Still planning routes in a spreadsheet?
Experienced planners do remarkable work with Excel and a map. Here is what changes when the rules live in software that plans the whole fleet at once.
How they compare
| spreadsheets | Routyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to plan a day | Hours, often starting before dawn. | Minutes for the whole fleet, then hand adjustments. |
| Rules respected | The ones the planner remembers, checked one by one. | Hundreds at once: time windows, capacities, temperatures, shifts, service days. |
| Who can plan | One or two experienced people. Holidays and sick days hurt. | The rules live in the system, so any trained planner gets the same quality. |
| Kilometres and cost | Good routes, but rarely the best combination across the fleet. | Typically 15 to 25% less mileage and operating cost. |
| Cost per route | Calculated afterwards, if at all. | Shown before release, from your own carrier and vehicle tariffs. |
| Changes during the day | Phone calls and a new printout. | Re-plan just what changed and send it to the driver’s phone. |
| Proof of delivery | Paper delivery notes, keyed in later. | Signature, photo or scan in Routyn Drive, even offline. |
| Customer updates | Customers call to ask. | Tracking link, ETA updates and delivery confirmation. |
When spreadsheets is enough
Not every operation needs route optimization software. spreadsheets may be all you need if:
- You run one or two vehicles with the same stops every day
- You have no time windows, capacity limits or temperature rules to respect
- Your customers don’t ask when you’ll arrive
- Planning takes minutes and nobody depends on one person to do it
Can I import my current spreadsheet?
Yes. Orders, customers and vehicles can be loaded from files such as CSV, and addresses are geocoded in bulk. Later you can automate the feed from your ERP or WMS through the API.
Will I lose control over the plan?
No. Planners review every plan, move stops between routes by drag and drop, compare scenarios and approve the plan before it is released.
How do I know the savings are real?
Every rollout starts by comparing your current plan with the Routyn plan on one representative day of your own data, before anything changes.
See the difference on your own routes
Send us one day of orders and compare your plan with the one Routyn builds.