Mapping Software for Business

Transcription

1 AN INTRODUCTION TO Mapping Software for Business THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO MAPPING SOFTWARE FOR BUSINESS

2 Copyright 2017 by espatial All rights reserved. This ebook or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. First Publication, 2016 Last Update, July 2017 espatial Chamber Buildings, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin, Ireland

3 Table of Contents Introduction 5 Chapter 1: Why Use Mapping Software for Business? 6 Mapping is a Type of Data Visualization 7 Information and Locations 7 High Level Use of Mapping Software 8 Business Outcomes of Using Mapping Software 9 Industries Using Mapping Software 10 Chapter 2: Mapping Fundamentals 11 Components of a Good Map Visualization 12 Preparing the Map 14 Data Styling 15 Options for Map Styling 16 Improving your Map Visualization 17 Creating Multiple Map Views 17 Using Maps to Generate Routes 17 Using Maps for Territory Alignment and Management 18 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance 19 Sales Growth using Mapping Software 20 Sales Territory Alignment 20 Market Growth Planning 22 Location Planning/ Site Selection 24 espatial Mapping Software for Business 3

4 Table of Contents Managing Costs using Mapping Software 25 Workforce Optimization 25 Resource Allocation 26 Marketing/Advertising Campaign Management 26 Routing Efficiency 28 Improving Customer Service using Mapping Software 29 Chapter 4: Sharing your Maps 30 When to Share a Map 31 Sharing Techniques 31 User Interaction 32 Notifications 32 Single Source Data 32 Chapter 5: Choosing the Right Mapping Software 33 Challenges & Required Outcomes 34 Feature Requirements 35 Getting Started - Training 36 Support Requirements 37 Total Cost of Ownership 38 Other Items to Assess 39 Afterword 40 espatial Mapping Software for Business 4

5 Introduction Introduction At espatial, we work with thousands of organizations from different industries helping them visualize and analyze their business data using powerful and insightful maps. Over the past 20 years, we have built up a deep understanding and knowledge of how businesses benefit from using mapping software. Mapping software takes your existing location data, stored in spreadsheets, CRM or ERP systems, and converts it into vibrant, insight-rich maps. Mapping software allows you to take tabular data and visualize it in a more meaningful way. More and more businesses are realizing the value of mapping software as a critical tool. Used by a range of industries and companies, from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit organizations. Marketing and sales companies use it to track sales and manage territories to generate new business. Insurers use it to measure levels of risk. Healthcare providers map patients and facilities for the most efficient delivery of treatment. Non-profits use it to communicate and organize volunteers. This ebook will guide you through how mapping software can save you time, reduce cost, and increase your organization s revenue. In the first chapter we will discuss the reasons why you should use mapping software and the benefits you can obtain from doing so. The second chapter provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts you need to understand to get the most out of using mapping software. In the third chapter, we will set out three examples of business outcomes that can be realized by using mapping software. The fourth chapter will discuss the ways you can communicate, share or collaborate with maps. In the final chapter, we will give you a guide on how you should assess the right mapping software to use in your organization. *All map images in this ebook were produced using espatial Mapping Software. espatial Mapping Software for Business 5

6 CHAPTER ONE WHY USE MAPPING SOFTWARE FOR BUSINESS?

7 Chapter 1: Why Use Mapping Software for Business? Mapping is a Type of Data Visualization Whether you are a small local organization or a large multi-national, mapping software can empower you with more insightful understanding of your business leading to more impactful decision-making. At the most basic level, Mapping Software is used for data visualization, which is about using our eyes to assist our brain make insights that traditional approaches might obscure. It s important to understand that mapping software is not only about showing data graphically on a map. It s also about being able to interact with and interpret the visual display. Users can change the display, drill down into the data, create filters, focus on subsets and look at different types of graphs, maps and reports showing the same data simultaneously. The best systems also allow for the data to be annotated and shared with others so as to enhance communication and collaboration. Information and Locations Much of the information that organizations must monitor and understand is tied to geographic locations: Where are my outlets? Where are sales occurring? How near are my customers to my service center? Can I match a volunteer with the care needs of a client? The best way to represent this data visually is on a map. But it s not enough to simply plot data on a Google map users need other contextual data that adds value to their own business data, such as demographic data, census data and boundary data sets. They also need the ability to analyze the data on the map graphically using techniques unique to mapping software, such as color-coding the data by region based on quantities. It s also essential that maps can be combined with other forms of data visualization such as tables, charts and legends. Fig 1.1: Map with multiple layers of data displaying customer, outlet and distribution hub locations. espatial Mapping Software for Business 7

8 Chapter 1: Why Use Mapping Software for Business? High Level Use of Mapping Software Fig 1.2: Map showing density of warehouse locations across the United States with same data displayed in table format. Colors ranging from red for high density areas to yellow for low density areas. There are a number of common high-level purposes that organizations use mapping software for: They use maps for lookup purposes, where the primary requirement is to present information in a way that makes it easy and efficient to find the individual facts they want. The most basic lookup is simply to see a pin on a map in the correct location. Other things that people want to lookup include market share by territory, service coverage areas based on spatial distance searches, drive time analysis, routing patterns, and so on. Lookup is a very simple use case but it s probably the most prevalent. Very closely related to lookup is monitoring. Analyzing sales performance by territory, monitoring the current state of an asset, identifying gaps in service coverage due to asset down-time or personnel gaps, and so on. Visualizing data on a map also facilitates analysis and fact finding. Finally, organizations use mapping software for narrative purposes in order to inform, explain or persuade. This is useful for reporting, for feedback, for telling stories. A key requirement here is the ability to share maps by way of web portals, web links, attachments, presentations, print-outs and so on. Of course, many organizations will use map software for several reasons and one display may serve multiple purposes. espatial Mapping Software for Business 8

9 Chapter 1: Why Use Mapping Software for Business? Business Outcomes of Using Mapping Software Fig 1.3: Regional Heat Map showing sales performance by territory accompanied by a chart with same information visualized in a different way. This time the coloring is based on the sum of Revenue generated in each territory. Red signifies high revenue generation, and yellow signifies low revenue generation. Some of the most common business outcomes from using mapping software are: Increasing your sales revenue Impactful decision making Understanding where your customers are Optimization of your workforce Controlling your expenditure Optimizing and aligning your sales territories Better collaboration and operational awareness Better site selection Removing requirement for specialist consultants Finding gaps in your market or coverage Highlighting new opportunities Some of the challenges with using mapping software in the past were the initial capital cost and support skills required. With the advent of cloud computing, the total cost of ownership for mapping software is now within reach of all organizations. Furthermore, mapping software companies like espatial are now making mapping software easy to use regardless of skill level. espatial Mapping Software for Business 9

10 Chapter 1: Why Use Mapping Software for Business? Industries Using Mapping Software Mapping software is now used in most industries, especially where location or geography is a factor in influencing business performance. Businesses not only visualize their business data on maps but also perform powerful analytics to improve decisions (for instance, Scenario Planning). For example, Insurance companies will use mapping software as part of their process for pricing insurance premiums. If you are unfortunate enough to live in a flood plain or in an area that is prone to extreme weather conditions, your insurance company has probably used mapping software to determine the potential risk associated with your location. Examples of other industries that leverage mapping software as a business critical tool are Manufacturing (for Sales, Marketing or Distribution); Utility (for Asset Management or Job Allocation); Food and Restaurant (for Franchise Management or Customer Loyalty Programs); Educational (for Alumni Management or Student Prospecting); and Retail (for Site Selection or Targeted Marketing Campaigns). In the next chapter we will outline some mapping fundamentals in advance of Chapter 3, which details specific examples of businesses using mapping software. espatial Mapping Software for Business 10

11 CHAPTER TWO MAPPING FUNDAMENTALS

12 Chapter 2: Mapping Fundamentals Thanks to Google Maps, most people are now very comfortable using and interacting with digital maps both on web browsers and on smart phones. As a result, many of the common terms and concepts of mapping are well understood. For the sake of clarity, in this chapter, we will go through the most important of these concepts. Components of a Good Map Visualization We are all familiar with maps, both from our school atlases and from web and mobile applications, but have we ever stopped to consider what goes into making a good visualization: First, there is the Map itself a diagrammatic or graphical representation of an area that shows physical features from that area. Secondly, there are the features represented on the map. Maps usually contain three types of features: 1) those that can be displayed as points, such as addresses or customer locations; 2) those that can be shown as lines, such as roads or rivers; and 3) those that can be shown as polygons, such as boundaries of regions like counties or sales territories. Fig 2.1: Territory Map overlaid with customer data. espatial Mapping Software for Business 12

13 Chapter 2: Mapping Fundamentals Then, there s the Legend - the legend provides the code for the symbols displayed on the map, including any color schemes, symbols or categories of data. Without a legend, the color and symbols on the map might make no sense to the user. Adding a Title to a map can help explain the purpose of the map to the viewer. Similarly, you might want to add some form of Annotation to add context or provide further information about the map and what is being displayed. The Map Visualization might also benefit from adding a graph or chart that renders some of the data from the map in an alternative manner so as to help the viewer s understanding of the information being presented. It might also be useful to include a data table that shows some of the data displayed on the map in a tabular format. You might want to include some other useful items, such as a scale bar or pan and zoom control buttons. Depending on the data you have used, it might be necessary to display a copyright notice. Fig2.2: Pin map showing sales pipeline colored based on lead status. espatial Mapping Software for Business 13

14 Chapter 2: Mapping Fundamentals Preparing the Map To prepare a map, you must first consider which data you want to display: You will have your own business data, such as customer and office locations or sales territories. You will probably want to display this on some base map to give the data context, such as a standard Google base map. Next, you might want to include a geographic boundary dataset such as Postcodes, County, or Sales Territory boundaries. This can be particularly useful to include on the map if you want to view or summarize your data by regions. Finally, you may want to include third-party data, such as demographic or census information, that will help you understand or analyze your own market and data. Most mapping software products will already include base map options, whether from Google, Bing, Open Street Maps, or other data providers. They will also usually contain a library of boundary and third-party datasets. To prepare your map visualization, you will need to pick the base map style you want to use and whether you want to add any boundary or third-party datasets. You can usually choose from a wide variety of base styles that show different levels of detail in the base data or that use different color palettes to display the data Before you can add your own data to the map, you will need to load it into the mapping software: The data will need to be organized as a table with rows representing each unique feature you want to display (for instance one row for each customer location) and the columns representing the attributes of each feature. One or more of the columns will need to include address data, so that the software knows where in the world to display the feature. Your data can then be loaded into the mapping software, with a longitude / latitude location being assigned to each feature based on its address using a process known as Geocoding. Data should be organized so that each different feature type (customers, offices, outlet, distributor, and so on) is loaded as a separate dataset. This will allow you to add it to maps as separate layers and to add different colors or symbols for each different dataset. For instance, you will want to be able to distinguish office locations from customer locations when viewing your map. You will also be able to interact with the map more effectively by switching on and off which layers to be displayed as required. espatial Mapping Software for Business 14

15 Chapter 2: Mapping Fundamentals Data Styling When you have added your data to the map, you will need to decide on how you want to display each feature. Good software will usually assign a default style and color and make sure that each dataset or layer is represented differently. You will then have the option to change these defaults. For point data you will need to consider: The symbol to use do you want to use one that is already available in the software library or do you want to add a custom symbol. You might want something as simple as a dot or a pushpin for each point; you might prefer a meaningful symbol such as a factory icon; you may even wish to use a company s corporate logo. The size to display the points at. Depending on the volume of points you are displaying smaller or larger sizes may make more sense. A clustering option may also be appropriate for high volumes or dense data. Fig 2.4: Styling options within espatial Mapping Software The color and transparency of the point. The best mapping software will also allow you to vary the symbol, size or color of points depending on some attribute value associated with the points. For instance, you would be able to show higher value customers with larger symbols or with different colors. The map legend would contain some information to explain what the different sizes colors or symbols represent. For polygon data you will need to think about the line style and thickness of the boundary, the fill pattern or color of the polygon and whether you want the fill to be transparent or not. As with point datasets, you should be able to change the polygon style dependent on attribute values. Labeling your data on the map is another important consideration. Labels are used to add information about each feature. However, if you have a lot of features on the map, labels can become cluttered and unusable. Good software will allow you to automatically generate labels for each feature based on one or more feature attributes. For label styling, you need to consider size, text font, color and whether to include a box or frame. Your mapping software should allow you to control the positioning of the labels relative to the feature and whether you want to display all labels or just those that don t overlap with others. The best software will have sophisticated algorithms to optimize label placement so as to avoid clashes. espatial Mapping Software for Business 15

16 Chapter 2: Mapping Fundamentals Map Analysis In the last section, we discussed the best way to style the data that is on the map. In this section, we will discuss the analyzing that data to derive insight. You can use a basic map style and display every feature individually or you can deploy a thematic map, where the map shows the correlation of datasets to regions. Thematic maps allow you to quickly identify hot spots, clusters and gaps in your data. There are two main types of map analysis, summary analysis and proximity analysis which we will discuss in this section. Summary Analysis Summary analysis refers to the ability to summarize your data to visualize coverage, gaps and to highlight areas of opportunity. This is usually done on a regional basis. Heat Map Analysis Heat maps use a color gradient to indicate areas of increasingly higher density of data occurrence in a geographic area. Heat maps are one of the best visualization tools for dense point data and can be used to easily identify clusters where there is a high concentration of activity. Regional Heat Map Analysis A regional heat map, which is a form of choropleth map, is one that uses graded differences in shading or color in order to indicate the aggregate or average values of some property or quantity in particular areas. For instance the aggregate value or volume of sales for each state or sales territory is color-coded into a number of ranges, with each color representing a value range. Bubble Map Analysis Another form of choropleth is one that places bubbles or other symbols in the regions to represent the values being displayed. By using two sets of data on a bubble map, you may also compare sets of data that are linked to one another. An example would be to have one dataset that shows college rankings with average salaries of graduates of each college. Fig 2.5.1: Different map analysis types espatial Mapping Software for Business 16

17 Chapter 2: Mapping Fundamentals Proximity Analysis Proximity analysis refers to the types of analysis used to identify locations within the proximity of a center location. This is useful for sales call planning, site location, event planning and performance reporting. Radius Analysis Radius maps, also known as buffer maps, are useful when you need to understand your data in relation to its proximity to other features. For instance, you may need to be able to visualize how many customers you have within a 10 mile radius of your office locations or how many customers you could serve in a particular region if you signed a new franchisee. You should be able to generate buffers one at a time or for multiple relationships. And run multiple buffers of 5, 10, 15 miles from a single point or from all points in your dataset. Each buffer is represented on the map as a polygon, which can then be used for further analysis. Nearest Neighbor Analysis Another type of proximity map is one that analyzes relationships between two datasets based on nearest neighbors. This type of map allows you to identify the nearest set of features in one dataset compared with a starting point in the other dataset. For instance, find the nearest 10 customers to the hotel I am staying in. Drive Time Analysis Drive time analysis are extremely useful for field sales teams and event planning as it allows you to identify data points within a particular drive time of a center location. For example, you are planning a training event for your sales reps. You have a shortlist of venues and you know that if the reps don t have to travel more than an hour, the attendance will be much higher. You plot the potential venues on your map along with your sales rep locations and run a 60 minute drive time buffer around each event location. The location with the higher number of reps within that zone is the best venue for the event. Fig 2.5.2: Different map analysis types espatial Mapping Software for Business 17

18 Chapter 2: Mapping Fundamentals Improving your Map Visualization Once you have built the map, you may wish to include additional components to the visualization such as tables, charts, titles or annotations. These can greatly enhance the meaning of the map and help communicate your message more effectively. Creating Multiple Map Views It is often necessary to create a number of map visualizations from the same data. For instance, you might have imported all of your sales data from your CRM but want to be able to prepare separate maps for individual sales regions or reps. The mapping software should allow you to filter the data so as to see only a sub-set of the complete dataset. You may wish to produce a simple pin map, regional heatmap and buffer map all on the same dataset to produce multiple viewpoints. You should be able to easily produce and save multiple maps linked to the original dataset so all maps are readily available and reproducible as more up-to-date data becomes available. Just like in Excel, each map should form part of a larger Mapbook that can be managed together or separately for styling, sharing, printing and so on. Using Maps to Generate Routes Field employees are expensive and time constrained. To get the most from your team, you should be optimizing the time they spend in the field. One way to do this is to reduce the time needed to complete an itinerary by planning routes using mapping software. The software should allow you to plan for routes with multiple stops so as to identify the order that reduces travel time or fuel consumption. Fig 2.6: Route optimization map for the San Francisco area. espatial Mapping Software for Business 18

19 Chapter 2: Mapping Fundamentals Using Maps for Territory Alignment and Management Sales Territory design and alignment is a specific and common use case for mapping software. Territory alignment is the process that sets sales footprints and workloads, allocates customers or products to representatives, and assigns personnel to territories. Mapping software solutions focused on Territory Alignment and Management can help organizations achieve sales growth. Effective Territory Alignment is crucial to most company s sales operations, particularly those relying on business-to-business revenue. Territory Management is a crucial component of the Sales Performance Management process, essential for sales force planning, resource deployment, incentive compensation and financial reporting. Yet, much of the work in designing Territory alignments is still being done using spreadsheets. This ignores the fact that most territories incorporate real world locations that would be better understood by way of a data visualization tool. Territory visualization is one important aspect of the alignment process. Others include, hierarchical representation of territories, territory realignment capabilities, the ability to use other data sources to help balance assigned territories, collaboration and delegation in the territory process, territory optimization, and sharing of results for on-going reporting. High quality mapping software should incorporate all of these features. Fig 2.7: Hierarchy view of sales territories espatial Mapping Software for Business 19

20 CHAPTER THREE USING MAPPING SOFTWARE TO IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

21 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Mapping software can be used in a wide variety of ways to improve business performance. In this chapter we will examine three of the most common ways this occurs. We will discuss how you 1) can target revenue growth; 2) make cost reductions; and, 3) improve customer service. Sales Growth using Mapping Software There are many ways that mapping software can be used to help grow sales revenue. In this section, we will discuss 1) Sales territory alignment; 2) Market growth planning; and, 3) Location planning. Sales Territory Alignment In the previous chapter, we described how mapping software is used to enhance territory alignment (the process that sets sales footprints and workloads, allocates customers or products to representatives, and assigns personnel to territories). Territory alignment provides value to organizations in a number of ways: Viewing territories on a map allows for problems with territory definition to be spotted easily. When viewed on a map, it is easy to see Gaps, where parts of the overall territory have not been assigned to anyone Holes, where parts in the middle of a territory have not been assigned Mismatches, where one territory includes a section that should clearly belong to another (for instance, if a region belonging to one territory is isolated in the middle of another) Size variations, where the geographic size, customer volume, or market potential is out of balance from one territory to another. Territory mapping software will usually include a balancing tool, whereby each territory can be compared against one or more metrics. This will help identify whether the distribution of territories is balanced and fair. Heat maps or regional heat maps can be prepared for the set of territories to help spot regions that may have easy targets with a high density of high-potential customers compared with regions with the opposite. Targets can then be adjusted to reflect this mix. Where territories are fairly balanced (based on revenue potential, workload, volume or geographic size) sales executive motivation will be improved, with a consequent improvement in performance. Proper workload balance also allows for better productivity and management of travel time. Finally, assigning staff to territories provides a structure for Sales Performance Management reporting and tracking. espatial Mapping Software for Business 21

22 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Sales Territory Alignment Fig 3.1: Sales territory alignment map espatial Mapping Software for Business 22

23 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Market Growth Planning Mapping software can help identify where to target new initiatives for market growth. Most companies know whom they are targeting with their products but where exactly these potential customers are situated is often unknown. Identifying the regions in which new customers can be acquired in order to plan for market growth is a key benefit that can be obtained using mapping analysis. The starting point in this process is to analyze existing success factors, such as: Proximity to outlet, office, distributor or franchisee Demographic profile of region served (for instance, age, income bands, socio-demographic groups, administrative considerations) Competitor locations You can then use the map to identify regions with similar characteristics in a number of ways, by: Plotting the distribution of potential customers across the catchment area Assessing the aggregate demographic profile of the region Analyzing demographic distribution using heat maps or regional heat maps Mapping competitor locations Using proximity analysis tools, such as distance buffers or nearest neighbor analysis, to understand accessibility of target market groups Most companies will look to manage growth on a phased basis, moving into areas with the highest potential first. Using mapping software, it is possible to create multiple target regions for growth and to compare potential across these regions, for instance, by using a regional heat map to identify the region with the best underlying market potential. Opportunities for growth in markets currently served but under-performing can also identify growth potential. Existing performance can be mapped by territory or region and a bubble map used to identify performance on a scale from high to low. This can be compared with market potential by mapping this in the same way. It is then easy to identify mismatches for instance, where market potential is strong but performance low or middling. If market share statistics are available on a regional basis, these can be mapped to identify poor performance. While it is useful to use a map to visualize territories or regions that are under-performing, the real benefit of mapping is often in examining geographic factors to identify potential causes. For instance, you may have a franchisee (such as a restaurant) operating in a territory with good potential but under-performing compared to a territory with a similar market profile. Using a map, it is easy to see if the location of the restaurant is a factor perhaps it is on the edge of the territory; does it overlap with the territory of another restaurant; are there competitor outlets close by; is accessibility an issue; or, is there some visual or environmental problem nearby? espatial Mapping Software for Business 23

24 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Market Growth Planning Fig 3.2 : Map to plan expansion into new markets espatial Mapping Software for Business 24

25 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Location Planning / Site Selection The previous section described how mapping software helps identify territories or regions for potential market growth. Once you have identified a region to target, the next step is to pick the actual site where you will locate. Site selection is one of the most important decisions that companies face. Picking the right location is essential to ensure success over the long-term. Mapping software is used to help make the right choice by identifying potential, such as demand potential, customer density, accessibility, or delivery routes. Picking the best location for your business is related to the industry in which you operate, for instance: Retail organizations will require locations with high customer demand and ease of access. The questions identified above in the example of the restaurant are relevant to assessing a specific site where is the site relative to the target customers is it in a central position; does it overlap with existing stores or competitors; is accessibility an issue? These are questions that can be best assessed visually using mapping software. Service organizations will need to assess a potential location to see how quickly personnel can reach customers. They can map the distribution of customers relative to the proposed location and see quickly how well it fits. They can run routing programs to estimate drive times or plan scheduled service stops. They can Fig 3.3: Sales territory alignment map use drive-time analysis to assess catchment areas. Planning scenarios can be run and options evaluated. Manufacturing companies will be concerned with site access, distribution networks, and proximity to key suppliers. Most companies will look to analyze alternative sites relative to employee recruitment are suitable skills available in the catchment area; is the site accessible; is the location attractive for access to facilities such as dining, shopping, or leisure facilities. For some companies a simple coverage map will automatically highlight potential locations. A radius or coverage map on existing locations and customers will highlight clusters of existing customers outside your definition of a reasonable distance. Mapping software helps visualize and analyze these selection criteria leading to a better-informed site decision. espatial Mapping Software for Business 25

26 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Managing Costs using Mapping Software Workforce Optimization Most companies are on an ongoing battle to save costs and mapping software can be a great tool to use to achieve this. In the previous section, we described how mapping can be used to identify opportunities for market expansion but the same processes can also point to opportunities for contraction or consolidation. Using the same analysis techniques to spot opportunities for growth, such as territory alignment or market coverage analysis, you can find regions that are under-performing. The causes may be related to location, such as accessibility, wrong socio-demographic profile of catchment area, or strong competitor presence. This will point to an opportunity for closure. Similarly, mapping analysis could highlight overlaps between locations, for instance, the same customers being served by two distribution or service centers, or retail locations too close together based on drive times. This could present an opportunity for consolidation and consequent cost reduction. Location planning techniques can be used to assess the qualities of existing sites not only to find new ones. Analyzing existing sites in terms of distribution costs, traffic delays, logistics patterns and employee costs can point to opportunities for re-location or closure. Company acquisitions or mergers often result in duplication of locations; mapping software can be particularly beneficial in analyzing the location to close or move. Fig 3.4: Sales territory alignment map espatial Mapping Software for Business 26

27 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Resource Allocation Mapping software can be used as an important tool in resource allocation, whether people or assets. Managing work orders in an efficient manner can save costs and enhance customer service. In many cases knowing the precise location of assets is essential before remedial work is carried out (for instance, underground utilities). Work can then be prioritized based on location and risk score. Maps can be used to show daily tasks and critical information can be visualized for each job (such as job status, risk score, process involved). Staff or equipment can be allocated to jobs based on location or skills required. Routes can be planned and communicated. An espatial customer reported an increase in productivity of up to 30% by using our mapping software to plan, schedule and report on resource allocation. Operational costs are reduced, repair work is carried out quicker and customer satisfaction is improved. Marketing / Advertising Campaign Management Fig 3.5: Map displaying projects based on their status. Mapping software is a valuable tool in managing marketing and advertising campaigns. Focusing on tightly defined target groups can reduce the cost of campaigns and increase effectiveness. This can be seen in the case of direct marketing, online advertising, flyer distribution, in-store advertising, billboard and placard placement, and for many other campaign types. Waste can be avoided by concentrating spend in regions with the best profile. Like other uses of mapping software, the starting point is a good understanding of the profile of current customers to build a target profile for prospects and identify regions that match that profile. Factors to consider include, socio-demographic, income distribution, location proximity or accessibility, and competitor influence. Heat maps, regional heat maps, pin distribution maps, and buffer maps can be used to analyze underlying demographic or market data. Prospect data sets can be added to maps and filtered based on geographic constraints to consolidate a target list to the best fit. Region by region comparisons allow for areas to be selected where you should concentrate your campaigns. Maps and lists can be shared with staff running the campaigns. Specific locations can be identified for advertisement placement. For face-to-face campaigns, itineraries can be organized to show the most efficient routes. espatial Mapping Software for Business 27

28 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Marketing / Advertising Campaign Management Fig 3.6 : Marketing campaign business case for mail drop in long island for real estate company. espatial Mapping Software for Business 28

29 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Routing Efficiency Mapping software takes your data from different programs and displays this on a map. You can load your calendar and link this to addresses from your CRM, excel spreadsheet or other programs and quickly map these to visualize your itinerary and prepare an optimized route map. One of our customers estimated that they reduced their trip planning time by 75%. Cost savings are also achieved by reducing fuel costs and through increased employee productivity. With good mapping software, generating customized maps and directions is an easy process. Simply, plot your data, select the locations to visit, pick a start point and a finish point, and the software will create the optimized route for your journey. This can be done for ad-hoc sales trips, for planned service calls, regular delivery routes or for any itinerary with multiple stops. Fig 3.7 : Marketing campaign business case for mail drop in long island for real estate company. espatial Mapping Software for Business 29

30 Chapter 3: Using Mapping Software to Improve your Business Performance Improving Customer Service using Mapping Software In the previous sections, we have described how mapping software can be used to help grow revenue and manage operating costs. In many cases, the steps taken will also result in an improvement in customer service as a spin-off, such as: Territory alignment and market coverage analysis results in better served markets and increased productivity Location planning puts resources in the right place Resource allocation results in faster turn-around times and risk prioritization Route planning increases productivity and speeds up response times Of course, the mapping practices used to deliver these results can be employed with the specific focus on improving customer service (with revenue growth or cost management as the spin-off). Companies also use mapping software to improve customer service in other ways: Call centers use map interfaces to communicate with customers and know when and where field representatives will be available. Call centers use maps to allocate the most suitable representative to a job or cluster of jobs - reducing the time to service calls while also reducing costs to the company by allocating resources more efficiently. Customer service reps use mapping software to best advise customers on the most suitable location for them based on their location, needs, and availability. For example, to schedule clinic appointments, or a maintenance visit to a service center. Maps can be added to web sites to help customer communication (for instance store locators, service centers or fault reporting systems). Fig 3.6 : Health care provider identifying clinics with certain specialists within a 50 mile radius of the patient. espatial Mapping Software for Business 30

31 CHAPTER FOUR SHARING YOUR MAP

32 Chapter 4: Sharing Your Maps When to Share a Map There are many circumstances where the person producing the map will want to communicate their results. There will also be many times when they want to collaborate on the production of the map. We can identify a few of these as examples: The most frequent use case is for performance reporting and feedback. Regional and territorial results can be plotted on a series of maps. The visualization provides a great way to compare results across regions or against targets. These visualizations need to be distributed widely to aid communication and decision-making. One-off maps are prepared to be included in annual budgets or strategic plans. A retail company includes a map of its stores on its website A franchise management company shares its analysis of individual franchisee performance with each franchisee A franchise management company publishes a list of available franchise locations to potential franchisees The CSO includes a visual display of regional performance in her report to the CEO A central data analysis team prepares reports for use by regional managers and needs to share these A territory re-alignment project requires regional sales managers to collaborate on proposed changes or is delegated the responsibility to break a large territory into smaller sub-territories The logistics team prepares optimized routes and shares these with the delivery teams The marketing team has identified a list of potential customers the sales team should target for a new campaign Sharing Techniques The best mapping software will allow for easy communication and collaboration. It will also provide different ways for this to happen. The most common sharing techniques are: Publish an interactive or static map to a web page for public consumption Share a link to a web map with a limited audience Share a map within an organization with individuals or teams Generate a PDF of the map and attach this to an Add a map or mapbook to a PowerPoint presentation Print the map and distribute the print out (or just pin it to a wall) Generate an Excel file with a targeted list of addresses or phone numbers Of course, when we talk about sharing a map we are also referring to the full map visualization, including any legend, titles, tables, charts or annotations you may have added to the map. Sharing also has to allow for aggregating maps into a single map book, where sharing the full set of maps is required. espatial Mapping Software for Business 32

33 Chapter 4: Sharing Your Maps User Interaction When you share your map, you will need to be able to decide what extent you want the recipient to be able to interact with the map. For instance: Can they pan and zoom on your map? Can they filter (or un-filter) data on the map for further analysis? Will they be able to edit the data on the map or add new records? Can they add new layers to the map? Can they change any of the styling options on the map, such as pin styles, data filters or labels? Can they generate a thematic map or turn off a thematic you have created? Can they save a new version of the map for their own use? Are they allowed to re-share the map? The answers to these, and other, questions will vary depending on your own situation and is influenced by whether you need full collaboration or simply want to share the output. Notifications You have created a great visualization that generates interesting insight that will save the company money. You have shared this with the team that can affect the necessary changes. The last part of the process is to ensure they are aware that the map has been shared. The best software will include notification systems that will automatically alert the recipients that the map is available. This will include automated s and in-application messaging. Single Source of Data In circumstance where collaboration is important, it is essential that everyone in the organization is working from the same data sources. In the past, mapping software has been implemented using stand-alone desktop solutions, which can lead to data getting out of sync and miscommunication. Modern software stores all of the data in a central database, giving all users access to up-to-date information. espatial Mapping Software for Business 33

34 CHAPTER FIVE CHOOSING THE RIGHT MAPPING SOFTWARE

35 Chapter 5: Choosing the Right Mapping Software Challenges & Required Outcomes There are a wide variety of outcomes that can be realized by using mapping software. The starting point to choosing the right solution for you is to assess your needs to clearly identify the outcomes you expect. Requirements can be as simple as wanting to view a small dataset on a map or as complex as wanting to manage a sales organization with 1000 s of reps. In the first example, you would only need a simple solution and free software might satisfy your requirements. In the second example, you will need enterprise quality software with an extensive feature set, easy to manage administration tools, data integration APIs, and strong security as standard. The type of outcomes you require will determine your assessment criteria. For example, if you are only interested in route planning, then a sophisticated territory management module will be of little interest. If you are looking to identify market opportunities or select new sites, you will be looking for high quality buffer analysis. Assessing regional performance will benefit from thematic mapping. The number of people in your team or organization you want to share and collaborate with also impacts on your assessment. You will need to look to the quality of the collaboration and sharing tools how easy is it to set up and administer groups and users, can maps be shared quickly, is the collaboration interactive, does the system have good notification methods? espatial Mapping Software for Business 35

36 Chapter 5: Choosing the Right Mapping Software Feature Requirements When you have identified your desired outcomes, you will then be able to list the features that you need to help you assess which software to use. In the second chapter, we outlined fundamental mapping concepts. Understanding these will help you identify the features you need. A complete list would take up several pages but the following table sets out some of the more important ones: Data Management Data Styling Map Styling and Analysis Territory Management Routing Collaboration & Sharing Administration Data loading tools and CRM Integration Extensive Symbol Library Thematic maps Territory loading tools Waypoint selection from map Easy map publishing tools auto generation of links and embed codes Easy set up for new users and groups Street level geocoding Full flexibility over feature size, color, and symbol Buffer analysis including drive time. Territory building tools Multi-stop routing (up to 100 locations) Secure organization sharing with individuals or groups including notifications Intuitive library management system Variety of base maps Attribute dependent feature styling Title & annotation tools Territory hierarchies Optimized route generation Full two-way collaboration on maps In-application notifications Extensive data library World-wide data coverage Automated multiline label generation Optimized Label Management Chart builder Territory balancing Output route to mobile applications Table management tools including data filtering PDF or PowerPoint output for sets of maps Control over user privileges Territory delegation Route sharing High quality printing Single Sign On espatial Mapping Software for Business 36

37 Chapter 5: Choosing the Right Mapping Software Getting Started - Training As part of your overall selection process, be sure to place strong emphasis on the supplier s training programs and their on-boarding process. At a minimum, your supplier should offer different levels of training, depending on your previous usage of mapping software. Look for an on-boarding process that starts with understanding your desired outcomes and your current skill level of using mapping software. The table below outlines four recommended steps to getting started on mapping software. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Understanding your desired Outcomes and work flow Focus on the key features you need to know Review your progress after 30 days Regular Reviews every 3 months What business outcomes are you trying to achieve? What are your workflows? Supplier delivers a tailored course ensuring you know the key features to get mapping successfully Supplier checks in with you after 30 days to review your progress and deliver appropriate coaching Every 3 months, your supplier has a regular review with you. Your supplier should offer any additional / refresher training where necessary espatial Mapping Software for Business 37

38 Chapter 5: Choosing the Right Mapping Software Support Requirements When choosing which mapping software to purchase, ensure you understand what level of support you are entitled to as part of the cost. Some mapping software suppliers only offer limited support through a limited number of channels. One of the most important factors to look for is the ability to get support when you most need it. Another is being able to talk directly to someone who understands your business and what you are trying to achieve. At a minimum, you should confirm the following support requirements are included in your mapping software cost: 1. Direct access to Customer Success Managers / mapping experts 2. Telephone Support 3. In-App Support 4. Support 5. Online Resources a) FAQs b) Blogs c) Best Practice advice Out of the five listed above, In-App Support can be very powerful in solving problems, quickly. With In-App Support end-users can have instant access to mapping experts who can advise on solutions within seconds (rather than wait for responses). espatial Mapping Software for Business 38

39 Chapter 5: Choosing the Right Mapping Software Total Cost of Ownership It s not always easy to compare the cost of different solutions, particularly if mapping software options are available for different installation and licensing models. The two main different options are 1) on-premises software that you will install on your own hardware and, usually, pay an upfront license price for; and 2) cloud based software that you will pay an annual subscription for (known as Software as a Service or SaaS ). You need to consider a number of cost items in comparing the total cost of ownership. The most obvious comparison will be between the upfront licensing fee charged for the desktop software versus the annual subscription fee charged for the SaaS solution. Generally, SaaS annual subscription fee cover everything you need to be productive but on-premise software will incur extra costs: Annual support & maintenance fees that most on-premise software will charge. Many on-premise solutions require annual or semi-annual data updates, usually offered as a priced option. With SaaS, the data updates will be automatically available. You may need dedicated hardware, network, backup and development systems to manage your on-premise software. You should also consider whether you already have the required IT skills in-house to manage databases, servers, firewall, security, backup and help desk resource. Will you have the resources to cover evening or weekend work to install emergency hot fixes, hardware repairs or security issues? SaaS solutions will run on any computer with an up-to-date browser, so you will always have availability. The SaaS provider will manage all the updates and fixes and will usually have a back-up policy in place. Upgrading on-premise software can be time-consuming and risky. SaaS product updates will be looked after by the supplier all you will see is the new version of the software. Whether you are comparing on-premise or SaaS solutions, you will also need to consider the following: How easy is it to be productive with the software? You can consume a lot of man hours working with badly designed software. Trialing the software before buying is a good way to assess this. Another option is to read any customer reviews you can find. Does the license or subscription include training or is this a priced option? What level of support does your license fee or subscription cover? Does the software come bundled with worldwide data or do you need to pay extra for additional countries or regions? What are your geocoding or data limits will they meet your needs? espatial Mapping Software for Business 39