Planning Routes with Google Maps Route Planner: Benefits & Shortcomings

If you’ve ever planned a route using Google Maps, you know how easy and convenient it can be for personal trips or small deliveries. But what happens when your logistics operations scale up and your fleet needs to run smoothly with minimal hiccups? That’s where things start to get tricky.

The Google Maps Route Planner, while helpful, isn’t enough for businesses managing complex logistics, fleet operations, and delivery timelines. You might be getting by, but you’re missing out on an opportunity to optimize your business on a whole new level.

Keep reading to see why businesses need more than just a route planner and how Google Maps falls short when it comes to high-performance logistics.

Benefits of Using Google Maps Route Planner

Google Maps Route Planner offers plenty of advantages, especially when you’re looking for a quick solution. It’s free, reliable, and incredibly efficient for basic route planning. But does it go above and beyond for businesses managing fleets? Let’s take a look at some core benefits of Google Maps before exploring its limitations.

1. Global Routing Capabilities

   With Google Maps’ global routing, businesses that operate internationally can benefit from routes across over 200 countries. If your business operates in a variety of locations or across borders, this feature makes Google Maps an invaluable tool for global operations. However, the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when your fleet needs more dynamic routing or highly specific local insights.

2. Scalability for Personal Use

   Google Maps serves billions of users, making it scalable for widespread personal use. But what happens when you need to handle hundreds of routes a day? Google Maps simply isn’t built to manage multiple routes simultaneously for large fleets. However, it offers a strong infrastructure that serves over one billion users.

3. Toll Costs & Avoiding Fees

   For fleets that need to avoid tolls to save on costs, Google Maps provides an option to adjust your route based on tolls, ferries, or highways. While helpful, businesses need far more flexibility than Google Maps offers when it comes to deciding on the most cost-effective routes, especially when managing large fleets with varying vehicle types.

Shortcomings of Google Maps Route Planner for Business Logistics

Yes, Google Maps Route Planner is an easy-to-use and handy tool for planning routes. But can its efficiency go beyond personal trips and simple routing? Let’s find out the limitations of Google Maps Route Planner:

1. Limited Multi-Stop Route Planning

   Google Maps Route Planner is an ideal tool if your route optimization requirements are simple and straightforward. If you are planning complex routes with multiple stops, this might not be the best tool for you.

   While Google Maps allows you to add multiple stops, the number is restricted to just ten locations. If your routing requirements go beyond ten stops, this can prove to be a major bottleneck for your business. Generally, even small businesses handle dozens or even hundreds of delivery stops daily.

   A flexible route planning software that does not cap off your ability to add multiple stops is the right answer for businesses and fleet managers looking for complex multi-stop route optimization.

2. Lack of Driver & Fleet Management Features
   Fleet managers have to monitor complex logistics operations including driver assignment, vehicle management, performance analysis, customer communication, and more. Effective fleet management requires real-time visibility of driver locations and delivery status.
   

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   Google Maps Route Planner restricts your ability to streamline fleet management as it lacks features for real-time route tracking, automated delivery updates, scheduling, and route analytics.

   Absence of these features makes it difficult for fleet managers to identify the areas of improvement, point out inefficiencies, enhance driver management and scheduling, and improve the delivery process. This results in poor customer experience.

3. No Proof of Delivery Mechanism

   Nothing can break customer trust like misplaced deliveries. Your delivery process should not focus merely on delivering packages to the destination but on ensuring your customers receive them.

   Digital proof of delivery is a proven way to provide complete transparency regarding the delivery completion status. Google Maps lacks this essential business feature. Without proof of delivery, you can be subject to customer complaints and frustration.

   Getting a digital proof of delivery in the form of a picture, signature or notes is an ideal way to ensure your customers get their packages. This proof also shields you from any legal complaints from customers.

4. No Integration With Business Tools

   Gone are the days when business operations could function in silos. Large-scale logistics businesses need a smooth ecosystem where all functions work towards collective growth. Successful logistics operations include seamless inventory management systems, CRM systems, order processing platforms, and route planning tools.

   Google Maps Route Planner fails to integrate with other key business tools, leaving fleet managers handicapped and inefficient. This lack of integration capabilities proves to be a roadblock in workflows, reducing operational efficiency.

The Bottom Line

Google Maps Route Planner offers its share of benefits, mainly for personal trips and small businesses with very simple routing needs. However, as your business requirements evolve and you try to scale up your logistics operations, this tool will fall short in its offerings.

Right from multi-stop route optimization to poor customer communication, this tool is not ideally suited for large-scale logistics businesses.

Fleet managers looking to scale up their operations must choose a smart, AI-powered route planner like Zeo that offers features designed for complex routing needs, seamless communication, and operational efficiency.

It’s time to move beyond basic routing tools. It’s time to embrace Zeo Route Planner. Schedule a free demo now!

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