1. Time Lost Re-Planning the Day
Reps start the morning with a plan… until reality hits:
- A call from a store
- A manager unavailable
- Traffic issues
- A long visit
- A task they forgot
- A sudden appointment shift
Now the rep must stop, rethink the entire route, and guess the best next stop.
This alone burns 20–45 minutes per day.
2. Extra Driving Due to Poor Route Sequencing
When the route isn’t optimized, reps unintentionally:
- Backtrack
- Zig-zag between distant stores
- Visit low-value stops first
- Miss efficient clusters
Even 5–10 extra kilometers per day translates into wasted fuel, time, and productivity.
3. Visiting Stores Out of Priority Order
Without a priority-based route, reps default to:
- The closest store
- The easiest store
- The store they “usually” visit
- The store they like
This feels fast but destroys execution.
High-value stores get skipped or delayed, and the rep spends valuable minutes in the wrong places.
4. Failing to Account for Visit Duration
Every store has its own rhythm:
- Some take 6 minutes
- Some take 20
- Some take 45
When reps don’t account for this, the entire schedule collapses, causing:
- Overbooked days
- Missed visits
- Rushed execution
- Extra drive cycles
Bad duration estimates = cascading time loss.
5. Tasks Without Planning Create Random Delays
Tasks like:
- Building a display
- Capturing photos
- Checking competitor activity
- Changing pricing
- Activating a promo
If unplanned, they disrupt the route and extend visits unpredictably — adding 5–15 minutes per store.
6. Navigating Store Hours and Manager Availability
When reps arrive at:
- Closed stores
- Wrong manager shifts
- Busy periods
- Delivery windows
They must adapt on the spot.
That’s more guesswork → more lost time → fewer completed visits.
7. Human Nature: Convenience Over Efficiency
Under time pressure, humans choose convenience:
- “I’ll do the close one first.”
- “I’ll fix the plan later.”
- “I’ll visit the hard one tomorrow.”
This creates a route based on comfort, not strategy — and 30% of productivity disappears.
Why This Matters
Inefficient routing is not a small operational nuisance. It directly reduces:
- Daily call volume
- Store coverage
- Shelf execution
- Promo activation
- Competitive checks
- Total sales
A rep losing 2 hours a day is like losing 1 full workday per week.
Across a 10-rep team, that’s the equivalent of 50 wasted workdays per month.
The Fix: Automated Route Optimization
Software eliminates the guesswork by automatically factoring:
- Priority
- Geography
- Visit duration
- Store hours
- Tasks
- Traffic
- Rep availability
Reps follow the route.
Managers get visibility.
Time loss disappears.
Conclusion
Reps don’t lose 30% of their day because they’re lazy or unskilled.
They lose it because their tools aren’t built for real-world conditions.
Fix routing → you fix time loss → you fix sales.
This is one of the fastest ROI improvements any field team can make.
