All field teams know the importance of getting their mapping and routing right. Planning their schedule and driving their route everyday is a time consuming part of the job. To be efficient, field teams need to prioritize their time as they move around the map, and have a well planned route to all the locations they visit in a week. 

Modern apps can make this process way better, but for field teams who are looking to get started with a new app, the process can seem daunting at first. When you search for mapping or routing software that works with Salesforce on the AppExchange or the internet, there are literally hundreds of different app options available. 

In this blog, we’re going to take a detailed look at some of the mapping and routing app categories that are available on the Salesforce AppExchange

As you start learning about the options available, the first step is to understand the different categories of Apps and what they do. Then you can dive deeper into the apps in that category to pick the best one for your needs. 

Here is a breakdown of the different categories of mapping and routing apps that work with Salesforce:

So what is the best mapping and routing app? 

That question isn’t so straightforward, because the answer depends on what you want to do. 

Because there are at least five different types of apps that do different things, you need to choose one from the correct category. 

For example, some of these apps are aimed towards reps who spend the majority of their time in the field, driving from location to location visiting customers. Others are geo analytics apps that leverage Salesforce data to make decisions. Other map apps do other valuable things like manage a fleet of trucks, build and balance territories, or route leads to the correct rep.

There has been some excellent analyses done on the mapping and routing space already. 

For example, SalesforceBen has put together a detailed breakdown of the apps by category on the top Mapping and Routing Apps for Salesforce. This analysis does a deep dive on the different apps that are available to field teams and neatly categorizes them to help them understand the products before committing to a purchase. 

Another analysis, done by MatrixPlace, helps field teams better understand Sales Mapping, Routing, and Territory Management Apps. This analysis isn’t specific to the Salesforce Ecosystem like the SalesforceBen analysis is, but it covers a lot of the same companies. 

Buyers guides like this can be of great benefit for field teams as to the untrained eye, a lot of these apps appear to be quite similar. However there are stark differences in what the apps are built to do and who the app was built for as can be seen here:

Field teams working in industries like construction, home services, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, solar, real estate, and many others, know the massive role mapping and routing play in their day-to-day operations. 

Mapping and routing their territories with the help of an effective piece of software takes care of the litany of problems that comes with doing these tasks manually. Critical tasks like route optimization can allow field teams to visit more customers, improve processes, and prioritize their work based on its level of importance.

By automating your mapping and routing needs, field teams can save valuable time by reducing the time they spend in their cars. Reps with access to mapping and routing software on their mobile device in the field can accomplish 20% more every day.

When evaluating solutions for field teams, it's important to look closely at the mobile experience. It's worth noting that many apps listed on the AppExchange also tend to offer free trials, which allow reps in the field to get a feel for the software before they make any commitment to purchase. This reduces risk and ensures you’re getting the best app for your team’s workflow.

As these apps are used on mobile devices, they can not only be found on the Salesforce AppExchange, but also in marketplaces such as the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Reviews found on those platforms can be informative because an app that has ten reviews on the AppExchange may have hundreds of reviews on the Apple App Store, so those platforms are a great way to learn about which app will be the best fit. 

The leading app on the Salesforce AppExchange in the ‘Mapping and Routing for Field Teams’ category is Badger Maps. 

Badger Maps is a mapping and routing app designed specifically for field teams. It allows field reps to automatically plan, route, and maximize their time in the field by cutting down driving time by 20%.  Being able to create a route with multiple stops can allow field teams the opportunity to easily plan for the week ahead. By having their routes planned out in advance, reps are able to spend more time with their customers.

Reps save an average of 8 hours a week from better planning, becoming more focused and organized, and driving more efficient routes. The time savings can be used on productive sales activities, which has resulted in the average team of 10 Reps selling $936k more the year they start using Badger Maps.

Field teams that use Badger Maps can also mobilize their CRM, allowing them to access and update relevant customer information directly from the field. 

This enables field teams to sync and leverage the data in their CRM, all from their mobile device.  

Badger Maps can integrate with leading CRMs such as HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Zoho, NetSuite, Insightly, and many more.

By integrating Badger Maps with your CRM, reps working in the field can visualize all of their data on an engaging and interactive map. This will show them exactly where their customers are and how best to prioritize them. 

If you work in the field and are looking to make the most of every day on the road, the best mapping and routing tool is Badger Maps. Sign up for a free trial today and take your performance to the next level!

Back to Top ↑

By defining geographical areas, field teams are able to create territories that they can then organize their workflows around. Designing, building, and balancing these territories is the primary function of a GeoAnalytics tool. 

Often the responsibility of the sales operations team, building and rebalancing territories for the sales team can be a painful annual chore, but with the software available today, the design and optimization of territories can be done quickly and efficiently. 

In addition to building and balancing territories, GeoAnalytics tools in Salesforce can bring more capabilities to users across the whole organization. Users on the sales, operations, executive team, and marketing teams are enabled to make better decisions leveraging their geographic data to gain powerful customer insights. Users can focus and prioritize their efforts efficiently, optimize their outreach, and increase engagement. 

Analyzing Salesforce data in a visual mapping environment can help teams target better, boost lead conversion, increase appointments made, grow deal size, and drive overall productivity.

Back to Top ↑

A big part of successfully closing a deal is having a solid plan. Understanding who the decision makers are in a company, how they relate to one another, and what role they play in deal making, is a critical part of building that plan. 

With the right tools at their disposal, salespeople can better understand the relationships at their prospects company and implement ways to be better able to sell to that account strategically.

Organization Charts and Account Mapping tools help field teams succeed by helping them track and maximize their prospects, key accounts, and complex enterprise relationships.

By visually mapping their accounts, field teams can see relationships holistically and make strategic decisions based on actionable insights derived from these tools. 

When you are selling with a team, meaning that more than one person is interacting with the prospect, it can be especially useful to have an org chart app that allows you to effortlessly collaborate with other team members. Having a centralized location where different salespeople can modify the structure of an organization can improve visibility, allowing everyone involved to see clearly the in and outs of every account. 

This can shorten sales cycles as it can help field sales teams uncover when there is a key part of the deal making process that would otherwise have been missed.

Back to Top ↑

Fleet management solutions allow businesses to dispatch and manage their vehicle fleet. This can include capabilities to monitor, track, route, dispatch, and create detailed performance reports about your vehicles and drivers. In addition, managers can compare drivers, build quotes, partner with carriers, and manage loads. 

These apps often include mobile components and interface with vehicle systems to support on-the-go updates and communications surrounding changes. This enables managers and employees to work together for maximum efficiency in delivery operations. 

Using fleet management apps, managers can efficiently dispatch the right assets, track that they have the right inventory, as well as ensure that the dispatched employees are properly trained to solve the problem they’ve been assigned to. Managers can also track safety violations and exceptions across the fleet such as speeding, appropriate use of lights, aggressive driving, and lack of seat belt wearing. Additionally, managers can use geo-fencing for real time visibility into when vehicles arrived at sites.

Needless to say, fleets being run efficiently can reduce hiring costs and no shows. Managers using these apps can boost fleet productivity by tracking arrival and delivery times and by knowing that payments were made correctly and for the right amounts. Automating reporting can keep everyone on the same page. 

As these apps track mobile assets, they are often found in marketplaces like the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store in addition to being found on the Salesforce AppExchange. The reviews found on these platforms are also a useful resource when evaluating this space.

Back to Top ↑

Lead Routing and Assignment tools match new leads to the correct account record in a CRM and then route those leads to the correct salesperson according to a business´ territory mapping. This enables businesses to get a more comprehensive picture of leads and engagement within their account-based strategy, as well as follow up with captured leads at a quicker rate. 

In addition, this allows app users to make their team more productive by sending leads and cases to the best person for the job.

On the surface, assigning the right lead to the right rep seems simple. But because of complex, ever changing, and overlapping territories, it can be challenging for sales operations teams to do this consistently and without exceptions. 

Confusion around the ownership of a lead or account has the potential to create friction in a sales team. But with capabilities like skill based assignment, territory based assignment, workload balancing, urgency prioritization, complex routing rules, weighting systems, and automatic lead reassignment, administrators can ensure that the correct lead is routed to the correct rep at the correct time. 

Another area where routing leads correctly can be critical is with companies that go to market through distributor partners. Some partners are better equipped to serve certain verticals, prospect sizes, or product lines. Routing apps can route leads to the best channel partner, distributor, dealer, rep, or agent resulting in a real uplift in sales.

Conclusion

With so many different types mapping and routing tools to choose from on the Salesforce AppExchange, it's vital you do your research beforehand to get the tool that's most suited to your specific needs. 

The best thing you could do to get started is to book a demo or free trial with some of the tools you feel will be the best fit for your business. That way you can get a clear understanding of what a solution has to offer you.