Shared transport: the advantages of Google Maps to improve customer service
A few centuries ago, if someone was travelling, they used to have an important reason for this and, of course, not everyone was constantly travelling. Surely, no matter how much technological progress they anticipated for the 21st century, they would not have succeeded even in imagining how simple it would be for their future fellow citizens to move around with a small device in their hands and the invaluable help of Google Maps, right?
But in human nature there is the constant search for progress and, returning to the comforts of today, users are demanding increasingly better experiences on their routes, including new ways of getting around like shared transport. Next, we will see how, with Google Maps Platform, you can improve the experience of your customers and also that of drivers in the era of Smart mobility. If you’d rather we told you, you can also see our webinar on how the Mobility sector uses Google Maps today to achieve success.
Modern shared transport solutions provide their users with:
- Step-by-step navigation with voice guidance
- Real-time traffic information (and redirection, if necessary)
- Guidance control
- An interactive map showing a driving perspective
- A customisable driver user interface
All aimed at efficient planning and improved decision-making.
And best of all, users don’t have to keep changing applications to get all the information they need during their journeys. According to studies published by Google, the first users of shared transport solutions appreciated significant benefits, such as a reduction of up to 4% in driving times and an increase of up to 48% in the accuracy of the estimated time of arrival.
Shared transport applications go far beyond pure navigation
Unlike navigation applications oriented to the consumer market, shared transport solutions provide an integrated and personalised navigation experience, while providing data to companies on the navigation behaviour of drivers.
This allows partners and suppliers to make real-time decisions about their drivers and fleets and ensures that customers get the best possible service. This way they can better assign drivers and reduce downtime on the one hand and, on the other, reduce customer waiting times. Everything contributes to a clear objective and that is the key to success: providing fast and safe trips at competitive prices.
Google Maps Platform is innovation on the move
Google Maps Platform is a set of APIs which, among other things, allow us to embed the maps on our websites and Apps for smartphones, as well as customise them. It includes interesting complementary services which we can include in our applications, and which we summarise in the following table:
| Distance Matrix: distance calculation |
Directions: route optimisation taking into account traffic status |
|
Static Maps: static image without JavaScript | StreetView: visualisation of streets |
| Geolocation: use of wifi nodes when there is no GPS |
Geocoding: returning the full address given GPS coordinates or vice versa |
|
Roads: position update. You can also see the route travelled by the user | Elevation: provides terrain elevation |
|
TimeZone: time zone of the different countries regarding their geographical position |
Places: The largest database in the world regarding sites and points of interest |
Learn more about Google Maps Platform in our webinars
We are proud to be part of the select group of Google Premier Partners, and we have qualified professionals and the experience necessary to offer consulting services and development of solutions fully adapted to the needs of your company.
You can get to know us a little better in our webinar ‘Google Maps, the shortcut to success for your company’ where we will expand on the advantages of Google Maps Platform so that your business is just what the customer needs. You can’t miss it!
