Frequently Asked Questions About Route Planning with Route4MeWhat is Route4Me?
Route4Me lets you easily create an optimized route linking multiple destinations.
Do you offer professional route planning services?
Yes we can provide your organization with a human route planner to manage your account. Please contact support@route4me.com to ask about our
professional services.
What other features does Route4Me offer besides route optimization?
In addition to a high-performance optimization system, Route4Me offers vehicle management, tracking, and planning.
Route4Me also offers route management, driving directions, financial reporting, data exporting and importing,
heat density maps, and more. See Route4Me's comprehensive feature list for additional details.
Do I need an iPhone, iPad, or Android?
No. Route4Me can be accessed from the Web site (www.route4me.com), or from an iPhone, iPad, or almost any Android device.
Can I share routes from the website to the iPhone, iPad, or Android?
Yes. Any route planned on any Route4Me product can be shared to any other device platform where you have Route4Me installed. You can plan a route on the web, share it to your iPhone, and forward it to your
Android at the same time. Or you can plan a route on your iPhone and iPad and send it a coworker who uses an Android device.
Why did you develop Route4Me?
We saw that standard mapping apps from Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and others let you plan multi-destination routes, but that they didn't help you with optimizing those routes. That meant that you had to put in the stops in exactly the order you wanted to visit them! Well, it may be easy to plan a one, or two-stop route, but if you have 5, 6, or even 10 stops, it's not so easy, especially if it involves places you haven't been before, or are not used to going to.
Why not just use an ordinary mapping application to create a route?
As we said, ordinary mapping systems like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc., can't give you optimized routes. They only give you the route for destinations you enter in the order that you enter them. For a trip involving lots of stops, this route is very unlikely to be the shortest possible route.
Do I need an iPhone, iPad, or Android?
No. Route4Me can be accessed from the Web site (www.route4me.com), or from an iPhone, iPad, or almost any Android device.
Can I use Route4Me if my routes are already optimized?
Yes. Route4Me offers more than just route planning and route optimization. You should use Route4Me to manage your drivers, vehicles, and multiple routes to track which routes were completed, which addresses you visited, calculate costs and manage your customers.
Who is Route4Me designed for?
Anyone can use Route4Me, but we think it will be particularly helpful for people that regularly need to make multi-destination trips, like salespersons, delivery persons, etc. You can even use it for garage sales or pub crawls, although we strongly recommend using our walking directions option for that usage, and NOT driving.
How much does it cost to use Route4Me?
You can use the wizard on the homepage of the route4me.com website, to plan routes with 10 (ten) addresses or less. The wizard is meant to demonstrate how well Route4Me can optimize your routes, it is not a long-term management or route planning tool.
To take advantage of all the features that Route4Me has developed, you must register for an account by selecting one of the service plans. You can also download the iPhone/iPad app from the Apple App Store, or Android App store which is also free, and which also lets you create free routes with up to 6 stops each. For more addresses, simply buy more credits as you need them.
If you want to use Route4Me to plan larger routes, we have different subscription levels for commercial versions. These let you create optimized routes with up to 50, 100, 200, or even 2,000 stops per route. They also give you other advanced features. Can I plan routes by time constraints?
Route4Me uses driving time and driving distance to optimize your route. If you need to visit people based on priorities
or time slots, you must create a route for each time slot. For example, you can optimize a route of all addresses that you will
visit between 9AM and 12PM, 12PM and 3PM, and 3PM and 6PM.
How do I use Route4Me?
Simply go the Web site, or launch the iPhone/iPad application. Then enter the starting address and all of the destination addresses for your trip, and hit the "Plan Route" button. Route4Me will quickly calculate and return you the shortest route linking the destinations.
What about for round trips?
Just check the "Round Trip" checkbox, and Route4Me will automatically use the starting address as the ending address as well, creating the round trip routing with shortest overall distance.
Can I have a required last destination?
Yes. Sometimes you have to leave your house in the morning, visit 10 stops, and always end up at home. Route4Me lets you lock in the last destination in order to make this possible.
Does Route4Me provide Maps and Driving Directions?
Yes, and as you change the sequence of your addresses, the map and driving directions update accordingly.
What if I know the route I want to use, and don't want to "optimize" it?
No problem. Just select the Do Not Optimize" options on both the Web site, and the iPhone/iPad apps, and we will give you a map and driving directions for stops in the order that you want to take them.
Can I share my routes?
Yes you can. From both the Web site and the iPhone/iPad app versions you can share routes with your friends, either by email, or by using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Can I save my routes?
You can only save your routes in your online account, or on your iPhone or iPad.
Can I add or remove destinations after I have used Route4Me to optimize a trip?
Yes. You can add, move, or remove destinations at any time to reflect your preferred route sequence.
Can I get addresses from my iPhone's Address Book?
Yes. To add an address you can either type it in manually, or click the "Address Book" button that appears just above the keyboard, and select an address from your iPhone's Address Book.
Which mapping system does Route4Me use?
Route4Me uses Bing and Google Maps. On the web, we give you the option to pick the mapping system you like best.
What countries does Route4Me work in?
We have tested it extensively for the U.S., Canada, the UK, most of Europe, and Australia. However, we have had people download Route4Me from countries on every continent, and have received very favorable reviews from users in Europe. If you are able to receive driving directions on Google Maps or Bing Maps, then Route4Me will work for you.
Does Route4Me "guarantee" the shortest route?
We aren't in a position to provide an explicit "guarantee" that all routes returned will be the shortest possible, but we have tested the system extensively, and are confident that it works as advertised. All paid accounts come with a 14 day free trial. Optimized routes can easily be edited in the event that some addresses are not in a convenient location.
Are you going to be adding more features to Route4Me?
Yes. Route4Me adds new features and enhancements on a consistent basis and we are continuously upgrading and enhancing Route4Me. Our goal is to maintain our leadership as the leading Web and app-based route optimization tool.
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