Live tracking links for customers

What it is

A live tracking link is a simple web page Routella makes for each customer's order. They tap one link and see a friendly page with a greeting using their first name, their delivery day and estimated arrival time, the driver's name, a map zoomed to their area, a list of stops along the route, and the products they ordered. They can also tap to call your shop or send a quick note to the driver. The page refreshes by itself, so it always shows the latest. Customers do not need a password or account, and each link only shows that one person's delivery, not anyone else's.

Why it matters

"Where is my order?" is the question that eats your day. When customers can check for themselves, you get far fewer calls and messages, and people feel calmer because they are not left guessing. It also makes your business look polished and trustworthy: the page carries your business name, logo, and colors, so it feels like part of your brand, not a generic shipping notice. Fewer worried customers waiting at the wrong time means fewer missed deliveries, fewer redeliveries, and happier repeat buyers.

Step by step

1. 1
   Turn on the messages that carry the link

   The tracking link rides inside your automatic customer messages. Open the Automations area and switch on the delivery messages (for example "Order accepted for delivery" and "Delivery in progress"). These are the WhatsApp, SMS, or email notes that go out when an order is added to a route and when it is on the way. As long as one of these is on, the tracking link gets included automatically.
2. 2
   Make sure the link is inside your message text

   In the message text for those automations, keep the tracking link tag, written as {trackingUrl}. This tag is a placeholder that Routella swaps for each customer's own private link when the message is sent. If you write your own custom wording, just leave {trackingUrl} somewhere in the message (for example: "Track your delivery here: {trackingUrl}") so the customer gets their page.
3. 3
   Build a delivery round like you normally do

   On the dashboard, pick the orders you are delivering, assign them to a driver, and save the route. The moment you save, Routella quietly creates a separate tracking page for every customer in that round. You do not press any extra button to make the links, they are made for you.
4. 4
   Let the link reach the customer

   When the round is saved and the order moves on its way, the automatic message goes out with that customer's personal link inside it. Each person taps their own link and lands on their own page. You do not have to copy or paste anything per customer.
5. 5
   Choose what the page shows (Settings → Delivery → Tracking Page)

   Go to Settings, open the Delivery section, and find "Tracking Page". Here you can set the page title (for example "Delivery Tracking - Your Business Name") and use simple on/off switches for: showing the ordered products, showing the estimated arrival time, and showing the map. Turn off anything you would rather not show customers.
6. 6
   Decide whether customers see the driver moving

   In that same Tracking Page area, there is a switch called "Share driver's live location with customers". When it is on, customers see a moving truck dot on the map as the driver delivers, and the page refreshes about every 30 seconds so it looks live. When it is off, customers still get the page and the route, but they do not see the truck moving, and the page refreshes about every 15 minutes. Pick whichever you are comfortable with.
7. 7
   Check it yourself before relying on it

   Open one of your own test orders' tracking links on your phone to see exactly what your customers see: your branding at the top, the greeting, the arrival time, the map, the stops, and the "call us" and "message the driver" options. This quick look confirms everything reads the way you want.

Tips

• Each link is private to one customer. On the map, stops are marked by city only, not the exact street address, so customers on the same route can never see each other's home address.
• The arrival time shown is that customer's own estimated arrival, not the start of the whole route. It updates as the driver delivers, so it stays honest as the day goes on.
• If a customer messages the driver from their page, that note comes through Routella, so make sure someone is watching for those messages during delivery hours.
• No app or login is needed for customers. The page opens straight in any phone browser and shows up in the customer's own language automatically.

Common questions

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