No matter what they sell, every business has the same two goals. They all aim to reduce expenses and increase revenue.
Courier services, propane delivery companies, and other businesses that regularly send employees out to meet with customers often find it difficult to accomplish these goals, though. It’s hard to keep expenses down when, on top of everything else, you must pay for gas and vehicle maintenance.
That’s why such businesses need route planning software. It provides you with more efficient routes, which means your field employees won’t need to use as much gas to make it to all their stops. Also, more efficient routes give your drivers the ability to visit more stops each day. This allows you to serve more customers (and make more money) without the expense of hiring more employees.
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The best routing programs have other features that will increase your profit margin, such as:
Color Coding
Some road trip planners allow you to assign colors to your stops. You can use this feature to prioritize which stops are most worth your time and effort. For example, you could use the color red to mark your hot leads and the color blue to mark your cold leads. This will help you keep your operation organized.
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Territory Mapping
It doesn’t make any sense to send your field employees back and forth across your entire service area. With a territory mapping feature, you can carve your service area up into different territories and assign a field employee to each territory. Everyone on your team will be more efficient when each set of stops is closer together.
GPS Tracking
Optimized routes won’t do you any good if your field employees don’t actually follow the routes you give them. A GPS tracking feature will show you where your field employees are and how fast they’re going in real-time. You can use it to make sure your employees are doing what you’re paying them to do.
Fuel Consumption Reporting
In addition to helping you keep your employees in line, GPS tracking also gives you a better understanding of your business. Tracking data reveals exactly how much fuel you’re using. That gives you a baseline to work with when you experiment with different fuel efficiency techniques to find the best ways to save gas.
Word of Mouth
One of the more abstract, but also most effective, ways that route planning software increases your revenue is through word of mouth.
Route optimization software allows your field employees to show up on-time more often. This ensures that your customers stay satisfied with your service. They’ll be so satisfied, in fact, that they’ll likely recommend your business to their friends, family, and other people they know.
So, do you understand how route planning software can increase your revenue and reduce your expenses? Do you have any questions about this article? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
