Connect Overview

What is Interplai Connect?

With the increased demand for last-mile delivery, many companies are looking for more options to get their goods to customers’ doors. In addition to offering route optimization through Interplai, the additional service of Interplai Connect can be utilized to add on-demand options for two types of businesses: those which need items delivered and those which deliver items.

Suppose there is a restaurant called Anytime Grille, which has a surge in delivery orders at peak times. This puts a strain on any in-house delivery drivers they have as well as the available pool of gig workers because other restaurants are experiencing this increase in demand as well.

Another company called BatchDSP, recognizing this last-mile delivery need, comes along and aims to fill the gap as a delivery service provider (DSP). BatchDSP has its own fleet of delivery drivers and aims to partner with companies looking for delivery.

Interplai Connect brings these companies together to give everyone the on-demand capacity to fill both their needs. When Anytime Grille submits orders to Connect, BatchDSP has the option to complete the delivery for them.

How does Connect work?

Agreements are independently facilitated between the two companies outside of Interplai. Separately, both companies need to go through the process of getting set up with Interplai.

Each company creates its own personal API key using the Client Console.

Using the personal API key, the company that requires items to be delivered (Anytime Grille) will create a zone. Anytime Grille can manage their zones any way they like, regardless of the setup of any other companies they will partner with through Connect.

The delivery service provider (BatchDSP) will also create a zone using their personal Interplai API key. This zone belongs only to BatchDSP but this is the zone where the optimizations will be calculated, so it may be helpful to use zones as placeholders for specific geographic regions. That way, optimizations are quicker, and so they can communicate these regions with other connected companies, such as Anytime Grille.

It is expected that any company that provides a delivery service will also set up additional items in their zone, such as creating vehicles and adjusting preferred parameters/settings.

Next, the company that will be performing the deliveries (BatchDSP) needs to create a Connect API key for that zone. This special API key serves a different purpose than the API key; the Connect API key is specific to be shared with the partner company to connect the trips between them.

Next, BatchDSP shares the Connect API key with Anytime Grille.

Anytime Grille will use both their own personal API key and the Connect API key provided to them by BatchDSP to create trips for BatchDSP's. Interplai uses both these API keys to duplicate the trip in BatchDSP’s zone and synchronize the trip.

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The Connect API key is specific to one of the DSP’s trips. The company sending the trip needs to keep track of the Connect API key and which zone it is associated with.

The trip will be optimized inside BatchDSP’s zone. Just like a trip with Interplai, this trip will be optimized based on the parameters previously set for trips, the zones, and vehicles.

An Optimization solution will be created inside BatchDSP’s zone, which will include a suggested route sequence and vehicle assignment.

BatchDSP will need to accept the suggested route (or segments) before any further action is taken. If BatchDSP has its parameters set to continuous optimization, Interplai will reoptimize if any new information is provided until the route is accepted or the trip has expired.

As soon as BatchDSP accepts a route (or segment), the solution will be synched with Anytime Grille’s zone. Interplai will copy the accepted solution into to corresponding zone belonging to Anytime Grille, where the trip originated.

As BatchDSP performs the delivery (or deliveries), all updates sent to Interplai are synchronized between the connected zones. For example, vehicle, waypoint, and trip updates may include:

• Vehicle location updates
• When the vehicle arrives at the pickup location
• When the order is picked up
• When the vehicle departs the pickup location
• When the vehicle arrives at the drop-off location
• When the delivery is complete
• When the vehicle departs from the drop-off location

Everything about the trip is synced between the zones starting with the acceptance of the route, so Anytime Grille will have access to all of these updates as well.

Additionally, it is good practice to subscribe to webhooks for relevant information. Both companies will set up their own webhooks based on the updates they would like to receive. Any updates made in one zone will be synchronized with the other zones, so both companies can receive updates via webhook subscription.

FAQs About Connect

What if an order needs to be canceled?

At any time, either company can cancel an order. When an order is canceled, the record of it still exists in our system (unlike deleting a trip). However, the actions that need to happen as a result of canceling an order need to be agreed upon between the two companies using Connect.

Can a trip be updated by the original requester (such as Anytime Grille) after the delivery service provider has accepted?

Yes, updates are synchronized between the zones. Any updates posted by either party will be synched between both companies.

Are there any additional actions required by either company to sync the zones?

No, once the Connect API key has been used to create the trip, Interplai will automatically synchronize any actions/updates between the zones in relation to that trip.

Can a company that needs orders delivered (such as Anytime Grille) connect to more than one delivery service provider?

Yes, each time a company connects with a DSP, they will require their own agreement between the companies as well as a shared Connect API key.