In our fast-paced world, mastering how to organize sales routes is key to customer retention and loyalty.
Let's be honest, manually organizing delivery routes can be a headache, but with a bit of knowledge and some tools, you can turn it into a walk in the park.
Below, we'll share some tips to help you organize effective and efficient sales routes.
It sounds obvious, but not everyone does it. Before diving into route planning, understand well what you need. How many deliveries are we talking about? Where are they going? Are there packages with specific schedules? Learning how to organize sales routes begins with understanding well the needs of your deliveries.
The use of technological tools for route planning has been gaining more and more territory, becoming a critical tool for many companies with last-mile needs.
Tools like Drivin's "Go to Market" functionality can calculate the best routes for you, considering restrictions like traffic, distance, and delivery times. The main functionality of Go to Market is to allow companies to plan and optimize the geographical distribution of routes for their pre-sellers.
Not all deliveries are equal. Determine which ones are the most important based on factors such as estimated delivery dates, the caliber of the customer, and the product itself being delivered.
For example, in the case of frozen products, it's necessary to give them higher priority, as the maintenance of the product is more expensive compared to one that does not require refrigeration.
Life is full of surprises, like traffic jams and bad weather. Have a plan B for your routes so that you can adapt when things don't go as planned.
In these cases, the use of route planning tools, such as TMS, are perfect for the automatic reprogramming of the route, optimizing it as it identifies situations that warrant a delay in the route.
Once your drivers are on the move, it's critical to keep a record of how things are going. Tools that track vehicles in real-time can help you detect any delay or problem on the route and make real-time changes to ensure the arrival of the product to the final customer.
After each round of deliveries, take a look at how things went. Look for patterns in any delays, how much fuel you used, and what your customers say. Use this information to adjust your process and make it better next time.
Many of the platforms that exist for route management offer the possibility of generating reports with the data collected throughout the delivery routes. With this, it is possible to adjust expectations and synthesize data in a coherent way.
In today's world, being eco-friendly is more important than ever. Choose fuel-efficient vehicles, plan routes that reduce driving, and aim to reduce emissions. Look for technological tools certified in emission reduction initiatives, for example, the new alliance of Giro Limpio with Drivin.
Giro Limpio aims to certify and recognize the efforts made by cargo generators, carriers, and logistics companies in sustainability and energy efficiency. This program seeks to reduce energy consumption and polluting emissions, contributing to sustainable development and the preservation of the environment.
Getting it right on how to organize sales routes is a vital issue in logistics. By using technology like Go To Market from Drivin, you can create routes that work for your business and your customers.
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