Guide to Mapping, Routing, and Territory Management Apps For Field Teams
There are hundreds of mapping, routing, and territory management apps. When you start to evaluate them, knowing which tool is the right one for the job can feel like an impossible task. In this analysis, we’re going to take a detailed look at the available apps and how they compare to one another. We’ll also break down the categories of mapping and routing apps.
While these apps can save people time, getting started with a new app involves researching which app is the best for your specific needs. You also need to consider how compatible the app will be when you deploy it to your business's existing tech stack.
First, this analysis will break down the different categories of apps and discuss what they do. Then we will analyze the apps in each category so you can pick the best one for your needs. Also, there are two excellent analyst reports that we will highlight below, but because they are a bit lengthy, we’ll summarize their findings in this report. The two reports break down the apps in slightly different, but pretty similar ways as shown below. The first analysis is a detailed review of the mapping and routing space - it was written by MatrixPlace, a sales and marketing consulting firm. The whitepaper covers the different apps that are available to field teams and neatly puts the apps into 6 categories which are shown in their infographic below:
A second analysis is provided by Salesforce Ben, well known for their in-depth and educational research on the Salesforce ecosystem. This analysis is a bit easier to digest than the MatrixPlace whitepaper. Salesforce Ben also breaks down the different categories of apps and has a really useful analysis of the apps on an individual basis. They go into a fair amount of depth on the pro’s and con’s of each app.
Salesforce Ben identified 5 app categories as shown in their infographic below:
An important difference between these analyses is that MatrixPlace splits the category that Salesforce Ben calls “Mapping and Routing for Field Reps” into two categories. One category for Business to Business (B2B) users, and one category for Business to Consumer (B2C) users. Basically, if the field reps are selling to places of businesses when they are in the field they are considered B2B, and if they are selling to houses, they are B2C.
MatrixPlace makes an important distinction between B2B and B2C apps, but as opposed to just thinking about if you are selling to places of business or consumer’s houses, it can be more helpful to think of these apps based on what an rep's actual day in the field looks like. If you're building a route to drive houses all around town, B2B apps could be the best choice since these apps are meant to fit people who drive around to many locations in a day (even if those locations are “consumer” houses). On the other hand, B2C apps are a great fit for field teams that walk down the street visiting multiple houses on a single block.
Another difference is that Salesforce Ben combines GeoAnalytics and Territory Balancing into one category. They also include an additional category for Lead Routing and Assignment, which is a category that MatrixPlace doesn’t consider. There are also some differences in the apps included, as Salesforce Ben only analyzed the apps available on Salesforce, and not every app has a mature connector to Salesforce. Other than that, the two analyses have a lot in common, and are both worth reading as you research the space.
We’ll use the naming conventions that Salesforce Ben uses in our category breakdown below, as they are a little more succinct.
Mapping and Routing for Field Teams
A well planned route and schedule for the week can save a ton of wasted time. All field teams know the importance of prioritizing who they spend their time with and optimizing their time in the field. Mapping and creating routes for their territory with an effective piece of software is both faster and easier than doing it by hand. Critical tasks like route optimization can allow field teams to visit more customers, improve processes, and prioritize where they spend their time.
Field teams are commonly found in industries like medical devices, pharmaceuticals, construction, home services, solar, insurance, and many others. By leveraging an app for their mapping and routing needs, field teams can get back 20% of the time they would typically spend driving. Reps using mobile mapping and routing software to automate tasks and gather information on-the-go can accomplish much more than reps that try to do everything by hand.
The apps in this category enable users to create the fastest route to multiple stops, and allow field teams to easily plan for the week ahead. With routes planned out in advance, reps are able to spend more time getting things done rather than trying to juggle priorities and optimize their time manually.
When a company evaluates a solution for their field team, it's important for them to look closely at the mobile experience. You can make sure the app will work well with your existing tech stack and workflows by starting a free trial. This ensures that the reps in the field get value from the app before the team purchases or commits to anything. This also reduces risk and guarantees you’re getting the best app for your team’s specific needs.
Apps for field teams are often used on mobile devices, so they can be found on marketplaces such as the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Reviews on these platforms can provide particular insights into the mobile experience.
Also, looking into Google reviews and other review platforms like G2 and Software Advice can provide more information on customer's experiences with an app.
For example, you can find reviews of Badger Maps, which both MatrixPlace and Salesforce Ben positioned as the leader among Mapping and Routing for Field Teams, in the following locations:
While Badger Maps is the leading B2B Sales Mapping App (generally used when driving a route), SalesRabbit is the leading B2C Sales Mapping App (generally used when walking down the street to visit homeowners). You can find their reviews in the following locations:
Field teams make their CRM more useful when they are in the field by using a routing app with their CRM. Using a routing app with your CRM allows field teams 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. For example, Badger Maps can integrate with leading CRMs such as HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Zoho, NetSuite, Insightly, and many more. By integrating a mapping and routing app with your CRM, reps working in the field can visualize all of their data on an engaging and interactive map. This shows them exactly where their customers are and how best to prioritize them.
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GeoAnalytics / Territory Balancing and Design
Field teams need to create territories and define geographical areas that they can then organize their workflows around. Designing, building, and balancing their territories are the primary use cases of a GeoAnalytics tool for a field team.
Other parts of an organization can also use GeoAnalytics tools such as operations teams, marketing teams, data analytics teams, and executives. Users can analyze their data on a map, prioritize their campaigns geographically, and determine which area’s of the map to focus on. Understanding what the data looks like on a map can drive strategy and help executives make better decisions. Analyzing data in a visual mapping environment can help teams target better, boost lead conversion, increase appointments made, grow deal size, and drive overall productivity.
The sales operations professionals are often responsible for the challenging task of designing and rebalancing territories for the sales team. But with the software available today, the design and optimization of territories can be done quickly and efficiently, while allowing for effective readjustments throughout the year.
In contrast with the mapping and routing apps in Category 1, these apps are primarily used on a computer as opposed to on the mobile phone and are generally used for strategic purposes rather than day-to-day usage.
Salesforce Maps is the leader among the GeoAnalytics / Territory Balancing and Design apps, but you need to be a Salesforce CRM customer to use it. If you have a different CRM or don’t use a CRM, you should check out Alignstar from Xactly or AlignMix. Reviews can be found below. Note that mobile reviews like Apple App Store and Google Play reviews are less relevant or don’t exist in this section because users don’t really need to do GeoAnalytics / Territory Balancing and Design on their Mobile App.:
Here are the Review Links for Salesforce Maps:
Here are the Review Links for Alignstar:
Here are the Review Links for AlignMix:
Org Charts and Account Mapping
A well-crafted plan can help reps successfully close more deals. Sales reps can leverage a better understanding of the key decision-makers within a company, their interconnections, and the roles they play in the deal-making process. Org Charts and Account Mapping tools are can empower reps to navigate and optimize their engagement with prospects.
Equipped with the right tools, sales professionals gain a nuanced insight into the relationships within their prospects' organizations, enabling them to plan and execute strategic approaches tailored to each account.
Helping your team see the big picture is a shortcut to successful account management. When they can see account relationships, sales teams can understand how their contacts at accounts are connected and make better informed decisions. Particularly in team-based selling scenarios, using an organizational chart app helps team members collaborate. It can be really helpful when co-working an account to have a platform that allows everyone to share their knowledge with their teammates.
There are many advantages of such collaboration such as expedited sales cycles and uncovering aspects of the deal-making process that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Using organizational chart applications can streamline teamwork and keep the whole team on the same page.
Lucidchart and Demandfarm are both well reviewed and excellent solutions that you can try out for your Org Charts and Account Mapping needs.
You can find Lucidchart’s reviews in the following locations:
You can find Demandfarm’s reviews in the following locations:
Fleet Management, TMS, and Dispatch
Fleet management apps are like the command center for businesses with a vehicle fleet. They offer a range of tools to monitor, track, route, dispatch, and generate detailed performance reports for both vehicles and drivers. Also, these solutions give managers the capability to compare drivers, create quotes, collaborate with carriers, and efficiently handle loads.
These applications often come with mobile feature that connect with vehicle systems for on-the-go updates and communication. This enables managers and employees to collaborate and optimize delivery operations.
With fleet management apps, managers can dispatch the right assets, track inventory, and ensure that employees sent out are well-trained to tackle assigned tasks. Also, safety is a top priority, and these apps include the ability to monitor violations like speeding, improper use of lights, aggressive driving, and seat belt neglect. Geo-fencing provides real-time visibility into vehicle arrivals at various sites.
Efficient fleet management translates to cost savings, minimizing hiring expenses, and reducing no-shows. Managers utilizing these apps can enhance fleet productivity by monitoring arrival and delivery times, ensuring accurate and timely payments. Automated reporting keeps everyone on the same page.
Because they are designed to track mobile assets, these apps can be found on marketplaces like the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, and the Salesforce AppExchange. Checking out reviews on these platforms in addition to the analyses linked above is a useful resource when comparing these solutions.
Salesforce Maps and Circuit are all well reviewed apps in the Fleet Management, TMS, and Dispatch category.
You can find Salesforce Maps’ reviews in the following locations:
You can find Circuit’s reviews in the following locations:
Lead Routing and Assignment
Lead Routing and Assignment apps connect new leads to the right account record in a CRM, and then routes the lead to the appropriate salesperson based on the business's territory mapping. Automating this process saves time and gets leads to the right rep faster, leading to higher engagement and faster follow-ups.
Also, these tools enable users to optimize team productivity by efficiently assigning leads and cases to the most qualified individuals for the task at hand. While it may seem straightforward to assign the right lead to the right rep, the reality is that the complexity of ever-changing and overlapping territories poses a challenge for sales operations teams. Achieving consistent and exception-free lead assignment is difficult and time consuming to do well by hand.
With features like skill-based assignment, territory-based assignment, workload balancing, urgency prioritization, complex routing rules, weighting systems, and automatic lead reassignment, administrators can ensure that leads are routed to the correct rep.
Correctly routing leads is particularly critical for companies employing distributor partners in their go-to-market strategy. Not all partners are equally equipped to serve specific verticals, prospect sizes, or product lines. Lead routing apps excel in directing leads to the most suitable channel partner, distributor, dealer, rep, or agent, resulting in a significant boost in sales.
In this category, you should take a look at LeanData, Chili Piper, and Q-assign from Ortoo to solve your Lead Routing and Assignment needs. Here are their reviews below. Note that mobile app reviews like Apple App Store and Google Play reviews don’t exist in this section because users don’t do Lead Routing and Assignment on a mobile app.
You can find LeanData’s reviews in the following locations:
You can find Chili Piper’s reviews in the following locations:
You can find Q-assign’s reviews in the following locations:
Conclusion
There are several different categories of Mapping, Routing, and Territory Management Apps, and several software companies building apps in each category. Hopefully, this analysis has been helpful in your evaluation and has done some of the heavy lifting for you to find the app that’s best suited to your specific organization’s needs.
Once you know what category of software you are interested in, it's always a good idea to get a demo and then invest in doing a trial of the apps that seem like the best fit for your business.
A final pro tip for field teams: During your trial, check out each app on all the available devices your team will use. If your field team plans to use a mapping and routing app on their phone when they are in the field, be sure to test the performance of the mobile app in your evaluation. So if your team is going to use the app on their iPhone, then you need to make sure you try it on iPhones before you buy it. That way you minimize the risks associated with bringing new technology into your organization, and you also maximize the likelihood that the app will create value for your field team.
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