# Order the stops so the day fits

Route optimization is ordering unfinished stops so the day fits the map. Knockdesk is field sales software, and a manager asking what is route optimization wants driving order, not a pin dump.

## A pin list is not a route

You feel it when the first drive crosses the turf twice and the last pin is still open at dusk. Route optimization is the order. If a finished door comes back as stop one, the day is already wrong. The 12 open pins in the example move. The 3 done pins do not.

1. Hold the turf. The stop list opens on unvisited pins.
2. Select 12 unfinished stops. Optimize order can run from 3 to 25 routable stops.
3. Save the pack. A later optimize rewrites the unfinished order and keeps completed stops at the front.
4. Start the route. Mark a stop done. It stays done.

## The order sits on turf you already cut

Route optimization does not draw the area. A sales territory is the boundary. Turf is the work cut from it. The route is the driving order on the pins still open.

- [Turf](/glossary/turf): The pack the stop list opens on.

- [Sales territory](/glossary/sales-territory): The area you draw before anyone cuts a route.

## How Knockdesk tracks it

Knockdesk orders unfinished stops by driving duration on turf the rep already holds. Optimize order runs when 3 to 25 routable stops are selected. Done stays done. Starting the route can clock the rep in and set On Route. Full desk is on the pricing page.

## Keep going from the stop list

- [Field sales glossary](/glossary): The hub this term opens from.

- [Turf](/glossary/turf): The work the route has to stay inside.

- [Sales route planning](/features/sales-route-planning): Driving order on held turf, with done left done.

## FAQ

### What is route optimization?

Route optimization is ordering unfinished stops so the day fits the map. Finished doors stay finished. A pin dump is not a route.

### How many stops can Knockdesk optimize?

Optimize order runs when 3 to 25 routable stops are selected. Above 25, the control says Optimize supports up to 25 stops.

### Does optimize reopen a finished door?

No. Completed stops stay at the front. Only unfinished stops are rewritten.

### Does the route start the clock?

Auto clock-in when starting a route is on by default. The pack moves to in progress and the shift can become On Route.

### Is route optimization the same as drawing a territory?

No. You draw the territory and cut turf first. Route optimization orders the open pins on turf you already hold.

### How much does Knockdesk cost?

Full desk is on the pricing page. A free trial is not open.