Google Route Planner Alternatives

Today we are lucky that technology has advanced to the point where certain software can have delivery routes designed in just seconds. Prior to this, businesses often dealt with the stress that came with manually planning time-efficient routes for their team members.

Whilst Google Route Planner has helped smaller operations complete their bookings, this platform is severely limited. From the number of stops you can add to making last-minute adjustments, Google Route Planner is an option for those wanting only a basic experience.

Locate2u is the delivery management software that can take your business to the next level, no matter if you have 1 vehicle or an entire fleet. This all-in-one platform optimises your routes, arranges your bookings, and gives you insight into your customer's experience through driver rating software.

What Is Google Route Planner?

Google Route Planner is a free route planning tool used for public transit, road trips, and basic navigation. This platform can create routes for delivery and offers traffic information and GPS navigation for users.

Because this app is significantly limited in terms of features, it is mostly used by individuals needing to reach a single destination or small businesses with a limited number of vehicles to carry out deliveries. See how Husk Bakery increased deliveries by 30% with Locate2u. Industry data shows that while Google Maps is used by over a billion people globally, it was not designed for commercial delivery operations and lacks the features businesses need to operate efficiently.

What Are The Limitations Of Google Route Planner?

Using Google Route Planner can be somewhat useful for drivers needing to reach a restricted number of locations without additional features. However, drivers requiring a more advanced solution will unlikely benefit from this type of route planning.

Saving money by using free software like Google Route Planner sounds like the perfect option. Consequently, where this technology lacks in terms of features can end up costing your business more money in the long run.

Here are the key limitations to be aware of:

• Stop limits: Google does not allow more than 10 stops at a time, causing difficulty for businesses with more than 20 stops to complete in a day.
• No route optimisation: Google shows you a route, but it does not reorder your stops to find the most efficient sequence. You must figure that out yourself.
• No last-minute flexibility: Adding ad-hoc stops without disrupting your schedule is not possible.
• No driver management: There is no way to assign routes to specific drivers, track their progress, or monitor performance.
• No proof of delivery: Google offers no delivery confirmation, signatures, or photo capture capability.
• No customer notifications: You cannot send live tracking links or ETA updates to customers.

Research indicates that businesses relying solely on free route planning tools spend 30% to 40% more time on daily route planning compared to those using dedicated delivery management software. That extra time translates directly into higher labour costs and delayed deliveries.

Dedicated Route Planning Software: A Better Alternative

Locate2u is a delivery management software that optimises your routes, manages your bookings, and provides users with a quality proof of delivery system. This platform is essential for operations wanting to minimise stress and improve their team members' productivity whilst saving money and time.

Locate2u eliminates the need for pen and paper, with its technology that plans efficient routes in only seconds. Unlike Google Route Planner, this software allows you to plan dozens of stops and modify routes to accommodate last-minute alterations. In doing so, improving your business's productivity and allowing your drivers to complete as many bookings as they can.

Google Route Planner vs Locate2u

Businesses using delivery management software like Locate2u can expect improved visibility for customers, faster deliveries, peace of mind with proof of delivery, and a better insight into their customer's experience.

1. Improved Visibility

Customers want to be involved throughout the entire delivery process and what better way to achieve that than with Locate2u's real-time tracking. This feature allows you to track your team members' whereabouts throughout the day in real-time. Send your customers a live tracking link through SMS and let them see where their order is and how long until its arrival.

Having this level of visibility is exceedingly important for advancing the number of customers using your services and establishing return customers too. Industry data shows that businesses offering real-time tracking see 20% higher customer retention rates.

2. Faster Deliveries

Today is all about how fast and efficient you can make your deliveries. Customers now are not satisfied with waiting an additional day or week to retrieve their item, so businesses are having to find ways to accommodate this shift in consumer expectations.

Locate2u's route optimisation software reduces time between deliveries, reducing fuel consumption and time spent on the road. You also save hours spent manually planning time-effective routes for your drivers. Optimising your routes allows you to give your customers more accurate ETAs and faster deliveries.

3. Peace Of Mind With Proof Of Delivery

Do not rely on intuition that your team members are completing their bookings. Locate2u's proof of delivery allows drivers to capture e-signatures and digital confirmation of the delivery's completion. This information can be accessed by any team member in your business to avoid any confusion on the status of each booking. This gives both you and your customers peace of mind on when and where the item was delivered.

4. Better Insight Into Customer Experience

Do you ever wonder exactly what your customers are thinking about in regards to their delivery experience? Or what you can do to improve your service? Locate2u's driver rating system allows customers to rate their experience and leave a review. They can share whether they encountered issues like delays or missing or damaged parcels. With this knowledge, you can make improvements to avoid these incidents from occurring again.

When To Move Beyond Free Route Planners

Free tools like Google Route Planner serve a purpose for very small operations or personal use. But there are clear signals that your business has outgrown them:

• You regularly exceed 10 stops per route: If your drivers handle more than 10 deliveries a day, the stop limit becomes a bottleneck.
• Customers complain about ETAs: Without optimisation and tracking, you cannot provide the accurate delivery windows customers expect.
• You spend more than 30 minutes planning routes daily: That time adds up to over 10 hours per month that could be spent growing your business.
• Failed deliveries are increasing: Without proof of delivery and customer notifications, failed delivery rates tend to climb.
• You are managing multiple drivers: Coordinating routes for more than one driver without dedicated software leads to inefficiencies and overlapping routes.

According to logistics benchmarks, the average business sees a return on investment within 30 days of switching from free tools to dedicated delivery management software.

What Businesses Will Benefit From Locate2u?

Locate2u provides a number of benefits to small, mid-sized, and large businesses that help achieve optimal functionality.

Small and midsize businesses usually possess a smaller number of drivers that require software offering real-time tracking, delivery dispatch, and automated pickup. Locate2u offers just that, allowing businesses to keep on top of their drivers and ensure their customers are satisfied with their experience.

When it comes to larger businesses, more advanced features are needed to make sure each delivery is completed successfully. Locate2u's proof of delivery system allows you to collect photo evidence of the delivery, electronic signature from the customer, time stamps, and any other notes. Any member of your business can access this information, so if a customer calls wondering about the status of their delivery, you can provide them with accurate knowledge.

Locate2u also offers GPS tracking which helps keep bigger fleets accountable when they are on the job. Having access to route replay will reduce complications such as lost or missing parcels, or team members utilising company vehicles for personal use.

Key Takeaways

• Google Route Planner is a free tool suitable for personal use or very small operations, but it lacks the features businesses need for efficient delivery management.
• The 10-stop limit, absence of route optimisation, and lack of proof of delivery make Google Route Planner inadequate for growing businesses.
• Businesses relying on free tools spend 30% to 40% more time on route planning compared to those using dedicated software.
• Locate2u offers unlimited stops, real-time tracking, proof of delivery, driver ratings, and route optimisation in a single platform.
• The average business sees a return on investment within 30 days of switching from free tools to delivery management software.
• Signs you have outgrown free route planners include exceeding 10 stops daily, rising customer complaints, and spending more than 30 minutes on daily route planning.

Go Further Than Google Route Planner With Locate2u

As you can see, Google Route Planner might seem like the easy option, however, investing in reliable software will help improve business operations more than any free route planner can.

Locate2u is the solution your business needs to better the performance of your fleet. This software will give you access to route optimisation, real-time tracking, proof of delivery, and driver ratings, all of which will enhance business productivity whilst saving time and money.

Explore how Locate2u can transform your delivery operations or browse our route optimisation blog for more practical insights.