TORONTO – Mobile workers can now plug themselves into a new network that helps streamline their tasks. Google Maps Coordinate is a new app that visualizes the real-time locations and activities of roving employees.
The management tool aims to introduce efficiencies into the workflow by allowing employees to ‘check-in’ when they reach their destination and ‘check-out’ when they complete their assignment.
The market for the product could include the work of handymen, electricians, cable operators, and other field workers.
It also enables managers and employees to create new tasks that can be doled out according to the employee’s proximity. Google’s YouTube promo for the app says, “When entire teams use Google maps coordinate, the right people get the right assignment at the right time.”
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Marketed as a troubleshooting and scheduling tool, Google’s senior product manager, Daniel Chu posts in his blog that it is designed to create smooth communication between businesses and workers.
Coordinate also compiles all the data from ‘check-ins’ and the user’s location history to map out efficiencies in the routes commonly used and highlight areas to avoid.
Workers concerned about their privacy during their down-time or day off can shut the app down and deselect their visibility.
Some businesses already make use of GPS tracking devices to keep tabs on their employees’ locations and are still unsure of whether it will benefit their operations.
Yeschiel Ullman, the manager of Core Mechanical plumbing services says he would not download the app for his operations, though his company makes use of GPS devices. “People don’t want to be controlled,” Ullamn says.
The new program joins a list of geo-location applications such as Foursquare and Highlight where social media enthusiasts can publicize their whereabouts but Coordinate hopes to reel in business managers.
The software is currently only available on phones operating on the Android system and subscriptions are sold for USD$15.
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