Set up a dispatch strategy

This walks through creating a dispatch strategy: naming it, choosing which providers it can use and how it picks among them, capping the delivery fee, setting rules and requirements, and configuring auto-reassign. For what each mode and setting means, see how dispatch strategies work; for a field-by-field reference while you're in the editor, see dispatch strategy settings. For what happens after a strategy dispatches an order, see how dispatch works.

Note

If you have view-only access, you'll see these settings but can't change them. Ask an admin for edit rights to create or edit a dispatch strategy.

Create a strategy

1. Go to Orchestrate ▸ Dispatch Strategies. The left rail lists your existing strategies under Active and Inactive; the right side is the editor.
2. Select Create New Strategy and give it a name. Names must be unique. Your new strategy opens in the editor, ready to configure.

Choose allowed providers and a selection mode

Under Provider Selection, add the providers this strategy is allowed to use — it will only ever dispatch to providers on this list. You need at least one.

Then pick a selection mode, which decides how Nash orders the providers you allowed:

• Lowest Cost (default) — the cheapest eligible quote.
• Manual Ranking — your own order. Drag providers in the allowed list to reorder them; Nash tries them top to bottom.
• Most Reliable — favors providers with a higher reliability score.
• Weighted Distribution — splits volume across providers by a percentage you set for each one. The percentages must add up to 100.
• Dynamic — balances reliability against price automatically. Availability varies by organization — reach out to Nash if you'd like it turned on.

See how dispatch strategies work for how each mode actually picks.

Set a fee cap

Under Delivery Fees, the only control is Maximum Delivery Fee. Turn it on and enter the most you're willing to pay for a delivery under this strategy. Quotes above the cap are passed over.

Set rules and requirements

Under Rules, configure:

• Auto-Dispatch on Creation — dispatch a delivery to a provider the moment it's created, instead of waiting for someone to review quotes and dispatch it by hand. For some integrations this is fixed and can't be changed.
• Auto-Dispatch Relative to Pickup Start Time — instead of dispatching at creation, dispatch a set number of minutes before the pickup time (for deliveries not already dispatched). Doesn't apply to orders using an optimization strategy.
• Package Requirements — restrict the strategy to providers that support the capabilities you select, such as proof-of-delivery photo or signature, ID/age verification, or alcohol handling. Providers without them are passed over.
• Vehicle Request — request a minimum vehicle type for deliveries under this strategy. If the delivery itself also specifies a vehicle, the larger of the two is used.

Set up auto-reassign

Under Auto Reassign, turn on the triggers that fit your operation. Each one hands a delivery off to the next eligible provider in the strategy when something goes wrong:

• Auto Reassign on Cancellation — if the assigned provider cancels, reassign automatically. You can send the reassignment to a different strategy, and add a time constraint so it only reassigns while the delivery is still a set number of minutes before pickup. Turn on Smart Reassignment so Nash weighs whether another attempt is likely to succeed before retrying — if it isn't, the delivery is canceled instead of retried repeatedly. Split Batch on Provider Cancellation splits a canceled batch into single deliveries and reassigns them.
• Auto Reassign on Pickup Time — if a delivery's status hasn't advanced within a time you set, reassign it. You choose how many minutes before or after pickup to act, and which status it must still be at, and can send the reassignment to a different strategy.
• Auto Reassign after Creation — if a delivery stays unassigned for a number of minutes you set, reassign it to the next eligible provider.

Warning

Use auto-reassign on creation time or on pickup time — not both. Running them together can work against each other.

Save, activate, and manage the strategy

1. Select Save. Save is only enabled once the form is valid and you have edit rights.
2. Select Activate. A strategy only runs while it's active — a saved but inactive strategy won't be picked for any order.
3. From the strategy's header, you can also: - Duplicate — clone the strategy under a new name, to build a variant without starting over. - Deactivate — pause the strategy without losing its configuration. This doesn't delete it; you can activate it again later.

Once a strategy is active, it's ready to be used. For the field-by-field detail on every setting covered above, see dispatch strategy settings; for what happens when an order actually dispatches under a strategy, see how dispatch works.

Apply the strategy

A strategy does nothing until something applies it to an order. The most common way is through a workflow: build a workflow with a Set dispatch strategy action to assign it automatically to orders that match your conditions. See build a workflow in the portal and workflow triggers, conditions, and actions.

Related

• How dispatch strategies work — what each selection mode and auto-reassign trigger actually does.
• Dispatch strategy settings — a field-by-field reference for every setting.
• How dispatch works — how an order becomes a job once it's dispatched.
• Build a workflow in the portal — apply a dispatch strategy automatically.