What are Receiving Hours in Cool Running Software?

Receiving Hours are customer level delivery windows that you add in Customer Management. When you optimize routes, the system places that stop inside the defined window.

Does Route Optimization work with Receiving Hours?

Yes. Receiving Hours are used during optimization to order and schedule stops. If a stop cannot fit inside the window it is flagged so a dispatcher can adjust.

Can an order override the location Receiving Hours?

Yes. Set a specific delivery time on the order. Route Optimization will honor that time instead of the location Receiving Hours for that stop.

How do I add Receiving Hours for a customer?

Open your customer list, select the location, go to Delivery Info, find Receiving Hours, enter the window, and save.

Why does a stop show as skipped after optimization?

The stop may not fit inside the chosen delivery window or the customer Receiving Hours. Adjust the window, move the stop to a different route, or set an order level delivery time.

Will drivers see Receiving Hours in the Delivery App?

This is coming soon. Drivers will see Receiving Hours for each stop and receive a warning when a delivery falls outside the window.

What should I tell an AI assistant to help me set this up?

Ask the assistant to list customers with known delivery windows, create a checklist to add Receiving Hours for each, and identify orders that require a specific delivery time override.

How can AI help me maintain accurate Receiving Hours over time?

Use AI to scan delivery notes and support messages for time window changes, produce a weekly report of suspected updates, and remind staff to confirm and edit the location hours.

Can I ask AI to diagnose why a route did not honor a time window?

Yes. Provide the route date, the stop, the Receiving Hours, any order level delivery time, and the chosen optimization window. AI can walk you through likely causes and fixes.

What prompt should I use to plan routes with Receiving Hours?

Try this prompt: Build a delivery plan for tomorrow using Receiving Hours. List stops that do not fit inside the chosen window and suggest reassignment or order level overrides.

Receiving Hours + Route Optimization

7-9 Minute Read

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New To CRS: Receiving Hours Overview

In Cool Running Software, customer management has always been about more than just storing a name and address. Each location carries an immense amount of customer info and attention to detail that is designed to work across the entire CRS system. This information is not just record keeping, it is the foundation that makes your workflows smarter, your routes more efficient, and your business more productive.

Until now, our Route Optimization Tool could only rely on order-level delivery times and general assumptions about availability. While this worked for many stops, it didn’t always capture the real-world receiving windows that customers operate under. If a location only accepts deliveries between 6:00–11:30 am, dispatchers had to work around that manually or risk sending a truck when the doors were closed.

That is why we have introduced Receiving Hours. You can now open your customer list, select a location, and add receiving windows in the delivery info section. When that stop is optimized on a route, the Route Optimization tool will automatically factor in the receiving hours. This new capability takes the burden off of dispatchers and puts next level accuracy into every route that you choose to optimize.

Video: Receiving Hours + CRS In Action

The best way to see how Receiving Hours work is to watch them in action. In this short video we walk through adding receiving windows to a customer location, show how they are applied during Route Optimization, and demonstrate how orders with specific delivery times can override those hours when needed.

Adding Receiving Hours to Locations

How to Add Receiving Hours

Updating a customer location with Receiving Hours only takes a moment. All you need to do is update the delivery info in your customer list.

You can enter same-day hotshots, plan for future deliveries, or respond to incoming calls and customer requests in real time, all without needing a dispatcher or prebuilt route.

Step by Step:

Open your Customer List
Click on the Customer & Location you want to update
Select the Delivery Info tab
Scroll to the Receiving Hours section
Enter the correct hours for that customer
Save your changes

Tip: For the best results, we recommend adding Receiving Hours for every customer with known delivery windows, and making it part of your process whenever new customers are added to your system. This ensures your optimized routes always reflect real customer availability.

Benefits to Adding Receiving Hours

Route Optimization: Stops are organized and ordered with customer receiving hours in mind, so routes fit real delivery windows.

Delivery App (coming soon): Drivers will see receiving hours directly in the app, with alerts if a stop falls outside the customer’s delivery window.

Overall: Adding receiving hours reduces wasted trips, increases route accuracy, and creates a smoother experience for both your team and your customers.

How Orders Are Handled with Receiving Hours

Once Receiving Hours are added to a customer, they automatically carry through to every order for that location. This means:

Auto Orders: Any order created for that customer will already include the Receiving Hours, ensuring Route Optimization schedules the stop within the correct window.

Manual Orders: Receiving Hours are also applied automatically unless you choose to override them.

How to Override Receiving Hours on a Manual Order

Step by Step:

Click on Order Entry Under Orders in Navigation
Search the Customer Info
Click Continue
Select the Delivery Time Requirements
Finish Creating the Order as Usual

This sets a specific delivery time on the order, which Route Optimization will honor instead of the location receiving hours for that stop.

Tip: Use overrides when a customer requires a specific delivery time or when the requested delivery time falls outside their normal receiving hours.

How Receiving Hours Work in Route Optimization

Once Receiving Hours are set for a customer location, they automatically become part of the route optimization process. When you optimize routes, CRS uses those time windows to decide where and when each stop should be placed in the route.

Key Points:

Stops are ordered with customer receiving hours in mind, so routes reflect real delivery windows
Orders with specific delivery times will override the location’s receiving hours, ensuring customer requests are always respected
If a stop cannot fit into the receiving window, Route Optimization will flag it so dispatchers can adjust the plan
This keeps routes aligned with real world conditions instead of relying on assumptions or manual adjustments

Works Across All Optimization Tools:

Simple Route Optimization Tool – Reorder stops within one or more routes instantly with Receiving Hours taken into account

Create Routes From Unrouted Orders – Build new routes from unscheduled stops, ordered around customer availability

Reorganize Routes Optimization Tool – Clean up messy routes and rebalance workloads while respecting Receiving Hours

Route Optimizer in Route Templates Tool – Bake Receiving Hours directly into recurring templates so future routes always align with customer schedules

Want to see all the ways Route Optimization can save time and cut costs?
Check out our Route Optimization Guide for a full breakdown of features and use cases.

Tip: Route Optimization is most powerful when combined with accurate customer data. Adding Receiving Hours ensures your system plans smarter routes every time.

Receiving Hours in the Delivery App

Receiving Hours aren’t just for Route Optimization.
They’re now built directly into the Cool Running Driver App (v1.0.127, released Sep 17, 2025).

Drivers can see the exact receiving hours for each stop on their route, replacing the old Google-based opening hours. If a customer is closed, the app shows a clear warning to prevent wasted trips and missed deliveries.

The Google Search shortcut is still available on each customer screen, giving drivers a quick way to look up the location if needed.

Update your Driver App today to access Receiving Hours:

Update In The App Store
Update In The Play Store

Start Using Receiving Hours In CRS Today

Adding Receiving Hours to your customer locations makes your business smarter and your routes more reliable. Dispatchers spend less time manually adjusting routes, drivers avoid wasted trips, and customers get deliveries when they are ready. It is a simple update that creates immediate impact across your operation.

Works Across All Optimization Tools:

Log in today, open your customer list, and start adding Receiving Hours to your locations. The sooner you set them, the smarter your routes will become.

For New Customers:

This is just one example of how Cool Running Software goes beyond basic logistics tools to help ice delivery companies run smarter. Click here to request a demo and see how CRS can transform your daily operations.

Have any questions? Contact us directly at iceguy@coolrunningsoftware.com or 440-343-1744

Introducing Receiving Hours + Smarter Route Optimization in Cool Running Software

Table of Contents

New To CRS: Receiving Hours Overview

Video: Receiving Hours + CRS In Action