How to choose Why Upper Feature comparison FAQs What to Look for in Field Sales Management Software? Choosing a field service management software can be tricky. However, looking for software that has advanced route planning, full customizability, and dedicated customer support can help you make an informed choice. High-quality customer support Choose software that offers multi-channel and reliable customer support that enables effortless onboarding and instant troubleshooting to maximize the software’s potential. Up-to-date map data Pick the software that rolls out regular updates to reflect the latest real-world map information to prevent potential routing errors and inaccuracies. Cloud-based mobile access Your software must provide access to route and customer information on mobile devices, facilitating mobility and flexibility for you and field reps. Strong routing capabilities Multi-constrained route planning and in-transit route edits ensure high efficiency and adaptability to real-time unforeseen changes like emergencies. Unparalleled customizability Look for software that lets you customize features and functionalities to match your business structure and requirements. Powerful reporting capabilities Detailed route reports are crucial to gain visibility into business performance and make informed decisions to eliminate operational inefficiencies. 6 Reasons to Choose Upper over Microsoft Mappoint Regular updates and the latest map data Why Upper Leads the Game? Upper rolls out regular updates to ensure you get up-to-date map information to reflect the latest day-to-day changes to roads, areas, and landmarks. This ensures accurate mapping and routing, keeping errors caused due to the old data at bay. Why Microsoft Mappoint Isn’t the Right Choice? Microsoft Mappoint users have to rely on outdated maps for route planning. This makes it more susceptible to routing errors that can creep in due to inaccurate location mapping, rendering it less reliable. Dedicated multi-channel customer support Why Upper Wins the Race? Upper provides multiple customer support options, including live chat, priority email, technical consulting, and a dedicated account manager based on your chosen plan. This ensures unwavering assistance to facilitate smooth and hassle-free implementation and ongoing software management. Why Microsoft Mappoint Fails You? Microsoft Mappoint discontinued customer support in 2015. This leaves their existing users with nowhere to go in case they need any assistance to resolve their run-time issues. Mobile access Why Upper Forms a Superior Pick? Being cloud-based, Upper provides a mobile app for dispatchers and drivers. While dispatchers can create and update routes without a desktop, drivers can view daily assignments and start their day without collecting route manifests from the office. This makes route management completely mobile, enhancing convenience and flexibility. Why Microsoft Mappoint Doesn’t Make the Cut? Microsoft Mappoint doesn’t provide a mobile app for dispatchers and drivers, resulting in their dependence on the desktop. This results in the inability to manage routes remotely, rendering it inaccessible out of the office. AI-powered route planning Why Upper Gains a Competitive Edge? Upper relies on AI-powered routing algorithms to create routes that consider real-time traffic, customers’ availability, drivers’ shifts, break durations, and priority of stops. Plus, you can save regular clients’ details as contacts and create routes by importing them directly. You can also edit stop sequences even when routes are in transit to accommodate last-minute schedule changes. Why Microsoft Mappoint Doesn’t Fit? Microsoft Mappoint may be good for basic sales route planning but may fail to cater to complex sales routing needs, including adding driver notes, contact-based scheduling, and scheduled dispatch. This may render it unsuitable for medium or large-sized businesses seeking high-level functionality to support their field operations. Near to 100% customizability Why Upper Stands Out? Upper allows for customizing colors of location pins based on priority, details to fill while marking a stop complete or skipped, contacts’ information, status notifications, vehicle capacity specifics, and report formats. This high degree of customization lets you personalize virtually every aspect of your software to suit your unique needs. What’s Missing in Microsoft MapPoint? Microsoft MapPoint doesn’t offer comprehensive customization capabilities. Moreover, the customization it provides is more time-consuming and harder, making it complex for users, especially non-tech-savvy field personnel. Advanced reporting Why Upper Reigns Supreme? Upper offers highly exhaustive reports and analytics capabilities to create summary and detailed route reports. Plus, you can filter them by day, week, or month and create custom reports to fit your needs. These next-gen reporting features help gain valuable insights into operational performance and implement strategies to ensure continuous improvement. Why Microsoft Mappoint May Disappoint You? Microsoft Mappoint offers restricted data analytics capabilities, forcing users to waste hours evaluating real-time progress to assess on-field staff’s performance. This leads to slower response times to significant performance issues, impacting operational continuity and efficiency. Upper vs MapPoint Comparing the software side-by-side so you can make your final choice for your business. Feature Regular updates and the latest map data Dedicated multi-channel customer support Mobile access AI-powered routing Less efficient for complex scenarios Near to 100% customizability Advanced reporting Feature Microsoft Mappoint Upper Regular updates and the latest map data Dedicated multi-channel customer support Mobile access AI-powered routing Less efficient for complex scenarios Near to 100% customizability Advanced reporting Try Upper for FREE No credit card required Looking for a powerful, feature-rich, and next-gen MS MapPoint alternative? Switch to Upper. Try Upper for Free FAQs Is MS MapPoint still on the market? No, Microsoft MapPoint was officially discontinued on December 31, 2014. This was a step in the direction of encouraging users to switch to a newer mapping service launched by Microsoft, i.e. Bing Maps. Is it possible to use Microsoft MapPoint on my system? No, MS MapPoint is no longer supported on any newer operating system. Moreover, you won’t get customer support for your already installed software or app, rendering you unable to troubleshoot your run-time issues or errors. How much does MapPoint cost? Microsoft MapPoint charged $250 as the account fee to allow sales reps to create and edit maps, visualize territories, and create reports. Since it was discontinued, several other software like Upper, which had lower-priced entry-level packages costing around $120, and offered unlimited optimization capabilities emerged popular. You can book a free demo to try Upper. Is Microsoft PowerPoint’s mapping data accurate? While MapPoint’s mapping data was based on reliable sources, it is no longer up-to-date since it was discontinued in 2014, rendering it outdated in the present-day world. Alternatives like Upper Route Planner, which offers continuous upgrades to support the latest mapping data that reflects real-world changes, can prove to be good replacements. What are the limitations of using MS MapPoint? Microsoft MapPoint has several shortcomings, including the lack of mobile access, outdated data, restricted customization, reporting capabilities, inability to handle complex routing scenarios, and discontinued customer support. Author Bio Jeel Patel Jeel Patel is the Chief Executive Officer at Upper. With 5+ years of experience in dev, outbound, and inbound sales, He is committed to growing conversion through inbound and outbound activities. Outside the office, Jeel loves to spend time with his dog and take him on long walks. Read more. Share this post:
