Waze Route Planner: Get The Fastest Multi-Stop Routes For Field and Outside Sales in 2022 [with best alternative]
Did you know that Waze is one of the best route planners out there? The GPS navigation software has gained a lot of traction over the past decade – over 140 million people rely on Waze to navigate their day-to-day drives!
Waze has a lot of similarities with Google Maps, which makes sense because Google bought Waze in 2013. Compared to Google Maps, Waze is a little more sophisticated and car-oriented.
However, just like Google Maps, Waze does not allow for unlimited stops to routes. Plus, the bright colors and quirky layout can be a bit distracting for some drivers.
But Waze’s greatest value is the live traffic updates from real-time data, which other Waze users send in.
The best part? Waze ensures that drivers reach their destination as efficiently as possible. And they make it fun!
In this article, you’ll find out:
- When it makes sense to use Waze for route planning
- How to plan multiple-stop routes with Waze
- Waze vs. Google Maps: When to use each for route planning
- When to use a Waze alternative, such as a specialized route planning software
- The best multi-stop route planners for field and outside salespeople
And the pro tips don’t end there! You’ll also get a bonus hack: How to navigate with Waze on a pre-saved route made in one of the most sophisticated route-planning apps for field sales.
Ready for the ride? Let’s dive right in!
Does Waze have a Route Planner?
You’ve probably already guessed this by the title of this article, but… Yes, Waze has an integrated route planner.
Waze is actually one of the most popular route planners in the world, especially when it comes to simple routing.
It lets you get the fastest route from point A to B, and you can also add a stop in between. Waze can even tell you the best times to start your journey and re-route you in real-time.
Waze is also great for city-dwellers – from street closures to event-specific traffic control, Waze’s two-way data exchange helps keep cities informed and Wazers moving.
The app’s quirky features differentiate Waze from more traditional route planners. They have your standard features (like advanced trip planning, integrations with other apps such as Spotify, route optimization, and traffic updates)...
...But they also have extra features that make driving fun!
The Waze Carpool app allows you to find rides heading your way, spare a seat for those who need it, share toll and gas information with other carpoolers, and engage in small talk with other lone drivers.
The math is simple: When you ride together, you help reduce traffic. You also cut back on gas costs, gain Carpool Rewards, and even help save the planet. Plus you’re less lonely in the car!
Waze is super reliable because it collects real-time traffic updates from users. To share updates, simply press the intuitive collision, traffic, warning, or policeman buttons to alert drivers around you of road conditions. For all you speedsters out there, Waze can even tell you where speed cops are hiding!
Does Waze Optimize Routes?
Waze is a great navigation app when it comes to planning simple routes from point A to B, and it even allows you to add 1 stop along the way while keeping you on the fastest route.
However, if your route has multiple stops, Waze’s trip planner will not allow you to add those extra stops. You’ll need to create a new route every time, which can make it extremely difficult and time-consuming to efficiently plan your routes. If you are creating business routes, you need an app with a simpler layout and business-specific features. If you’re a field salesperson, many field-specific route planners such as Badger Maps will allow you to use Waze as your navigation system.
How To Plan a Route with Multiple Stops on Waze?
You can only add one extra stop to your route on Waze in addition to your point A to B navigation. This is great for when you need to stop for gas or grab a bite.
Here’s how you add a stop to your Waze route:
- First, enter your main destination and click ‘go’.
Tap the blue oval with a white arrow at the bottom of the page, and then click on “add a stop”.
You can either choose one of their preset destinations (the closest parking lot, gas station, and food) or enter a custom destination.
Once you have your multiple-stop route ready, click ‘go’ and you’re all set to drive!
Google Maps vs Waze: Which One is Better for Route Planning
The best route-planning app for you depends on your specific wants and needs.
Google Maps is the most intuitive, reliable, and straightforward tool to plot the fastest route between 2 points. It provides you with accurate, real-time information regarding road conditions, traffic delays, and accidents.
Compared to Google Maps, Waze gives you a little extra something – it gives you options to drive through off-road shortcuts, plan trips in advance, and receive live traffic updates from real-time data sent in by other Waze users.
Waze also offers a sleek and minimal interface with a high level of customization options.
However, while Waze only allows you to add an additional stop to your point A to B route, Google Maps lets you add up to 10 stops. This makes Google Maps a better option for routes with multiple stops.
But while Google Maps works well for occasional routing or daily errands, it’s still not the best option for you if you need to frequently optimize a route with many stops. The app also doesn’t give you an optimized route – you need to manually rearrange each stop until you find the fastest route.
If your job involves creating routes with multiple destinations, you need a tool that not only optimizes your route but also streamlines other aspects of your job.
For example, if you work in field sales, multiple-stop routes are a big part of your job. In this case, neither Waze nor Google Maps are great options for you. You should look into a more sophisticated route planner that’s specifically designed for field salespeople, like Badger Maps.
Badger Maps - Waze’s Route Planner Best Alternative for Field Sales
Outside sales is a driving-intensive job. Your routes usually have multiple destinations, and it’s extremely important that you get to all your meetings on time.
Plus, you shouldn’t spend too much time planning your routes anyway. Your time is better spent rehearsing your sales pitch or looking for new prospects.
The route planner Waze offers is simply not enough for your industry-specific needs. Using Waze’s route planner would waste you hours trying to figure out the best route. But using the right route planning and optimization app will cut your planning and driving time in half.
That app is called Badger Maps. With route optimization to 100+ stops and features designed specifically for field salespeople, Badger is simply the best route planner for outside sales.
Price: Starts at $49/month (Free 7-day trial)
Main benefits: Route optimization for 100+ stops, route planning, scheduling, keeping track of appointments
Available on: iOS, Android, Mac, PC
When it comes to field sales, there’s no better route planner than Badger Maps.
Badger allows outside salespeople to plan and optimize their routes with 100+ stops either on-the-go or weeks in advance.
But it’s not only through optimized routes that Badger allows field salespeople to boost their productivity.
It also has tons of industry-specific features like follow-ups, check-ins, and prospecting, which allow salespeople to keep track of key customer information and never miss out on an opportunity to close a deal.
Salespeople using Badger save an average of 8 hours per week in driving time, allowing them to meet with over 10 more prospects and boost their closing rate.
Badger is great for route planning and optimization, and the best part is that it uses navigation apps like Waze and Google Maps to get turn-by-turn directions to all your stops.
So if Waze is your favorite navigation system, you’ll be able to combine it with the power of Badger Maps to crush your sales quota.
The Productivity-Boosting Sales Play: Plan a Multi-Stop Route with Badger Maps and Navigate with Waze
The powerful combination of Badger Maps and Waze is the most efficient way to handle your routes when you work in field sales.
Here’s how you can use Waze as your navigation app with Badger:
Step 1: Visualize your accounts and filter them based on priority.
Step 2: Lasso the clients and prospects that you’d like to meet with to create an optimized route to all your appointments.
Step 3: Using Route Mode, you can use Waze to navigate to all your stops and get turn-by-turn directions.
Conclusion
Waze is a great app if you simply need to get from point A to point B with no more than 1 stop in between. It is intuitive, quirky, and reliable as it receives real-time data from other Waze users on the road.
However, Waze’s route planner has many limitations, especially for professionals like field and outside salespeople. When you’re a field salesperson, you need a route planner that:
- Is user-friendly
- Allows you to plan, save and optimize routes with 100+ stops
- Has advanced mapping visualization and tracking features, so you can reach the right customers at the right time
- Integrates with your favorite navigation app, such as Waze, for turn-by-turn directions
- Streamlines other parts of your job like lead generation, follow-ups, reporting, or logging meeting info
All of these features are at the core of Badger Maps. See for yourself – start a free trial today to streamline all your sales and route planning needs!
BADGER PAYS FOR ITSELF WITH GAS SAVINGS
See the potential return on investment you can get by using Badger Maps with your field sales team.
