Excellent customer experience has made its way ahead of price and product for companies to set themselves apart from the competition. Business owners have now prioritized their customers and clients and are investing to ensure their satisfaction.
For companies whose products and services are assessed on their ability to distribute goods, timely delivery has become critical for providing the best customer experience. Fleet management that once operated in the shadows has now taken center stage, and businesses are turning to route planning software to improve their delivery services.
However, there is a range of different route planning software available in the market with varying features, making it difficult for companies to choose the right one. It is essential to fully understand what route planning software is, how it can benefit your business, and the best route planning software available in the market to ensure you make an informed decision.
The correct route planning software allows businesses to schedule and plan efficient and multiple stops on delivery routes through sophisticated algorithms. This software is also referred to as route optimization or scheduling and routing software.
When one considers the required variable and possible permutations, the accuracy of route plans created by the software is far superior to manually planned ones. This allows you to deliver goods to your customers exactly when you promise them you will, resulting in enhanced reliability and trustworthiness. This ultimately translates to repeat business and customer loyalty.
Aside from this, the primary reason many organizations invest in route planning software is because of cost savings. Automated route planning can cut the overall cost of fleet operations by decreasing the miles and time required to complete the deliveries.
Multiple factors can have an impact on which vehicle is assigned to a particular driver and route, as well as the time it takes. These could include operation factors, like:
They may also include factors outside of the organization, like:
All these combinations of factors can lead to countless possible permutations. Therefore, automated route planning is more viable, effective, and cost-effective for organizations.
There is a variety of route planning software in the market that offers multiple features and options to meet the needs and budget requirements of many businesses. Here are some of the best routing planning software that can help with your business:
This software is an ideal platform that allows business owners, field-service operators, and dispatchers to plan, monitor, manage, and implement efficient pickup and delivery routes. It includes built-in navigation that can help you automatically plan deliveries and pickups quickly and smoothly.
This route planning software is ideal for businesses that need logistics and routing services, including territory management, field marketing, field sales, and field service. They offer in-person training.
Deployment
Pricing
Features
Detrack is one of the leading route and delivery planning software that provides live vehicle tracking and real-time proof of delivery through android or iOS apps. The software offers the first driver free of cost forever.
The app is translated into 26 languages and is used for millions of deliveries all over the globe. Detrack is ideal for beverage, food, ecommerce, pharmaceutical, and retail deliveries.
Deployment
Pricing
They offer a free trial and a free version. The first driver is free.
Features
This fleet management software provides you with the intelligence and insights required to efficiently optimize routes to drive growth. It offers accurate insights into the performance of the fleet, opportunities for improvements, and hidden costs that can be avoided through its end-to-end, cloud-based features.
Verizon Connect is ideal for medium to small-sized businesses that cover five or more vehicles.
Deployment
Pricing
The pricing is not listed as it is based on the features. You can get an estimate by contacting them and explaining your requirements. The software doesn’t offer a free or trial version, but you can also request a demo.
Features
Tookan is a great route planner that allows you to optimize the routes based on your requirements and needs. It creates the shortest and fastest routes to increase the efficiency of the delivery operations. It helps in reducing fuel usage and improves your time and cost efficiency.
This software is best for enterprises like food delivery, pharmacy, and logistics sectors that offer on-demand delivery services.
Deployment
Pricing
This software offers two pricing plans with 14 day trial period:
Features
This is a web-based solution that allows you to establish and customize your route through geocoding and API integration while also tracking the drivers through GPS. It also includes optimization features that help calculate the ideal route for multi-stop deliveries and provides optimal sequence display.
You can export or print the routes through various navigation apps. It also includes a communication feature that ensures smooth communication between back-office managers and on-field drivers. This software is ideal for medium to small-sized businesses, particularly transportation services and delivery services.
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Routific provides you with the tools for smooth planning, dispatching, and tracking routes while managing the customer experience with proof of delivery and notifications. Whether you need to transport furniture, fresh produce, parcels, or more, Routific can help establish efficient routes to make faster and quicker deliveries.
You can make fast deliveries with automated schedules based on priorities and customers' requirements, track your drivers and reduce your delivery costs all through a single software. Routific is ideal for medium and small-sized businesses that need to make pickups, stops, and deliveries daily.
Deployment
Pricing
This software offers two pricing plans with seven day trial period:
Features
This is a web-based route planning software that provides live maps, exporting options to mobile or GPS, driving directions, and more. This software has the ability to convert addresses from Excel to your route plan that can be shared through GPS or mobile sharing. You can establish several routes of a single one.
You can optimize multiple stops through the multi-stop navigation feature that helps in saving fuel and money. The software also provides in-person training. It is ideal for businesses in retail, telecommunication, real estate, newspaper, laundry, and other businesses that require management, navigation, and optimization of routes.
Deployment
Pricing
MyRouteOnline offers five pricing plans:
They also offer a free trial.
Features
Now that you have taken a major step toward improving your fleet management and delivery services for your customers and have a list of the best software available in the market, you must know how to select the right one for your business.
It is a crucial decision for your business, and multiple considerations can help you find the right software based on your needs and requirements. Here are the main things you should consider before selecting a route planning software:
The composition and size of the team are significant factors that could affect your route planning software choice. You must take into consideration the people who would be using the software. Therefore, you need software that is easy to use for everyone, including your drivers.
Technology in different software varies, and it is wiser to go with software that doesn't need any technical proficiency. When you invest in easy-to-use software, your initial deployment becomes easier and quicker. It helps in preventing errors and mistakes on the road that could cause delays. This also ensures any driver hired after the deployment of software can be trained quickly.
It is also vital to ensure the software is user-friendly for administrative staff and the dispatchers who would need to use it to dispatch deliveries.
Multiple route planning software services offer customers a free trial version for a few days. You should benefit from the trial period to determine whether or not the software you have selected would work for your business operations.
For those software solutions that don't offer a free trial, you can request a personal demonstration. This gives you an opportunity to ask questions based on the unique needs and requirements of your business. Asking for references from the provider is a great way to connect with similar businesses and find out how the software is working for them.
Route planning software is available in a range of pricing options. Some basic features could be free in some software solutions or might require a minimal cost for others. Plenty of route planning software providers don't mention the pricing on their websites and only give a quote based on the particular needs of a business.
Pricing of these solutions is usually dependent on the user deployment number, features included, route complexity, and other add-ons.
Finding software that allows you to scale down or up based on your changing requirements is a great way to avoid additional costs.
Route planning software can significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of your fleet and delivery management. The software solutions offer more than the benefits of multiple stops route optimization. You can establish efficient routes based on time-sensitive deliveries, priority deliveries, vehicle capacity, seasonal roads, highways, traffic, and roads. The right route planning software could help your team focus on multiple factors to further improve customer satisfaction, including customer updates, delivery proof, and route monitoring. The listed software solutions and tips for finding the right one can help you find the best route planning software for your business.
