping us win new business,” says Bechina.

With Google Maps Platform and associated processes well-established in Singapore, TreeDots now plans to extend the platform’s use to its operations in Indonesia and Malaysia. “Google Maps Platform has had an incredibly positive impact on our business in a very short time, thanks to Searce's delivery and consulting capabilities. We’re looking to build on this success across the region,” concludes Bechina.