CRM and sales territory planning: how to choose the right tool to boost productivity

Planning an efficient sales route is about more than just drawing a path on a map. Between the multitude of retail outlets, shifting sales priorities, scheduling constraints, pressure on travel costs, and unexpected field events, route organization quickly becomes complex for both sales teams and managers.

While part of this organization can be done manually, its limitations quickly appear: as the customer base expands and goals multiply, manual planning reaches its operational limits.

This is why many companies today rely on structuring tools to optimize their approach. Among them, CRMs featuring sales route planning and optimization functionality stand out from the crowd.

When well-chosen, it becomes a central performance driver, serving both the sales representatives and the company's business strategy.

Why use CRM software to organize your sales route plans?

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) dedicated to optimizing sales route plans offers several specific benefits:

• Intelligent planning: optimization taking into account the route, or even the availability of the store or department managers;

• Optimization of travel costs;

• Maximization of selling time and negotiation with your distributors;

• Satisfaction and loyalty: better customer relationship management and efficient monitoring of visit frequency to active clients;

• Data collection and centralization: representative performance, sales trends, interaction history, etc.

• Adaptability: Virtual assistance allows traveling sales reps to reorganize their schedule in a few clicks to handle the unexpected.

For brands integrated into major retail chains in particular, only a solution designed around mobility and store presence will be suitable.

But on what criteria should you choose your sales route planning solution?

How to choose a CRM adapted to sales routes?

The adoption of a CRM by field sales forces is contingent on it being designed around mobile and roaming. Thus, by choosing a solution developed to make the daily lives of sales reps easier, you ensure you can excel in the art of the optimized route plan.

Here are the main criteria to take into account when choosing a CRM that manages sales route plans.

Mobile application and web version

Opt for a solution designed and thought out for web AND mobile use. A multi-platform CRM increases your efficiency. Indeed, some tasks are easier on a large screen, others while on the move. With a CRM available on both web and mobile, you can choose the best platform for the task at hand.

Furthermore, this solution offers you real-time synchronization: a change made on mobile is immediately reflected on the web version, and vice versa. This guarantees up-to-date information for all users at any time.

The WEB version ensures better management of your account administration, access to a complete platform at the office, and the ability to build your reports in just a few clicks!

The mobile app, on the other hand, will allow for better work in the field, with and without a connection: updating reports, voice note-taking, taking photos, shelf audits... It must of course be available in OS and Android versions, on smartphone and tablet.

You want your sales reps to be profitable, equip them with a solution optimized for the way they use it!

Mapping and route optimization

Since geolocation and traffic flow are at the heart of travel profitability, you will want a software solution designed around route optimization, rather than one adapted or patched together to work with third-party mapping applications.

Having a map visualization is even more of an advantage if it is accompanied by intuitive tools, like the lasso tool which allows you to select your stores more easily.

It thus becomes obvious that only technology can process all of this data to find the optimal solution and maximize the profitability of your sales routes. Indeed, solutions like Google Maps or Excel are not designed to achieve this level of performance and optimization, and will not be able to help you make your sales routes profitable.

You get the idea: by combining geographic and sales data, next-generation CRMs make it possible to establish efficient prospecting plans. The sales rep is then relieved of preparation work for which their habits and other biases might represent handicaps rather than strengths.

It is still interesting to be able to view your retail outlets on a list. So do not close any doors. Choose a solution that offers you both list views and map views.

Real-time data centralization

A mobile CRM optimizes the management of data coming from field reporting, and therefore your sales meetings. Having access to smart and conditional shelf audits is a real plus for brands present in major retail stores.

Dashboards and performance indicators

Ensure you can visualize your sales pipelines and other dashboards essential for tracking sales objectives.

Prospect scoring and qualification

The prioritization and frequency of visits is established according to criteria defined by your sales or general management. Thus, scoring your prospects and clients ensures an organization of schedules focused on maximizing revenue.

Therefore, a sales route management application must allow you to visualize your retail outlets by tags, meaning showing priority stores according to your scoring.

Sales representatives tracking

Being able to track the activity of your sales reps in the field can be a decisive feature. For those wishing to monitor their sales reps in real time, a verified check-in for meetings can be a real addition. As always, technology is at the service of people.

Team collaboration

Your new software should promote teamwork by allowing multiple users to edit schedule data simultaneously. Sales reps must particularly be able to access their prospect files when they are on the move, without having to manage data synchronization or be faced with unexpected refreshes.

Integrations with your existing ecosystem

Finally, your new CRM does not replace all of your existing applications... You will therefore want to ensure beforehand that it interfaces with the main solutions already implemented in your organization.

The route plan fully contributes to increasing your sales results. There are different methods to organize business meeting schedules, but technological advancements, particularly specialized CRMs, make it possible to boost your sales profitability. This is especially true for brands present in major retail distribution, whose specific needs require solutions geared towards mobility and sales territories.

In this guide, we have covered the main points that will allow you to make the right decisions to integrate the best CRM for optimizing your sales route plans.

But, if you still have questions, you just need to schedule an online demo!