Dispatcher Guide: Mastering the Board

The Klau Dispatch Board is your mission control. It's designed to give you full visibility into your fleet while handling the complex math of optimization in the background.

1. The Dispatch Board Layout

The board is organized into columns, with each column representing an Active Driver. Jobs are displayed as cards within these columns, sequenced from top to bottom.

  • Unassigned Pool: Jobs that haven't been assigned yet appear in the sidebar.
  • Sequence Numbers: The numbers on job cards indicate the order of completion.
  • Time Windows: Visual indicators show if a job is requested for the Morning or Afternoon.

2. Optimization & Chaining

Klau's core strength is Container Chaining. This means sequencing jobs so that a driver can go directly from a Dump Site to a new Delivery without returning to the yard to swap container sizes.

Pro Tip: Look for the Chain Link

When you see a green link icon between jobs, it means Klau has successfully eliminated a yard return, saving you approximately 20-40 minutes of drive time.

3. Interactive Features

What-If Simulation

When dragging a job to a new driver or position, Klau runs a real-time simulation. You'll see an instant preview of the impact on total drive time, chains, and economic value before you even drop the card.

Optimization Insights

Hover over the sparkle icon on any job card to see exactly why the optimizer chose this assignment. It shows the key factors: proximity, chaining potential, and overall route efficiency.

Route Confidence

Visual indicators (Green/Yellow/Red) show how much historical data we have for a specific route segment. Green means high confidence based on previous driver observations.

Job Pinning

Need a job to happen at exactly 8:00 AM? Use the "Pin" icon to lock it in place. Optimization will work around your pinned constraints.

4. Live Communication & Chat

You can communicate with your drivers directly from the board. Click the Chat Icon on any driver's column to open a real-time SMS thread. You'll see their location updates and any photos they upload (like weight tickets or site issues) as they come in.

Multi-Language Communication

Klau's AI dispatch automatically handles translation and onboarding in English and Spanish. You can chat in your preferred language, and Klau ensures the driver receives messages in theirs.

5. SMS Notifications to Drivers

Klau automatically sends SMS notifications to keep your drivers informed throughout the day. Understanding when messages are sent helps you manage driver expectations and reduce inbound phone calls.

Automatic SMS Triggers

Shift Start

60 minutes before the driver's first job, they receive their full day schedule and a portal link.

Job Assignment

When you manually assign a job to a driver, they receive an SMS with the job details. To avoid message fatigue, only the first 2 assignments per day trigger an SMS -- after that, the driver uses their portal.

Next Up

When a driver completes a job, Klau sends them a heads-up about their next queued job automatically.

Driver Replies in the Operator Console

Drivers can reply to any SMS from Klau with free-form text. Their replies appear in the Operator Console under the SMS conversations tab, giving you full visibility into two-way communication without needing a separate messaging app.

6. Real-time Collaboration

Klau is built for teams. Multiple dispatchers can work on the same board simultaneously. When another dispatcher makes a change, you'll see it reflected on your board instantly with a brief visual highlight.

  • Auto-Sync: Job assignments and sequences update in real-time across all active sessions.
  • Conflict Protection: If you're actively editing a job that someone else just changed, Klau will notify you instead of overwriting your work.
  • Connection Status: A status indicator in the header shows if you're currently connected to the real-time sync engine.

7. Map View & Routing

Toggle to the Map View to see your entire fleet's routes for the day. The map provides visual context that helps you make better manual adjustments.

  • Route Visualization: See the sequence of jobs for each driver as a path on the map.

8. Inventory Tracking & Availability

Klau doesn't just manage time; it manages your equipment. The Inventory System ensures you never promise a delivery you can't fulfill.

  • Real-time Yard Stock: See exact counts of available empty containers by size directly in the board header.
  • Staged Containers: Track full containers waiting at the yard (marked with an "F"). Klau automatically creates "Internal Dump" jobs to ensure these are emptied and returned to your available stock.
  • Learned Discovery: Klau "learns" your fleet. When a driver picks up a container from a customer site the system didn't know about, it's automatically discovered and added to your inventory.
  • Availability Heatmap: Use the Inventory page to see a 14-day projection of stock levels. Klau identifies future shortages before they happen, allowing you to prioritize pickups to "unlock" deliveries.

Fulfillment Guardrails

When adding a new job, Klau instantly checks your projected inventory. If a delivery would cause a stockout today or in the future, you'll receive an immediate warning in the creation form.

9. Adaptive Scheduling

Klau continuously monitors driver progress and adjusts ETAs in real-time to keep your dispatch board accurate as the day unfolds.

  • Automatic Re-scheduling: If a driver is delayed or running ahead, Klau automatically recalculates the start times for their remaining jobs, ensuring the board always reflects the most likely outcome.
  • Learning from Reality: Klau tracks the difference between planned and actual completion times and uses it to improve future scheduling accuracy.
  • Zero-Touch Updates: ETAs update seamlessly on your board, and drivers can see their updated sequence in their personal portal without you needing to lift a finger.

Daily Workflow

  1. Inventory: Monitor your real-time yard stock in the header and check the Availability Heatmap for long-term planning.
  2. Import: Upload your CSV from Excel or add jobs manually.
  3. Optimize: Click the "Auto-Optimize" button. If needed, you can retry with "Real Drive Times" for even higher accuracy.
  4. Fine-tune: Use drag-and-drop or Map View to make manual adjustments based on local knowledge.
  5. Publish: Once satisfied, click "Publish" to send the jobs to your drivers' phones.
  6. Monitor: Watch the "Living Engine" update the board in real-time as drivers complete work, upload tickets, and Klau adapts to delays.