Import tasks from external systems
Pull orders from your own system into Upper as Tasks via the API, then turn the ones you want to deliver today into a new or existing route in a couple of clicks.
Tasks is a holding area in Upper for work that comes from outside your route planner — orders, jobs, or deliveries fed in from your own system. Once they land in Tasks, you pick the ones you want to run and turn them into a route, so you're not copying orders by hand every morning.
You'll find Tasks in the left navigation, under Plan > Tasks.
Some workspaces show Technician and Service labels instead of Driver and Delivery. The Tasks feature works the same either way — only the wording differs.
Why this matters
When orders live in one system and routes live in another, every morning starts with a spreadsheet export and a round of copy-paste. Tasks closes that gap: orders flow in automatically, sit in a queue, and you batch the ones you want into a route when you're ready. The rest stays parked until you need it.
Before you start
- Plan requirement — Tasks is available on the Professional, Optimize, and Enterprise plans. Feeding tasks in automatically through the API is available on the Optimize and Enterprise plans.
- Where it lives — Plan > Tasks in the left navigation.
- A source of orders — your own system pushing data through Upper's API, a spreadsheet to import, or tasks you add by hand.
How tasks get into Upper
There are three ways to populate the Tasks list:
- Through the API — your external system pushes orders into Upper automatically. This is the hands-off option once it's set up.
- By importing a file — bring in a CSV or Excel file using Import Tasks or Import Tasks With Preview.
- By hand — add a one-off task with Add Task.
All three live behind the + (add) button at the top of the Tasks list.
The Tasks list at a glance
The Tasks screen has a segmented control with three views:
- Pending — tasks that have come in but aren't on a route yet. This is where you select and build routes.
- Scheduled — tasks that are already on a route. Each row shows which route plan it belongs to and has an Unschedule button to pull it back into Pending.
- Completed — tasks that have been delivered or finished.
Each Pending task shows its address, and a red warning icon at the top of the list opens a filter grouping tasks by their address-verification status (such as Verified). Use the Search field and Filter menu to narrow a long list before you build a route.
Build a route from your tasks
Open the Pending list
Go to Plan > Tasks and make sure the Pending view is selected.
Select the tasks you want to run
Tick the checkbox next to each task you want to include. Use Search or Filter (for example, by City) to find the right ones quickly in a long list.
Create the route
With your tasks selected, choose one of the buttons at the bottom right:
- + Create New Route — starts a fresh route from the selected tasks.
- Add to Existing Route — drops the selected tasks onto a route you already have.
The selected tasks move to the Scheduled view and become stops on the route, where you can optimize, assign drivers, and dispatch as usual.
You don't have to route everything at once. Select only the tasks for today's run, build the route, and leave the rest in Pending for later. Made a mistake? Open the Scheduled view and click Unschedule to send a task back to Pending.
Set up the API feed
To have your external system push orders into Tasks automatically, the connection is made through Upper's API. The API covers how orders are sent in and which fields each task can carry — address, contact details, time windows, service time, and more. Feeding tasks in through the API is available on the Optimize and Enterprise plans.
If you'd rather not wire up an API connection, you can still get the same outcome by exporting orders to a spreadsheet and using Import Tasks With Preview to bring them in.
Common scenarios
- Orders from your own system — push them into Tasks through the API so they appear automatically. Each morning, select the day's tasks in Pending and create a route.
- A spreadsheet of orders — export from your order system and use Import Tasks With Preview to map and bring them in, then route them.
- Mixed sources (phone, online, recurring) — get every source into Tasks, then select and build routes from one place at the dispatcher's discretion.
Troubleshooting
Related
Import CSV and Excel files
Import stops into Upper from a CSV or Excel file. Use Import with Preview to map columns and check data, or Import File to drag and drop a spreadsheet.
Link pickups and deliveries
Control when pickups happen relative to deliveries in Upper. Use Pickup Settings in a route's Advanced Settings to run pickups before, between, or after deliveries.