Why Route Planning is Important For Your Business

Editor’s Note: Shachar Shamir is COO of Ranky, a marketing company based in Tel Aviv.

Depending on the complexity of your routes, geography, customer expectations, budget and so on - every decision is crucial, and if it's the wrong one, it can be detrimental to company revenue and customer satisfaction.

Having a vast amount of destinations makes planning routes a daunting task, especially if your business is one that is still relying on pen and paper to do so. This method of planning is not only inefficient and time-consuming but puts businesses at risk of failing to meet customer expectations. Which is why you should look at investing in a route planning tool.

Cuts Transportation Costs

Businesses looking to stay within budget, are at a disadvantage when it comes to transportation costs, as these can add up, fast. With fuel being expensive most places around the world, having multiple destinations, and long periods of driving time won't appease the budget.

Regardless, with route optimization solutions you can save time and fuel by effectively planning efficient routes that factor in locations and avoid backtracking. Therefore, drivers spend less time driving, less fuel is needed as less backtracking is taking place, and businesses can reduce the wear and tear of the vehicle, ultimately saving on maintenance costs too.

Improves Customer Service

Improving customer satisfaction is crucial for maintaining a fruitful business, and a great way to do that is by eliminating wasteful practices. As a business owner, you understand that timeliness and efficiency is key to maintaining customer satisfaction. In fact, a 2015 delivering consumer report showed that 96% of consumers saying they would shop with a retailer again following a positive delivery experience.

Faster response times, and speedy deliveries, not only increase productivity but also create appealing delivery experiences - guaranteeing customers will come back for more. With a planner, businesses can make last minute changes, and meet tight schedules so no customer is getting left behind.

Increases Productivity

Every business has thousands of tasks that need to be accomplished, and businesses that are constantly hitting the road are no different. With the growing list of destinations to reach every day, it's very easy to let a few tasks slip through the cracks. Tackling the ever-growing pile of destinations is crucial, and can easily be accomplished with a route planner.

Navigation apps like Google, always pop to mind when thinking of planning routes. But, what about businesses that have to reach 20, 50, or even 100 places in one day? As Google Maps works on a stop-by-stop basis, it simply cannot efficiently get you around town. As a business owner, you need to consider time frames, driver shifts, the number of stops, stop changes, and so on. Route planner solutions not only help you avoid backtracking, as it organizes your stops based on location, but also ensure your business is reaching all set destinations - with time to spare.

All in all, route planners cut transportation costs, providing you with a more flexible budget, help you get to your customers more efficiently and on time, and increase the number of destinations you can reach in a day, effectively saving your business time and money on the road.

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