Things to Consider While Choosing a Delivery Route Planning App – [A Comprehensive Guide]

Ever wondered how some businesses deliver goods at lightning-fast speed while maintaining low costs? The secret lies in using the right delivery route planning app.

As a delivery business owner, the challenge of managing multiple stops, tight schedules, and ever-changing variables is no stranger to you. But, fear not! We’re here to guide you through the maze of available options. Our goal is to help you pick the perfect app fitting your business needs.

Ready to revolutionize your delivery game? Stick with us as we unravel strategies for efficient route planning. We’ll show how the right app can morph your business into a well-oiled delivery machine.

Let’s kick off with the things you should consider while choosing delivery apps.

What Should You Consider When Choosing a Delivery Route Planning App?

When choosing a delivery route planning app, there are several important factors to consider. Consider these 10 key factors: 

1. Route optimization

Evaluate how well the app optimizes delivery routes to minimize travel time, fuel consumption, and driver workload. Look for features like smart routing optimization algorithms that consider traffic patterns, road conditions, and other factors. For example, an app that offers dynamic route optimization based on real-time traffic data can help drivers avoid congestion and choose the fastest routes.

2. Real-time tracking

Ensure the app provides real-time tracking of deliveries. This feature allows you to monitor the progress of each delivery, view estimated arrival times, and communicate accurate updates to customers. An example of real-time tracking is a food delivery app that provides GPS-based tracking for customers to track the location of their packages.

3. Functionality

Assess if the app can handle the size and complexity of your delivery operations. This way, it’s easier to ensure that it meets your specific business requirements.

For instance, if you have multiple delivery routes of UPS, USPS, and FedEx with varying delivery time windows, the app should be able to accommodate those requirements. Similarly, if you have different vehicle capacities or specific constraints, such as restrictions on certain roads or areas, the app should provide features to handle such scenarios. 

4. Scalability 

Check that the app can scale alongside your business growth. The app should have the capacity to manage the volume of deliveries per day by adding additional drivers and vehicles. As your operations grow more complex, a scalable app becomes essential.  

5. Easy-to-use interface

Opt for a delivery route planning app with an intuitive interface that is easy for your admin, dispatchers, and drivers to understand and use.  Look for apps with a user-friendly design that requires minimal training and offers clear instructions. 

An app with a simple and intuitive design allows your staff to quickly adapt, leading to increased efficiency. With smoother operations, keep the user experience simpler and more well-designed. An example of ease of use could be an app with a drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to easily rearrange stops on a delivery route.

6. Integration with other business systems

Check if the app integrates seamlessly with your existing business systems. It should be able to share data with systems such as inventory management, order management, or CRM, ensuring smooth information flow. For instance, integration with a CRM system can enable the automatic syncing of customer addresses and delivery preferences. 

7. Data analytics and reporting

A valuable delivery route planner organizes and plans the shortest routes and offers analytics and reporting features. These capabilities enable you to gather valuable insights and reports about your delivery operations. The app should provide relevant metrics, such as delivery times, driver performance, fuel consumption analytics, and other KPIs. By analyzing this data, you can identify areas for improvement and enhance overall delivery efficiency.

8. 24/7 customer support 

It’s essential to ensure the app provider offers reliable customer support. In case you encounter any issues or have questions regarding the app, you should be able to receive prompt assistance. Reliable customer support ensures that you can quickly resolve any problems that may arise during app usage, minimizing disruptions to your delivery operations.

9. Security

Given that the app will handle sensitive data such as customer addresses and payment information, it’s crucial to prioritize security. Verify that the app has strong security measures in place, including encryption protocols, access controls, and compliance with data protection regulations. Protecting the confidentiality and integrity of customer and business data should be a top priority.

10. No driver app training

The ideal delivery route planning app should be intuitive and user-friendly to the point where no additional training is required for drivers. It should be designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, enabling drivers to use the app effectively right after installation. This ease of use comes from a thoughtful design that understands a driver’s needs and common tasks. However, even though no formal training is required, it’s important that the app provides support and resources in case drivers have questions or need clarification on certain functionalities.

Now let us give you a few reasons why you need a delivery route planning app for your business.  

Why a Business Needs a Delivery Route Planning App? – 4 Key Reasons

There are several compelling reasons why delivery businesses should adopt a route planning app. Let’s check them out.

1. Increase delivery efficiency

A delivery route planning app streamlines the process of generating routes for more deliveries. By taking into account factors like traffic, distance, and priority deliveries, such an app can significantly reduce delivery time. For businesses with multiple drivers and vehicles, a route planner is the best solution to increase productivity. Drivers can complete more deliveries in a day and improve operational efficiency leading to customer satisfaction. 

2. To reduce operational costs 

Route planning apps help cut costs associated with delivery operations. Optimizing routes helps businesses to minimize fuel consumption, and reduce vehicle maintenance, and costs. Additionally, these apps ensure reducing labor costs and overtime expenses. By optimizing resource allocation and reducing operational expenses, businesses can improve their profitability.

3. To boost customer satisfaction

Many businesses in the logistics industry face the challenge of keeping their customers informed about the estimated time of arrival (ETA) for their deliveries. This is where route planning software becomes crucial. It offers businesses and their customers’ real-time updates on driver status, making delivery times more accurate and transparent.

Dynamic route optimization not only streamlines the delivery process but also enhances customer satisfaction. This ensures that customers receive timely information to plan their day-to-day activities, reducing uncertainties and inconveniences. By automating alerts and notifications, businesses can send updates to customers via SMS, providing them with the necessary information without the need for constant manual intervention.

Keeping customers informed throughout the delivery process enhances their experience, resulting in higher satisfaction levels. Customers appreciate having accurate delivery updates, which helps them plan their schedules accordingly.

4. To avoid delayed deliveries 

Simple human errors in manual delivery route planning can lead to delays or missed deliveries. Or else it may increase the time spent on roads, resulting in dissatisfaction with customers. To eliminate the risk of human error, using a route planning app becomes important to automate the process. 

Now that you understand the benefits of a delivery route planning app, let’s explore the options available in the market. Let us help you with the best route planning apps in the market. 

5 Examples of Delivery Route Planning Apps

Below, we’ve listed some examples of route planning apps for you to consider. 

1. Upper – Multi-stop route planner for field service and delivery businesses

Upper is a route planning, scheduling, and optimization software to streamline deliveries. It automates the route planning process. Being a multi-stop route planner, it ensures on-time deliveries and reduces manual dependencies. Below is the list of benefits offered by the Upper. 

• Best optimized routes 
• Increased business productivity
• Saves time and fuel consumption
• Generates reports and analytics

Some of the features like real-time driver tracking, automatic notifications of delivery status, ETA, and proof of delivery marks a great customer experience.

This review illustrates how Upper has consistently proven to be a top-tier route planning solution for all types of delivery and logistics businesses.

2. Circuit – Route optimization software for delivery businesses

With so many software options, finding one that meets your business requirements can be challenging. But, Circuit is here to help you with the efficient optimization of your routes. You can improve your daily delivery operations with Circuit. It has different apps for solo drivers and dispatchers. 

However, do note that starting a free trial with Circuit requires credit card details. 

3. Routific – For small and medium-sized businesses 

Routific, with its route optimization feature, simplifies route planning for medium-sized local delivery businesses. This helps even if there’s one driver and vehicle or a combination of both.

The navigation, vehicle capacity,  end-of-day reports, and analysis that are all part of Routific’s built-in sophisticated algorithms ensure that you get the best possible optimized route. You can track drivers in real-time with Routific, take photos as proof of delivery, and send SMS notifications to customers to keep them updated. 

4. Route4Me – Routing software for logistics

Route4Me offers a wealth of personalization and add-on options. There is a level for single-person routes and a level for multi-person routes in its pricing tiers.

In addition, Route4Me gives you the ability to optimize within certain constraints, such as avoiding highways or tolls. Dispatching access has the ability to manually transfer customer locations between routes and reoptimize the pre-planned routes.

5. RouteXL – Route planning for small and mid-sized businesses

If you’re looking for an online route planner with a streamlined feature set and a completely free version, RouteXL might be your best bet. In the free version of the RouteXL planner, which was designed specifically to streamline operations, you can plan and optimize routes with up to 20 stops. If you want to create routes for smaller operations, this is a great option.

Now that you understand which route optimization apps to consider for your business, it’s equally important to know what mistakes to avoid while selecting an app.  

What are the Common Mistakes to Avoid While Choosing a Delivery Route Planning App?

1. Overlooking essential features

Ensure the app can meet the specific requirements of your delivery business. It should be able to handle multiple routes, time window constraints, vehicle capacities, and integration capabilities.

2. Neglecting user experience

Select an application with an intuitive and user-friendly interface. This encourages the users to adapt to the new solution quickly and minimizes the training requirements of the drivers. 

3. Disregarding pricing as the sole focus

While cost is an important consideration, focusing solely on it may lead to compromising on essential features and functionalities. Consider the value the app provides to your business in addition to its price.

4. Skipping reviews and testimonials

Research and consider user reviews, case studies, and testimonials to gain insights into the reliability, and performance. Check star ratings and which feature has helped maximum customers. Reviews and testimonials offer insights from businesses that have firsthand experience using the app. Moreover, negative reviews can highlight any potential drawbacks of the app. 

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can make a more informed decision when choosing a delivery route planning app. Ensure that it aligns with your business needs and contributes to improved efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve discussed how to choose a delivery route planning solution, you should be better equipped to select the right one for your business.

Remember, the aim is to create optimized routes that cater to your high-priority deliveries, saving both time and fuel in the process.

To get a firsthand experience of such a solution, consider starting with Upper’s 7-day FREE trial. Test out its comprehensive features including route planning, proof of delivery capabilities, ETAs, and much more. We hope the information provided here guides you in choosing the delivery route planning solution that best aligns with your business needs.