Windshield time is the silent profit killer. Every hour a crew spends driving between jobs is an hour they're not installing. Smart routing can add a job or two to every crew's day without adding a single hour.
Cluster by neighborhood
Group jobs that are close together on the same day. It sounds obvious, but scattered scheduling — a job across town, then back — quietly wastes hours each week. Book by geography, not just by the order calls came in.
Sequence the day logically
Order stops so the crew moves in one direction instead of crisscrossing. Start on one side of your service area and work across. A good route feels like a loop, not a zigzag.
Front-load the hard jobs
Tackle steep, tall, or complex homes early when the crew is fresh and the light is good. Save the quick ranches for the end of the day.
Give the crew everything up front
A route sheet with the stops in order, the bulb counts, access notes, and a map means no mid-day phone calls asking "where next?" Every question you answer in advance is time saved.
Leave slack for the unexpected
A ladder issue or a customer who's not home will happen. Build a little buffer so one hiccup doesn't blow up the whole day.
Tighten your routes and you'll fit more of the season into the short window you have — with crews that aren't burning out.