6 tools to organize your sales tours efficiently

When you are a sales area manager, the day often starts long before the first visit. You need to organize your route, check availability, juggle the unexpected, find your notes, keep your goals in mind... And all this, often, with a poorly designed application, a makeshift spreadsheet, or Google Maps open in the corner of your screen.

The problem is not your motivation. It is the lack of adapted tools.

In this article, we show you what a real retail sales route planning kit looks like through 6 simple tools, designed for field teams, to help you organize better and save time.

A route planner and optimizer

Have you ever tried to organize your routes using only Google Maps? If so, you understand the importance of having a dedicated tool for this. If not, here is a spoiler: it is impractical and very time-consuming.

By using a smart scheduling tool, you visualize the stores to visit according to your route objectives, select the relevant ones, ask your route planning software to organize it for you, and... your week is ready. All you have to do is hit the road.

Not only do you save time during preparation, but also on the road, because the order of visits is optimized according to geography, the availability of your contacts, and store opening hours.

📌 The bonus: the interactive map

Being able to see on a map where your stores are with color coding helps you quickly identify priority stores. You build your route based on urgency, not just geography.

A calendar synchronized with your route

Your calendar is your ally. It needs to be filled, but not manually. That is why your calendar must be connected to your CRM to populate and update automatically. This way, you receive an alert before each visit and have a clear view of your week. If an appointment gets rescheduled, you change it in your CRM, which adjusts your route and updates your calendar.

You have your day under control, even if it shifts.

An all-in-one mobile application

In the morning, launch your application. You have access to the stores to visit, your daily objectives, your notes, your reports... All accessible from your smartphone or tablet, with or without internet connection.

Having an SFA software available on a truly mobile device makes all the difference. It makes preparing your visits much easier: before entering a store, you can consult the information from the last visit, the actions taken, who you met (or did not), the photos taken, key figures...

Mobile apps give you access to an integrated photo gallery. Take them directly within your CRM application. The photos are dated, timestamped, and linked to audits and stores, making it easy for you (or your manager) to find them. You can show them to department managers if you need to support an argument, and you no longer waste time sorting through photos on WhatsApp or in your phone.

Speaking of WhatsApp...

A messaging application

The most widely used messaging application is WhatsApp. Despite its common use, it remains unofficial.

Having a group chat with your colleagues and manager not only helps you feel less isolated but, above all, allows you to ask questions, have a contact in case of an emergency, or share updates. It is an instant channel that offers quicker answers than email and leaves a written record, unlike a phone call.

A quick report module

Nobody likes writing reports at the end of the day, once all the visits are done. First of all because you want to go home, but especially because you will have neither the energy nor the memory to do them well. At 3 PM, I am not sure you will remember what was said during your search first visit.

That is why you need to be equipped with the right tool. Being able to dictate your reports, and doing so without needing a network connection, is a real time saver. When leaving the store, you check off the mandatory elements. You leave a comment that translates speech to text, and you are done. No need to think about it in the evening.

A navigation application

Google Maps, Waze, CityMapper... Choose whichever one you want, but use one. Not just to avoid getting lost, but also to steer clear of traffic jams. You already spend a great deal of time on the road, so you might as well minimize it as much as possible.

We do not recommend using your car's built-in GPS, because it cannot natively connect to your CRM. With Sidely, you open your calendar, click on the store's address, and your route opens directly in your preferred navigation app. You avoid traffic, save time, and arrive on schedule.

These tools will save you administrative and travel time so you can dedicate more time to your core business: sales and advising. Luckily, they are simple to use: no need for a 3-day training session to get started. Everything is done from your smartphone, right there in the supermarket aisle.