While some customer relationships can be cultivated online, many salespeople still rely on in-person meetings to close deals. This face-to-face interaction demands careful planning, involving not only crafting persuasive sales pitches and proposals but also optimizing sales routes to maximize productivity.
A robust CRM tool with a built-in sales route planning feature can empower sales teams to streamline their tasks and optimize their days. In this CRM comparison, we’ll explore some of the best sales CRM solutions offering mobile CRM apps with advanced route planning capabilities. We’ll assess their strengths and weaknesses, pricing plans, and user ratings to help you select the ideal route-optimization CRM software for your business.
Why Is Route Planning and Optimization Important for Outside Sales Teams?
Sales and lead management involve many repetitive, menial activities that are a huge drain on time. This time could be better spent furthering client relations and closing deals.
With easily accessible and intuitive sales planning on mobile features, your sales teams stand to benefit in the many ways listed below.
- Productivity: a good CRM with route optimization software features lets you streamline your productivity by easily finding and mapping out nearby contacts and the most efficient ways to reach them during your on-field work days.
- Minimized expenses: the CRM will handle the sales route planning, thus reducing travel time and fuel expenses and increasing your cost savings.
- Client experience: efficient scheduling and timely arrivals enhance the sales experience for clients and help you foster business credibility and trust.
- Data insights: good sales tracking software provides valuable data and analytics on sale performances, travel time, and other details, enabling sales reps to review and make data-driven decisions to optimize sales and close deals.
- Reduced stress and anxiety: having the best route mapped out and planned can reduce the jitter some might experience with each sales meeting, helping sales reps put their best foot forward.
Leading companies rely on CRM and sales tracking software to help them automate sales, easily collaborate and communicate across teams, ace lead management, and streamline sales activities, including travel logistics.
Here are five leading route planning and optimization CRMs to help your sales teams achieve peak results.
1. Pipeline CRM: A Sales-Focused CRM with a Robust Mobile CRM App
Pipeline CRM is an enterprise-grade sales CRM system known for its simplicity. It is designed after Excel, enabling businesses to easily manage, track, and close deals even when on the go. The platform offers a comprehensive sales team management suite to help eliminate redundancies and boost collaborative efforts.
Additionally, Pipeline CRM’s mobile app, powered by Google Maps, offers advanced route planning features to help outside sales teams optimize their time and maximize the effectiveness of client visits. Furthermore, the app’s talk-to-text recording and mobile business card scanning capabilities streamline time-consuming tasks, allowing sales reps to focus on building relationships with leads. Pipeline’s mobile CRM app is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Features
- Customizable email campaigns and deal stages: including targeted email campaigns and highly customizable deal stages, all of which are accessible on the mobile version.
- Optimized route planning: while planning the route, the system considers different client locations, appointment timings, and real-time traffic details, enabling it to map an efficient route.
- Advanced navigation: the mobile app has an interactive visual map and turn-by-turn navigation to make driving easier and avoid on-road delays.
- One-click activity notes: save time by adding your most frequent notes as “one-click” activities, instead of manually typing.
Learn more about Pipeline CRM’s features and solutions.
Pros
- One-app solution: from lead management to calendar organization and team collaboration, do it all from Pipeline CRM.
- User-friendly interface: Pipeline CRM’s user-friendly interface allows easy navigation and exploration without a steep learning curve.
- Affordable pricing: diverse price packages are available for businesses of different sizes and needs.
Ratings
- 4.4/5 star rating on G2
- 4.3/5 star rating on Capterra
- 4.3/5 star rating on Gartner
Pricing plans
- Start: $25 per user per month
- Develop: $33 per user per month
- Grow: $49 per user per month
- Enterprise: custom pricing based on your needs
See how XpressConnect leverages Pipeline CRM’s mobile app to increase its sales reps’ productivity in this case study.
2. ActiveCampaign: Route Add-Ons for Delivery and Sales Teams
ActiveCampaign is an email and marketing automation tool designed to automate customer relationship building. This tool may not be a CRM solution, but it offers comprehensive sales and marketing features that can be sufficient to tackle simple sales workflows. Its key features include analytics and reporting, email marketing, and automated workflows.
While ActiveCampaign doesn’t have built-in route planning features, it can be integrated with external tools like Arrivy and Mapsly to optimize sales routes and locate clients. However, ActiveCampaign’s premium pricing, particularly for larger sales teams, maybe a significant factor to consider.
Features
- Targeted connections: the platform enables users to connect with specific audiences and potential clients across various channels.
- Content creation: ActiveCampaign dynamic content creation tools and guidance for crafting effective messaging.
- Mobile app: the software provides a mobile version for convenient contact management and outreach.
Pros
- Easy lead management: simplifies lead management with features like marketing lead databases, segmentation, and lead nurturing.
- Efficient marketing: streamlines client communication through personalized email and multi-channel marketing.
Cons
- Steep learning curve: ActiveCampaign has a slightly more complicated interface, and it takes a while to get comfortable with the tool.
- Relies on third-party integrations: considering it requires integrations like Mapsly to help with route optimization, the add-ons can get clunky to manage.
Reviews
- 4.5/5 star rating on G2
- 4.6/5 star rating on Capterra
- 4.4/5 star rating on Gartner
Pricing plans
- Starter: $15 per user per month
- Plus: $49 per user per month
- Pro: Starts at $79 for three users per month
- Enterprise: Starts at $145 for 5 users per month
3. Zoho CRM: A CRM with Sales Team Optimization Tools
The next sales CRM on our list is Zoho, a well-established CRM solution widely used by businesses to build and nurture their sales pipelines.
Known for its high degree of customization, Zoho brings together various sales functions into a single platform. It provides sales tracking software and a mobile CRM app for on-the-go access. Additionally, RouteIQ for Zoho offers location intelligence to optimize sales routes, enhancing efficiency and productivity.
Features
- Lead management: you can view, track, and act on all leads from one place.
- Streamlined communication: Zoho gives you access to easy-to-implement email campaigns and features like social, email, and phone communication.
- Data insights and reports: the platform offers advanced marketing reports and analytics.
- Mobile CRM: Zoho has a sturdy mobile version for sales management on the go, including features like route planning.
Pros
- Smooth integration: Zoho easily integrates with third-party applications and existing software.
- Affordable: Zoho has different packages and price points to suit diverse business needs that start at budget-friendly prices.
Cons
- Limited features: while the platform has a full suite, some features are not as well-developed as other tools.
- Confusing user interface: some users find the user experience lacking, especially with forms, document merge functions, and fonts.
Reviews
- 4.1/5 star rating on G2
- 4.3/5 star rating on Capterra
- 4.2/5 star rating on Gartner
Pricing plans
- Standard: $14 per user per month
- Professional: $23 per user per month
- Enterprise: $40 per user per month
4. OnePageCRM: A CRM Tool For Small Businesses
OnePageCRM is a user-friendly sales management software designed to assist small and medium-sized businesses in streamlining their sales processes. It offers a centralized platform to manage client history, track meetings, and follow up on leads efficiently.
The platform emphasizes simplicity and ease of use, helping businesses to clarify their sales operations and foster stronger client relationships. OnePageCRM includes a free route planning feature called ‘On the Road’ to optimize sales routes and maximize productivity.
Features
- Sales tracking software: OnePageCRM has a well-developed tracking system to help you follow up after clients and complete sales.
- Lead generation: it offers easy lead generation and management features, simplifying your outreach efforts.
- Data automation: OnePageCRM lets you automate repetitive and laborious manual tasks like data entry.
Pros
- Great customer support: the CRM has a live support feature that users find very helpful, particularly during setup.
- Affordable: the pricing plans are ideal for new and small businesses.
Cons
- Limited feature set: OnePageCRM’s simplicity may limit its suitability for larger companies and teams with complex needs.
- Import functionality issues: some users have reported issues with automatic deal import in certain versions of the software.
Ratings
- 4.7/5 star rating on G2
- 4.7/5 star rating on Capterra
Pricing plans
- Professional: $9.95 per user per month
- Business: $19.95 per user per month
5. HubSpot Sales Hub: Scalable CRM for Streamlined Sales
The HubSpot Sales Hub CRM offers a simple interface streamlining data collection, management, and visualization, facilitating better decision-making for sales teams.
Companies use HubSpot to enhance the cross-platform integration and data synchronization between HubSpot and other systems. The CRM helps you build efficient pipelines and offers route planning capabilities with add-ons from Mapsly and Badger Maps.
Features
- Unified customer data: provides a centralized view of customer information, enabling teams to gain deeper insights.
- Maximize production: The CRM automates tasks like call logging, reporting, and deal creation, freeing up sales reps’ time.
- Routing maps Integration: easily integrates with route planning and management applications like Mapsly or Badger Maps, enhancing sales teams’ client touchpoints.
- Artificial Intelligence: utilizes AI to identify and merge duplicate entries, improving data accuracy.
Pros
- Cross-platform functionality: the CRM offers a wide range of features and customization options.
- Applications integration: it connects with various business applications through third-party integrations and the HubSpot App Marketplace.
Cons
- Limited client support: some users report issues with customer support, particularly with chat support.
- Pricing: the pricing plans can be relatively expensive, with frequent upselling of features and options.
Ratings
- 4.5/5 star rating on G2
- 4.3/5 star rating on Capterra
- 4.4/5 star rating on Gartner
Pricing plans
- Starter: $15 per user per month
- Professional: $90 per user per month
- Enterprise: $150 per user per month
Pipeline CRM Is the Best Route Planning and Optimization CRM Software
If your business relies on on-field sales teams, investing in a CRM solution with a robust mobile app is essential. Look for CRMs that offer route planning and optimization features, enabling your sales reps to reduce travel time, optimize appointment scheduling, and control costs.
Pipeline CRM offers these features and more. The mobile app empowers your outside sales teams to access and update lead information on the go, while the inside sales team can collaborate with other departments to further process progressing sales leads. This integrated approach leads to an improved sales pipeline, faster sales cycles, and a more productive sales process overall.
But don’t just take our word for it, try Pipeline CRM yourself. Sign up today and get a 14-day free trial!
FAQs on Route Planning Mobile CRM Software
1. What Are the Benefits of Adopting a CRM with a Route Planning Feature?
Some of the benefits of having a CRM with route planning and optimization solutions are:
- Enhanced efficiency: route optimization minimizes travel time and maximizes productivity, allowing sales teams to cover more ground and see more clients.
- Reduced costs: by reducing travel time and fuel consumption, route optimization can lead to significant cost savings for businesses.
- Improved customer satisfaction: timely and efficient visits enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
2. How Does CRM Sales Route Planning Work?
CRM sales route planning is typically implemented via mobile versions of CRM software. Locations are extracted from contact details within the CRM database and visualized on an interactive map. This allows users to identify locations, plan efficient routes, and navigate using pinch-to-zoom and location-tracking features.
3. Is Pipeline’s Mobile Route Planning CRM Compatible with My Device?
Yes, Pipeline CRM offers mobile applications compatible with both iOS and Android platforms. The route planning feature is powered by Google Maps, ensuring accurate route planning capabilities with a familiar user interface. For more detailed information, please visit this page.
