When it comes to researching a free delivery route planner, there are pros and significant cons to using free routing software for your business or nonprofit. The old saying of “nothing is really free” holds true when it comes to free delivery route planner software. When get something for free, there typically are hidden costs that some businesses or nonprofits can accommodate…and some businesses or nonprofits can’t.
The Main Benefit Of A Free Delivery Route Planner
The most obvious benefit of a free delivery route planner is that there’s no direct cost to using the software in its “free” mode vs. a paid mode.
For businesses & nonprofits that are just embarking on the deployment of route planning software for deliveries, free delivery routing software may be enough to start. However, there are significant negative effects of using a free delivery route planner.
The Top 4 Negatives Of Using A Free Delivery Route Planner
Limited Number of Delivery Stops: When you obtain a free version of route planning software, you’re typically going to encounter a limited number of delivery stops in the free version of the routing software. Limited delivery stops often is limited to 5 or 10 stops. If your delivery routes include more than the limited number of stops available in the free version of the routing software, then you’re limited in the number of deliveries you can make each day using an efficient optimized route. If your business or nonprofit is just starting out, then the limitation on the number of delivery stops that can be optimized may be OK in the short term. However, do be aware that, as your business or nonprofit deliveries grow, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid route planner that can accommodate the number of deliveries you need to handle on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis – if you want to save the time and money that comes from efficient, optimized delivery routes.
Limited Access To Crucial Delivery Management Functions: As part of the limited functionality typically offered in free delivery route planners, it’s quite common that important delivery management functionality is not accessible in the free version of the software. Delivery management functionality is critically important to managing the delivery process and maintaining customer satisfaction. Without those key pieces of delivery management functionality, the delivery process can be compromised. Typical delivery management functionality offered by paid route planners like RouteSavvy.com include:
• Photo capture by the delivery driver to prove the delivery was made
• Signature capture to confirm delivery to the recipient
• Email alerts to the customer that their package has been delivered
Potential Security Issues: Free route planners are sometimes written with Open Source software code. Open Source software can come with security issues that you don’t typically find with a paid route planner.
Lack of Tech Support: When you sign up for free route planning software, you get what you pay for when it comes to technical support. In other words, technical support to help you learn and use the software is typically nonexistent with a free route planner. Given that time is money, and lost time can never be recovered, the paid route planners often save time because there’s someone available to answer questions and help you get up to speed on how to use the routing software faster and more efficiently.
The bottom line is that so-called “free” routing optimization software comes with hidden costs and can impede the growth of your delivery business or nonprofit. Instead, consider a route optimization software solution like RouteSavvy that’s affordable, effective & contains the functionality you need to accommodate growth and increased demand.
Interested in learning more about RouteSavvy’s new functionality options? Test drive RouteSavvy with our FREE, 14-day trial.
