Inbal Axelrod of MyRouteOnline tells us about planning routes with multiple delivery locations.
Tell us about you, your career, and how you founded MyRouteOnline.
Inbal Axelrod: Ever since I can remember, I’m familiar with maps. When my father started there weren’t any soft copy maps. This tells you how old I am It wasn’t as simple as it is today because there was no Internet. When we were kids, my brother and I would stand in front of a huge map my dad hung on the wall and marked spots with pins. That was how we did geocode back in the old days. This was the beginning of what years later would be the MyRouteOnline route planner. Of course, today, our route planning app is based on Google Maps API and done with a click of a button.
Do you have small habits that made a meaningful impact on your life and business?
Inbal Axelrod: I ask questions. I try not to make assumptions but rather ask – this has turned out to be a very useful habit when it comes to customers. We like to develop features that our customers need, and as the CMO, without asking the right questions, this can’t happen. For example, users from Pakistan have complained about the difficulty in working with addresses, so we’ve added the option of inserting coordinates. You wouldn’t think this is needed, working in the US where Google Maps has basically mapped everything.
I can only imagine what my customers want or need, but they know best. It’s the same as a parent, with children being our customers more or less…
How does MyRouteOnline market its product/services online?
Inbal Axelrod: As a SAAS company, we use the magic of the internet. SEO efforts as well as Paid search and social media.
How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how did you get through it?
Inbal Axelrod: Covid-19 had 2 different outcomes. Many companies had fewer routes due to social distancing whereas others added deliveries to their offering. I believe the latter caused an increase in Last Mile delivery businesses.
Another completely coincidental outcome was the game we developed during the pandemic. I’ve spent an unusual amount of time near the computer, and my son was interested in what I was doing. He saw our mapping system and tried connecting the stops, picking the shortest sequence. He was so excited that I thought it would be perfect as a game, and here it is – https://www.myrouteonline.com/route-planner-game
What is your hiring policy/process, and how do you retain your employees?
Inbal Axelrod: We hire trustworthy people, so when they work from home, they indeed work and deliver. We treat them as part of the family and it works, so they stay with us for years.
Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?
Inbal Axelrod: I don’t see anyone as a competitor because I believe there is room for everybody. Apart from planning the best routes, we stand out by providing extraordinary customer service. My main goal is to continue with this approach. You’ll be able to check that if you read the reviews, our customer support team is always described in kind words.
Tell us a customer success story of yours.
Inbal Axelrod: SMASCO is offering manpower solutions in Saudi Arabia. They were looking for a route planning solution when the demand for house cleaning and other personal services started growing. With MyRouteOnline, four route planners schedule about 2000 stops per day. The time savings is significant, as well as the reduced need for additional staff, although the workload has increased. We were able to fit nicely with their ERP system.
Your final thoughts?
Inbal Axelrod: Our route planner is used in 180 countries, helping various industries, from plumbing, through food and beverage stores, to retail and whatever you can think of. Any business that needs to plan routes with multiple stops can count on us. I encourage you to try our route planner, and you’ll soon appreciate the savings.
0 Comments