portatour Reviews

“fitted our needs”

Pros

Portatour doesn't just handle route planning fully automatically, it also gives us enough flexibility to make manual changes whenever needed. That means we can step in at any time and adjust the tours so they match our requirements perfectly.

Cons

There really aren't many things that bother us. One small improvement we'd like is the ability to customize the default settings for our company. For example, when scheduling appointments, Exact is preselected by default. In our case though, 9 out of 10 times we need the setting Any time during the day so it would be very useful if we could save that as the standard.

“Software is reliable”

Pros

Many thanks to support team for the excellent support. We've been using the program for years and it has always run reliably and without issues. Whenever questions or concerns come up, the help is consistently fast and knowledgeable. This is exactly how professional customer service should be so absolutely recommended.

Cons

To me the only real downside is the relatively high price. The quality, reliability and excellent support do justify the investment but the software could still be offered at a more affordable rate for smaller businesses or beginners.

“Field sales planning was smart”

Pros

The application stands out with its user friendly handling, a clear customer overview and the option to assign tasks to sales staff while saving notes directly under each customer. It also schedules customer visits automatically and in an efficient way.

Cons

It only factors in the driving time to the customer. Any extra walking time from the parking spot to the actual location has to be added to the visit duration manually since that part is not recorded automatically.

“Sales support provided great value”

Pros

One of the biggest advantages we see is how much more efficiently our field sales team can work. Less time spent driving means more time with customers and that benefit alone makes portatour an especially valuable part of our day to day sales activities. We would also really highlight the personal support and outstanding service. The contacts are always knowledgeable, experienced and dependable. Whenever questions or challenges come up, they are handled quickly, professionally and with a clear focus on solutions. Response times are excellent and you can tell at all times that the team works in a customer focused way with a high level of expertise. Overall we see it as a strong and reliable partner that impresses not only with a convincing solution but also with real personal commitment and first class support. A clear recommendation!

Cons

From our perspective there is nothing about it that would justify negative criticism. Quite the opposite, the support team consistently shows a strong interest in improving processes and solutions over time. Suggestions for improvement are welcomed openly and followed up in a constructive way. The only real downside would be having to do without it again because the support, the increased efficiency in field sales and the high service quality make it a genuine added value for us.

“almost eliminated manual work”

Pros

Portatour makes tour and visit planning much more efficient and cuts down a lot of the manual work involved in scheduling appointments. The automatic route optimization is especially useful for reducing travel time and distributing customer visits in a practical way. Another big plus is the simple API connection which makes it fit well into existing systems and workflows. The interface is clear and day to day use only takes a short time to get used to.

Cons

Getting everything set up and learning the system does take a bit of time especially when specific individual requirements need to be included. Some of the more advanced features could also be presented in a more user friendly manner.

“support team is excellent”

Pros

Since the beginning of June we've been using PortaTour successfully in our field sales team. Getting everything up and running was very easy as both the installation and the available customization options were implemented quickly without much effort. The training for our employees was also clear, practical and easy to follow which made the introduction to the software very hassle free and helped the team adopt it positively from the start. After only a short time we were already able to notice a clear improvement in the efficiency of our field service planning. On top of that it gives us valuable ways to evaluate reports in a more structured manner, creating a decent basis for further optimization. Over the long term we expect a noticeable increase in effectiveness as well as savings in route planning and tour execution especially through more efficient use of resources. We're convinced that we'll be able to unlock even more of PortaTour's potential going forward and integrate the software into our processes in an even more targeted way. We'd especially like to mention the outstanding support. Questions are answered quickly, competently and with a clear focus on solutions. Overall our first experiences have been consistently positive and we can recommend the software without hesitation.

Cons

One area that still seems to have room for improvement is the calendar integration. In particular for users working with Outlook 365 and several calendars in parallel, transferring and displaying that information in it is currently a bit challenging. That said we do see good potential for further development here and plan to discuss it with support. Based on our positive experience so far, we're confident that a suitable solution can be found.

“Visit planning is hassle free now”

Pros

At last we have software that can be used professionally by our field sales team and that documents and analyzes customer visits at a completely new level. The quick overview of nearby customers including all the key information, is extremely important for our daily work because it helps us use available time efficiently and even fit in spontaneous visits when possible. The suggested tour planning is also a real help for successful field sales activities. On top of that it provided excellent support during the onboarding and introduction of the tool. There are also many additional reporting options that we have not even started using yet.

Cons

Up to now everything has worked without any issues and fully to our satisfaction. Whenever we had questions, they were answered right away without any problems.

“Visuals are excellent”

Pros

Portatour calculates workload incredibly fast. The software has a clear structure, the UX is good overall and the system is very stable. Also it lets you factor in a wide range of variables for workload planning, simulate different scenarios like adding or reducing the number of sales reps and the visualizations are excellent.

Cons

It is not completely easy to use and it should be clearer how the algorithm or software creates route planning. At times the results do not seem fully understandable which can lead to discussions with the sales team.

“pretty strong product”

Pros

The price is really good for what the product offers. It's easy to use and quick for everyone to understand. It would be even better if there were also a connection for the inside sales team.

Cons

Unfortunately there's no JTL integration at the moment and syncing it with our inventory management system would be a big improvement.

“Way too easy to use”

Pros

I find it very easy to use and the tour planning works really well. I also like the wide range of options for creating customer specific fields which helps make the whole workflow more efficient.

Cons

One thing still missing is the ability to upload images directly in the tool. On top of that using territory optimization comes with extra costs and the pricing is charged per user.

“decent tool”

Pros

The route planning is very clear and well organized. Scheduling appointments can be done quickly and the route can be updated after every visit without much effort.

Cons

Unfortunately there's no way to upload photo material during the tour. That would make things a lot more convenient for field sales work.

“Access worked across every device”

Pros

It is very easy to use and it's really convenient that I can use it on any internet-connected device.

Cons

It could be a bit more affordable. Maybe that could be solved by offering different packages with fewer included features.

“loved the support”

Pros

One tool solves two issues for us at once. Route planning takes the daily trial and error work away from the field sales team and it's simple enough that new colleagues can start using it after just half a day. At the same time as sales management I can see at a glance through the weekly reports what's happening in the field and no longer have to call everyone individually. On top of that the connection to our ERP worked without problems and the support team responds quickly and knows what they're doing.

Cons

Honestly there's not much that really bothers me. The only point where things can fall short is data quality as the planning is only as good as the master data you feed into it. If you start with messy customer data, you won't get the full benefit that would otherwise be possible. But that comes down to preparation on your own side, not the software itself.

“Route planning became much smarter”

Pros

Planning and managing the most important field sales activities is quick and easy. It saves an enormous amount of time and the overall planning approach makes a lot of sense.

Cons

There are only a few small things and some depend on how you personally work. For example, it would help to have a back button if you make a mistake while planning or the option to reverse a route for a day like visiting the last customer first because of regional conditions or traffic. Another point is that customers can be included in the planning but only as a telephone customer.

“reliable product”

Pros

The graphics are well done, information is reached quickly, satellite support is useful and the ability to have a truly complete copilot makes all the difference.

Cons

At the moment I don't have any real negative aspects to report but the only thing I would improve is the geolocation making it even more precise.

“Route planning was fully transparent”

Pros

Its route planning is very clear and well structured and the control tool works really well too.

Cons

The admin fields are not very user friendly and look like they were designed too much from an IT perspective.

“a complete tool”

Pros

Tour planning works efficiently and the overall overview is really well done with the map, due customers, total customer count, navigation and similar features all in one place.

Cons

One thing that's missing is the option to enter a maximum kilometer limit for a specific day and the monthly usage costs are relatively high.

“Excellent tool overall”

Pros

The layout is clear and well organized and using it is also not a hassle. Route planning is fast, updates happen quickly and the service and quality of advice have also been excellent.

Cons

Nothing negative has stood out to me so far. The only point worth mentioning is that some routines could be more flexible since company requirements can vary quite a bit.

“all in one product”

Pros

Right from the start the system has been easy to use and the support team has been very reliable. The automatic route planning is a big advantage and overall it covers everything a field sales rep needs for day to day work.

Cons

The customer data synchronization feels a bit outdated and would benefit from more modern API-based options. Some important fields are also missing in places. While those fields can be configured individually, they only appear in the customer master data and not in the visit report so sales reps do not immediately see all relevant information when reviewing a customer visit.

“Smart routing saved massive time”

Pros

Compared with planning everything manually, this saves an enormous amount of time. The system is fairly simple and quite easy to use and because it is Excel-based, the company can import and manage data centrally without much trouble. I also appreciate that there is no installation effort since it runs in the browser. On top of that territory optimization is possible across the whole country and even across regions.

Cons

One limitation is that the system depends heavily on employees maintaining the data regularly although that is probably true for most tools like this. Also it does not distinguish between phone-only customers and traditional existing customers. Even though the interface is relatively simple, onboarding still takes a while because there are so many functions and options to learn. Another downside is that it is designed only for vehicles so there is no real support for public transport or walking which is a drawback in more urban territories. It is also not a true CRM system like Salesforce and the calculations often feel too mathematical and not human enough.