The fast-paced lifestyle of the modern day makes it necessary for businesses of all sizes to provide efficient, timely, and accurate deliveries. One of the major aspects of delivery management is route planning.
Most businesses use Google Maps as the default choice for route planning, it is an intuitive product with certain shortcomings. For starters, it allows for only 9 stops, which is insufficient for an average multi-courier delivery business. There are better products specifically tailored for route and fleet management that offer way more value and functionality than Google Maps.
In this blog, we will explore 4 such products, learn about their features, shortcomings, and pricing, and narrow down to the best google maps alternative for your business.
What is the Importance of Using Route Optimization Software?
A route optimization software helps save time and money by creating the most efficient routes for vehicles and their drivers. Let’s explore the factors that clearly communicate the importance of using such software.
- Time Savings: Creating the most efficient routes removes the chances of taking detours and repeated routes. Thereby helping drivers save time on deliveries.
- Cost Savings: Optimized routes help in saving fuel, reduce wear and tear on the vehicle, and save money on vehicle maintenance. These factors amount to huge savings in the long run.
- Better Customer Service: Customers are more likely to be impressed with deliveries that are made accurately and on time. Efficient deliveries can help a business increase repeat business and customer loyalty.
- Increased Productivity: Using an ideal google maps alternative can help businesses and drivers become more productive with their time. They can use the time they save to serve the customers better or increase daily deliveries, leading to better revenue.
All in all, the importance of using route optimization software cannot be underestimated. Any business that relies on transportation or deliveries must invest in such a tool for better productivity and customer service.
Read more: Choosing the Right Delivery Route
Top 4 Google Maps Alternatives for Last-Mile Delivery
Here we will learn about the 4 best alternatives to Google Maps. The list starts with our product, Zeo Route Planner, and 3 other capable route optimization software.
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- Zeo Route Planner
Zeo Route Planner is a one-stop solution for all your delivery and fleet management needs. The tool offers various features that enable a company to use the most efficient delivery routes, saving time and money.The main highlight of the tool is its advanced route optimization algorithms. The algorithms take into account delivery windows and other variables to devise the most efficient routes for various vehicles and drivers.Zeo allows you to create routes with upto 12 stops in its free tier, with 2000 being the maximum number of stops. This feature helps businesses maximize delivery capacity and reduce delivery costs while improving customer satisfaction.
Key Features:
- Real-time ETA for customers and fleet managers
- Capture proof of Delivery
- Auto-assignment of stops as per driver availability
- Get turn-by-turn navigation
- Optimization based on time slot
- Detailed trip reports
- Real-time route tracking
Pricing:
Starts at $14.16/driver/month. - Route4me
Route4me is another route optimization solution that can provide optimized routes and take care of your delivery management needs. You can manually enter stops or upload an Excel sheet with details of the stops to create a route. The tool uses advanced algorithms to create efficient routes and promote faster delivery.Unlike Zeo, Route4me has a limit of 500 stops per route and doesn’t allow fleet managers to download the trip report or track miles. It works as a great alternative but doesn’t top the chart regarding overall functionality.Key Features:
- Track live location
- Turn-by-turn navigation
- Proof of delivery
Pricing:
Starts at $19.9/user/month. - Road Warrior
Road Warrior is a simple and effective route planning software that allows drivers to quickly find addresses without getting lost. It works as a good alternative to Google Maps, with upto 8 stops in its basic plan.The tool features a simple user interface with all the essentials present on it. It does a neat job of optimizing routes. However, it lacks primary features like the unavailability of trip reports, no proof of delivery, no live location, and more.It also falls short in the total number of stops per route. The paid plan of Road Warrior permits 200 stops per route, whereas Zeo allows for 2000.
Key Features:
- Track route progress
- Easy route assignment
- Time slot-based route optimization
Pricing:
Starts at $14.99/user/month. - Circuit
Circuit is a well-optimized route planning software specially designed with truck drivers in mind. The tool works as a great alternative to Google Maps and provides upto 10 free stops per route in its unpaid plan.It uses advanced algorithms for efficient deliveries, provides downloadable trip reports, and allows time slot-based optimization. However, the tool allows for 500 stops per route, which is good enough—unless you compare it to Zeo’s 2000 stops. Overall, it is a great tool but lacks modern features like parcel identification, proof of delivery, etc.Key Features:
- Create and optimize routes
- Track the live location of drivers
- Turn-by-turn navigation
Pricing:
Starts at $20/driver/month
- Zeo Route Planner
Why Choose Zeo Route Planner?
There are some solid reasons why Zeo Route Planner stands out as the best Google Maps alternative.
Firstly, the advanced algorithms provide the best possible routes that allow you to save time and money on deliveries.
Secondly, the tool is tailor-made for delivery operations. It allows you to assign specific drivers for certain routes, schedule multiple stops, optimize routes as per the delivery window, and more.
Thirdly, you can integrate the tool with a multitude of external applications to streamline workflows and increase productivity.
Lastly, its wide range of customer-centric features, like proof of delivery, real-time ETA, parcel identification, and more, helps gain customer trust and loyalty.
Take Your Business to New Heights with the Best Google Maps Alternative
Google Maps may be a popular choice among users, but as we have already seen, it lacks some major features and isn’t particularly tailor-made for route planning. The above-mentioned tools are among the best alternatives to Google Maps, and each is well-suited for the delivery business.
If you are looking for a tool to provide the best value-for-money proposition and a plethora of features, choose Zeo Route Planner. The tool is suitable for drivers and fleet managers and capable enough to be considered the best route optimization software in the market.
Looking forward to trying out Zeo? Book a demo today!
Check out: Zeo Vs All Competitors
