NOVEMBER 2 • 2020
NOVEMBER 2 • 2020
By Robert Steward • President and CEO of End2End, LLC
If supply chain and logistics are part of what your business does, you’ve probably considered using a GPS tracking app to track the location of your employees as they move from one place to another. It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re running. If you have field staff, you need to know where they are and what they’re doing. Luckily for you, you can do that with an employee tracking app that gives you your workers’ precise GPS location and history.
However, with the myriad of GPS tracking apps on the market, choosing the right GPS tracking device can be a pain. With that in mind, we decided to help you streamline your location tracking and show you how an employee GPS tracking app can help you manage your employees and run your business better.
Simply put, a time GPS tracking app offers businesses accurate GPS location services for companies of all shapes and sizes.
A GPS tracking unit is a device that vehicles or people can carry that uses GPS to track the device’s movements and see its location in real-time. It goes beyond employee monitoring and location tracking to provide a tool to manage your company’s logistics needs.
Nevertheless, to understand how a GPS tracker works, it’s important to know that there are different types of GPS trackers.
Essentially, you have two kinds: passive and active GPS trackers. Passive GPS trackers only log information transmitted by satellites, but they can’t transmit it. Active GPS trackers use the internet to see satellite data. GPS tracking apps use cellphones to act as transmitters that take in location information and transmit it in real-time.
For instance, when you collect time and location information with a GPS tracking app, it allows you to see time spent commuting vs. time spent at a job or a client site. This gives you a clear picture of how your workers are performing.
GPS apps are affordable, yet powerful versions of GPS tracking tools. The best thing about the them is that they can pull your employees’ location history using a device most people own: a smartphone.
There’s also an added benefit of using GPS tracking apps: you can integrate them with smart GPS tracking devices and enhance your tracking.
These devices cut down some of the unwanted functions that we often see on GPS apps, which makes them better suited for businesses. Also, with fewer background applications, your battery drains slowly, which also helps you pinpoint locations with greater accuracy. Therefore, a business-oriented GPS tracking app could help you better than a consumer-grade app or device.
From a logistics perspective, knowing where your assets and employees are is essential in measuring quality, costs, and safety.
GPS receivers get your employees’ positions using satellite information. That information is then turned into useful information by your tracking app, which receives the coordinates and transmits it to your network.
With the help of a mobile GPS tracking tool, you can instantly pinpoint the location of your workers and view the information on any device that’s connected to the internet. GPS tracking apps can be used for a variety of things, from the monitoring of company assets or valuables to the tracking of fleets and individual cars.
GPS trackers can help business owners keep an eye on personal property and valuables that are moving from one place to another, or keep track of their workforce’s whereabouts at a glance. However, it all depends on the use you and your business have in mind, because GPS tracking devices can come in a wide variety of sorts, each designed to meet a set of specific needs.
GPS tracking helps you track things once they leave your premises
Check where your employees are at a certain point in time
GPS tracking can help you track the location of your employees so you can keep an eye on the wellbeing and safety of your workers while on the clock. However, even for company-owned tracking devices that you use on your premises, you always need to ask for consent, because your employees need to be aware that you’re tracking them. Besides, even if you’re not legally bound to do it, it enhances transparency and trust.
Set a geo-fence to keep your assets safe
GPS location tracking enables companies to leverage in-depth insights regarding parcel location and activity. Setting a geo-fence helps companies act quickly if goods are misplaced or their whereabouts are uncertain. The device will provide detailed information to help avoid additional replacement costs.
Ensure quality control using location tracking
Location tracking is one of the best forms of quality control. Factors like weather, unanticipated motion, and misplacement are often inevitable and can influence how the consumer views the goods and services. GPS tracking apps and devices are designed to keep you informed and prepared to deliver quality goods to the consumer and establish a trusting relationship with them.
Tracking technology has a broad range of applications, from GPS vehicle tracking for company vehicles and machinery, to GPS tracking devices that can track packages and valuable items. GPS tracking has become a standard of many industries.
Theft and loss of valuable assets is a logistic nightmare. No matter how big the business is, losing your assets is a major problem–but it’s a problem that you can easily protect yourself against.
Another important benefit is that location tracking can provide the protection businesses need at a price they can afford, especially with high-value assets. GPS tracking can help you secure your products by adding an invisible geo-fence to your chosen perimeter. That way, if your equipment leaves the premises, the person in charge will be notified and you can track where it has gone.
GPS tracking apps and devices can help you manage your employees, vehicles, and assets, but with the myriad of location tracking devices, it can be hard to choose between a tracking app or a device.
While there are similarities, and sometimes both overlap, both have distinct differences in their performance that every business owner needs to consider.
But keep in mind that when choosing whether to use a GPS tracker app or a GPS tracking device to monitor the whereabouts of a person, it’s critical to understand the legal aspects of doing so.
For instance, if you’re tracking a vehicle, keep in mind that you can only track vehicles you own. Also, when you’re tracking an employee, you need to do it with their explicit authorization. It’s always a good idea to learn about any current GPS tracking laws, consider the consequences, and be careful of respecting your workers’ privacy.