Salesforce Route Planner

Overview

Salesforce Route Planner is a Salesforce-native product concept for planning field visits from inside the CRM workflow. The build centers on a map-driven interface where users can filter Accounts, review geographic context, add stops, and create route summaries without moving the planning process into disconnected tools.

The product direction combines Salesforce administration, business analysis, product UX, Apex, Lightning Web Components, Visualforce, Google Maps, and AI-assisted delivery practices. The public version of this case study focuses on architecture and workflow patterns rather than private records or organization-specific details.

Problem

Route planning often becomes fragmented when CRM records live in one system and mapping decisions happen somewhere else. Users need to understand account location, prioritize visits, apply business filters, and create a usable route. When those steps are split across Salesforce, spreadsheets, and external map tools, teams lose context and repeat manual work.

The product challenge was to support a workflow where Salesforce remains the source of truth while still giving users a practical map-based planning experience.

Solution

The solution is a Salesforce-native route planning workspace with a Lightning Web Component shell, a Visualforce-based map surface, Apex endpoints, Google Maps interactions, and admin-configurable settings.

The experience is designed around a few core flows:

• Filter Salesforce records using business-relevant fields.
• Render matching Accounts as map markers.
• Add manual address stops when a route needs more than CRM records.
• Import account or stop data from structured input where appropriate.
• Draw and optimize routes with map tooling.
• Generate route summaries that can be shared or reviewed.
• Keep settings configurable so behavior does not need to be hardcoded for every change.

Key Capabilities

• Dynamic Account filtering
• Multi-filter support
• Admin-configurable filter fields
• Map marker rendering
• Route drawing and optimization
• Manual address stops
• CSV or Account ID import concepts
• Route panel and route summary workflow
• Technician or resource marker concepts where public-safe
• Help content and release-note style guidance

Architecture / Technical Approach

The architecture uses a hybrid Salesforce pattern because no single Salesforce UI layer is ideal for every part of the experience.

LWC Shell
  -> manages user actions, filters, selected records, and page state
Visualforce Map Page
  -> renders Google Map, markers, route panel, manual stops, and map controls
Google Maps JavaScript API
  -> handles map rendering, directions, autocomplete, and route display
Apex Controllers
  -> query filtered account data, expose settings, and support route summary actions
Salesforce Data Layer
  -> Accounts, configuration records, saved view concepts, and admin-controlled metadata

The LWC and Visualforce layers communicate through a controlled message pattern so Salesforce UI controls and map behavior can stay coordinated. Apex provides the server-side contract for filtered record retrieval and configurable behavior. Custom Settings or Custom Metadata can support admin-controlled fields, defaults, and feature behavior without making routine changes code-only.

User Experience Decisions

The interface is workflow-first rather than object-first. The goal is not just to show fields from Salesforce; it is to help a user move through the planning job with less context switching.

Important UX decisions include:

• Keep filtering close to the map so users can immediately see the effect of criteria changes.
• Support manual stops because real routes often include locations that are not clean CRM records.
• Keep selected stops visible in a route panel so the user can review sequence and context.
• Provide help and release-note style guidance for complex controls.
• Favor admin-configurable behavior where filter options or defaults may change over time.

Impact Direction

The expected value is operational clarity rather than a claim of unverified numeric impact.

• Reduces manual switching between Salesforce and external mapping workflows.
• Gives users a clearer view of Account geography and visit planning context.
• Creates a maintainable foundation for route planning features that can evolve over time.
• Demonstrates how Salesforce-native UX can combine CRM data, external APIs, and admin configuration.

My Role

My role spans product builder, Salesforce admin, business analyst, and developer responsibilities:

• Translate the planning workflow into Salesforce-native product requirements.
• Design the data, configuration, and UI approach.
• Shape the LWC, Visualforce, Apex, and Google Maps architecture.
• Think through usability, release guidance, and admin configurability.
• Use AI-assisted workflows for ideation, implementation planning, documentation, and review while keeping architecture and Salesforce constraints in focus.

Technology Stack

• Apex
• Lightning Web Components
• Visualforce
• SOQL
• JavaScript
• Google Maps JavaScript API
• Custom Settings
• Custom Metadata
• Salesforce Accounts and related CRM data patterns

Confidentiality Note

This case study is intentionally public-safe. It does not include private customer data, internal URLs, org identifiers, credentials, proprietary screenshots, or sensitive Salesforce records. Any future visuals should use sanitized mockups or approved public-safe screenshots only.