Optimize route planning with a sales route app

Enhance your sales routes with eSpatial

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eSpatial's route planning software is designed to maximize selling time and productivity for your field sales team. Unlike traditional route planning, eSpatial's optimization feature allows you to adjust multiple routes for your sales reps if you get a last-minute cancellation. That way, you can boost the number of field rep visits by up to 15%, reaching more prospects for customer success.

Field sales route optimization

Sales route planning is the process of importing a list of customer visits and ordering each appointment along the most efficient route. While this macro-level view of sales rep routes is important, it doesn't take into account the nuances and realities of field sales operations. Sometimes a driver falls ill, or there might be a last-minute appointment request or cancellation. In any instance that falls outside the scope of a planned route, this basic routing software simply falls short.

In contrast, a route optimization solution like eRouting uses advanced algorithms to find the optimal route for each salesperson in real-time. This can cut fuel costs and add up to one extra customer stop a day for each field rep. Intelligent maps also help you analyze and visualize multiple routes and territories for a more strategic approach.

A four day optimize sales route

With a complete solution to find the most optimized route, your sales reps can focus on maximizing customer satisfaction, selling time and, ultimately profits.

What to look for in a sales route app

As the field sales landscape becomes increasingly competitive, sales managers are seeking any tool that can give their company an advantage. Whether it's driver tracking functionality or the ability to uncover the fastest route, a sales route app can help your teams maximize their selling potential.

To help you choose the right tool for your business, here are four things to look for in a sales route app:

1. Multi-stop route planning

If your sales reps rely on a basic navigation app like Apple Maps, it's past time for an upgrade. A route planner goes beyond getting you from point A to point B by allowing you to add multiple destinations along each route.

2. Real-time adjustments

A sales route app should also allow you to make changes in response to events like cancellations or last-minute appointment requests. That way, reps can simply add or remove a scheduled stop and the app automatically finds a new optimized route.

3. Interactive data visualization

The ideal sales route app offers more than just planning and optimization features. It should also have interactive visualization capabilities, allowing sales and operations teams to map and view itineraries with customizable pins, filters and other tools utilizing customer data.

4. Integrations and compatibility

To support a seamless user experience, a route planner app should be capable of integrating with external navigation apps, CRM software and similar tools. Mobile compatibility is another essential feature, allowing on-the-go access from smartphones and laptops.

Benefits of routing software

Whether you want to find a speedy route or you're trying to increase selling time, routing software can help your business boost efficiency and rep productivity while improving customer satisfaction. From planning to optimization, there are numerous benefits to using a routing solution like eRouting, including:

1. Visualize your sales routes

Routing software doesn't stop at planning and optimization; it also includes advanced data tracking and visualization capabilities to improve your business intelligence. That way, you can upload, filter, view and plot customer data on a customizable map. You can also utilize heat maps to measure and visualize sales trends, allowing you to identify opportunities as they arise.

Visualize your sales routes

2. Re-optimize on the fly

When sales reps have a long list of multiple stops throughout the day, it's likely that not everything will go to plan. Routing software helps prevent a last-minute rebook or cancellation from costing you valuable selling time by automatically adjusting to a new optimized route. You can even add a new stop for a priority customer that just became available without disrupting the rest of your schedule.

3. Eliminate inefficiencies

A routing solution won't just save your field sales team time on the road; it will also help you streamline the planning process for every route. Instead of sitting down to manually plan multiple routes, routing software will instantly calculate the optimal route between various locations. This saves your operations team valuable time to focus on higher priority tasks while still delivering optimal, multi-stop route plans.

4. Monitor your reps' performance

From driver tracking to field sales performance, routing software can help sales managers monitor their team's daily activity to ensure they're reaching their goals. Geo-mapping capabilities allow you to view sales rep data, tasks and visitation details in real-time to prevent potential discrepancies in reporting. That way, sales managers can measure performance, improve accountability and maximize productivity for their teams.

5. Stay on schedule

When a small delay can cascade into a domino effect that topples the rest of your day, it's essential to have a tool that ensures your field sales reps stay on schedule. Multi-stop route planning and optimization features allow sales reps to log the start and end times for each meeting, adjusting their schedules throughout the day. Whether they're running behind or ahead of schedule, they can add, shift or remove appointments to accommodate priority customers.

How does a sales route app work?

Before you go out to look for a sales route app, it's important to understand how they work. While each tool is unique, there are four basic steps to creating a multi-stop route with a planner app:

  • Import customer data: The first step to setting up a sales route app is to import your customer data. This includes contact information, addresses and potentially your business' service depot locations. It's best to use a complete list of customer locations to enable future planning as well.
  • Select your stops: After uploading your customer data, you can map out clients and use the route planner to generate multiple routes for each sales rep. With comprehensive information on customer destinations, prospects and service depots, you can analyze and plan routes according to your specific needs and priorities.
  • Schedule your appointments: Once you know the visits each sales rep needs to make, all you need to do is set up the customer appointments and plot your route. Simply add your chosen stops from your list and select specific appointment slots for each meeting.
  • Optimize your route: With your route created, all that's left is to share it with your sales team and adjust it along the way. Route optimization features allow you to find the most efficient route from stop to stop, even as schedules shift and meeting times change.

Plan your sales day for success with eSpatial

eRouting is more than just a sales route planner. With intelligent optimization algorithms, customizable map visualizations and powerful tools for both sales and operations teams, eRouting is the most advanced routing software on the market.

Learn more about our sales route app

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