What is Geoanalytics and Why is it Important?

Geoanalytics is just one of the many terms used to describe location-based data analysis. Other names for it include location intelligence, geolocation, geospatial analysis, geographic analysis, and many others.

In reality, all of these terms are describing the same basic idea: applying geography to your business processes in order to gain analytical insights. Geoanalytics is a form of data visualization that contextualizes your data and uncovers insights through geographic location.

Integrating geography with business analytics results in Geoanalytics. Put simply, Geoanalytics gives you a new perspective — a visual perspective — and AppExchange has apps that make the process simple.

After all, decision-makers don’t need more data, just a better way to interpret what they already have.

This is the problem Geoanalytics apps are made to solve.

How does Geoanalytics work?

Geoanalytics apps can location-enable Salesforce to help you geographically visualize your accounts, contacts, opportunities, and any other Salesforce data — but how?

It begins by layering sets of data on a map so you can compare and contrast based on geographic boundaries. With Geoanalytics, you can locate and map data anywhere in the world. This visual representation of data makes it easier for the brain to digest and interpret the information.

When your records are displayed on a map like this, it shows you the big picture. Patterns and trends become more clear, particularly when you use some of the advanced filtering and visualization techniques that are found in Geoanalytics apps on Salesforce AppExchange.

Further, there are many components or capabilities that make up Geoanalytics, and their purposes vary from analysis to management and visualization. Let’s look at each one.

Data visualization with a geographic angle

Geoanalytics apps provide a powerful form of data visualization that combines geographic location with traditional data analysis. This extra dimension allows for comparisons and instant understanding of complex relationships in your CRM records.

Interactive mapping that makes data actionable

The ability to interact with a map, performing actions like exporting, adding to a campaign and creating leads, is built-in with Geoanalytics apps. There is so much more to it than just looking at a map — you can work with your Salesforce data as it’s displayed visually and use the geographic insights it reveals to make adjustments and changes.

Geographic analysis and searching

Perhaps the most powerful of all the capabilities Geoanalytics brings is the advanced visualization and filtering capabilities you can use to identify trends and patterns. Multiple search types and filtering options make your results tell a story instantly.

Searches can be performed near a particular location, within the boundaries of a territory, or over a broader area. These location lookups could be anything from a view of all accounts clustered by concentrations, to a small neighborhood search for local leads and prospects.

One way to think of Geoanalytics’ advanced analysis and search capabilities is to imagine the filtering capabilities you have in a list view combined with the complex possibilities of a report.

Clustering & heat mapping

Heat mapping is one of the most powerful representations of data that Geoanalytics provides.

You can view heat maps based on record count or any sort of numeric record field such as opportunity size, annual revenue, or employee count. The data will be displayed across the map with color-coded areas that show concentrations of records in that area.

These visual representations reveal insight about gaps, trends or ideal target locations to inform your business strategy.

Territory management & design

Geoanalytics is often used for territory design and management. The visual representation of data makes it much faster & easier to make adjustments and manage territories.

Instead of using spreadsheets and reports to understand something as visual as sales territories, you can throw up records on a map to analyze the different areas your sales reps own using apps available on the AppExchange.

Make adjustments from the map (one of the use cases for that interactive mapping component) to ensure territories are balanced, or reassign accounts to a new territory as your sales team and business expands.

Routing & route optimization

One of the most obvious and self-explanatory components of Geoanalytics is routing and route optimization. With Geoanalytics’ mapping capabilities, you can optimize your travel plans based on the accounts or customers you plan to visit.

Build a route with the accounts you prioritize using heat mapping and clustering, and save that route to access when you’re on the road. Manage your route plan by adding new visits or changing the order if you need to visit some clients at a specific time of day.

Geoanalytics helps save you time & money by uncovering the most efficient route possible, but also allows for maximum flexibility in your scheduling.

Calendar-based scheduling

Complementing the route planning component, some Geoanalytics solutions integrate with your calendar to allow for scheduling and viewing your schedule on a map. You can visualize scheduled travel plans for the future, and the interactive map enables you to update appointments on the fly.

While this isn’t an exhaustive list of the components and capabilities attributable to Geoanalytics, it gives you an idea of the powerful solution Geoanalytics can be. These different components fall into three broad categories that, together, make up Geoanalytics. A quick summary of the many elements of Geoanalytics:

• Visualization: Clustering and heat maps, KML layers, thematic maps, and routes.
• Analytics: Complex filtering, numeric aggregates, dataset management, and charting.
• Management: Territory management, automated assignment plans, mass updates, and custom markers and shapes.

Who needs Geoanalytics?

The beauty of Geoanalytics is it can be used in a variety of industries.

While we won’t go into the specifics of industry use cases (you can find those in the linked articles below), some of the main industries that use Geoanalytics include:

Financial Services

Geoanalytics allows financial service organizations to visualize concentrations of policies, optimize scheduling and routes to client meetings, and easily track AUM. Companies can provide the best customer experience possible with the added benefits that location insights bring to your CRM.

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Geoanalytics helps the healthcare industry improve everything from patient care to operational workflows. Healthcare organizations can optimize product distribution and make medical device sales routes more efficient to reduce cost and deliver the best solutions possible.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing supply chain processes benefit from Geoanalytics by improving workflows with geolocation-based insights and performance tracking. It gives companies the ability to visualize their CRM data by showing customers, suppliers, orders, and deliveries on the map.

Telecommunications

Optimizing door-to-door sales and service routes is easy for Telecommunications companies that use Geoanalytics. Organizations are able to be more efficient, reducing cost and delivering the best service possible.

The power of Geoanalytics

This ability to visualize data and understand its relation to any other given location in the world is incredibly useful and compelling.

With standard data analysis tools, CRM data is often broken down into graphs, charts, lists, and other tabular formats that attempt to provide clear insights. However, these other tools are missing the “where” in your data that connects it with a physical location.

Geoanalytics provides a new context and perspective to data that is simply not possible with reports and spreadsheets. Maps and spatial data can immediately help users discover new insights and communicate more effectively with co-workers and customers.

Discover apps to enable Geoanalytics on AppExchange.