I wouldn't want to do without portatour® any more. The software is worth the money, because if you offset the labor costs of a manual modification, it pays for itself several times over.
Matthias Meyer,
Head of Operations
The 1SP Agency is an innovation leader in global marketing for consumer electronics, gaming and technology. Within this group, Brandmates GmbH operates as a specialized agency for sales enablement and merchandising with a clear focus on the consumer electronics sector.
For customers such as Hisense, Gorenje, JBL and Microsoft, Brandmates looks after all MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group stores nationwide. A twelve-strong team is deployed throughout Germany for this purpose. The team is coordinated by Head of Operations Matthias Meyer, who provides both professional and disciplinary leadership.
We are a shared team that works for various customers - and each customer has its own requirements that are integrated into the route planning.
Matthias Meyer, Head of Operations
It was clear to Brandmates from the outset that a manual system would not be sufficient for the requirements in the field. Matthias Meyer explains: "We knew right from the start that we needed a professional schedule. With around 400 addresses, various call intervals and constantly new customers, any manual schedule would be error-prone and inefficient."
Before portatour®, we briefly used Google Maps and other multi-route tools, but their limitations quickly became apparent. "We realized very early on that it wasn't scalable to carry out route planning manually," recalls Meyer. The decision was therefore made during the project planning phase: portatour® was integrated as a central tool right from the start. According to Meyer, the employees manage around 25% more visits per day as a result - a noticeable increase in efficiency while maintaining the same level of quality.
We realized very early on that it is not scalable to carry out tours manually.
Matthias Meyer, Head of Operations
The introduction was structured and practical: "We had several planning calls in which portatour® was presented to employees in team meetings and questions were answered immediately. The support and assistance was excellent right from the start. We were really well taken by the hand."
We had several planning calls. portatour® was presented to the employees in team meetings and questions were answered immediately.
Matthias Meyer, Head of Operations
With portatour® Territory Optimization, field service areas in peripheral areas are adjusted and optimized, taking into account the employees' home locations: "portatour® knows the home locations of our employees and plans so that driving routes, customers and visits are balanced." The first major optimization had an immediate practical benefit: When a 12th position had to be filled, portatour® helped to determine the ideal home location for the new employee.
"It would be impossible for us to carry out territory optimization independently without portatour®. There are too many variables that need to be taken into account. portatour® Territory Optimization is simply ideal for this." Today, it only takes around 30 minutes to create and adapt a complete sales area. The result: more efficient routes, fewer kilometers and lower CO₂ emissions.
portatour® knows the home location and plans so that routes, customers and visits are balanced.
Matthias Meyer, Head of Operations
The combination of user-friendliness, reliability and flexibility is impressive across the board: "Once all the KPIs have been stored, route planning can be created at the touch of a button. The effort is very low and you can reschedule spontaneously. What's more, this professional system is also multi-device capable. If you were to plan manually and something came up next week, you would have to start all over again."
The technical stability is also praised, as there has not been a single downtime since its launch: "I have never experienced portatour® being down or having maintenance. Chapeau!" The system also pays off economically: the savings in time and labor costs clearly exceed the license costs. For Meyer it is clear: "The system is worth the money. If you offset the labor costs, it pays for itself several times over."
With portatour® you have a professional system that is multi-device capable. If you plan manually, something will come up next week - then you can start all over again.
Matthias Meyer, Head of Operations
Since portatour® has been in use, the processes are noticeably more structured and employee satisfaction is high: "Our employees used to plan according to personal experience, now they open portatour® in the morning and simply set off." The tool is also a trump card at customer calls: "At customer appointments, you can directly show how professionally the route planning is carried out. That makes a strong impression and gives us a competitive advantage."
Brandmates now uses portatour® not only for optimization, but also for strategic presentation to customers, as a visible sign of transparency and professionalism. "The tool shows that we are working at the highest level, and it also helps us to acquire new customers."
Our employees used to plan according to experience - today they open portatour® in the morning and set off.
Matthias Meyer, Head of Operations
portatour® has not only revolutionized Schedule at Brandmates, but has also developed into a real quality feature. With automatic route planning and territory planning, the agency saves time, costs and CO₂ and also gains satisfied employees and convinced customer. A success across the board.
The system is worth the money. If you offset the labor costs, it pays for itself several times over.
Matthias Meyer, Head of Operations
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