TeleNav is giving businesses more reasons to use its TeleNav Track GPS-enabled mobile resource management service.
New to the service are Team Timecard, overtime controls, signature and image capture and a hot key alert to help managers improve worker time and attendance compliance, limit unnecessary overtime costs and increase overall efficiency.
“We think about it in terms of a combination of functions and taken together, these become a really powerful productivity tool,” said Keith Halasy, senior marketing manager for B2B products. “We combine GPS navigation and tracking and make it visible to managers on a Web-based map.”
What about those employees averse to being tracked and carrying around a GPS device? TeleNav still sees those issues, but a lot of time, if employees are offered the ability to use a navigation service during off hours or when they’re visiting unknown or dicey neighborhoods, they’re glad to have it and see it as a benefit. “There are some operations where the workers love this stuff,” he said.
Included in the timecard component is the ability for a business to set parameters, so employees aren’t clocking in before their designated time or forget to clock out when they’re supposed to. It also allows for different billings rates, as some workers may charge a different rate based on their tasks.
The distress alerts are designed to increase employee safety by allowing workers to discreetly send an SOS notification via e-mail, SMS or a voice call. With signature capture, mobile employees can capture a customer’s signature directly on their mobile device or with a USB-connected external touchpad.
The new version of TeleNav Track (v. 4.1) is available immediately on select AT&T and Sprint phones.
TeleNav also introduced TeleNav Enterprise Server (TES), which resembles the Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry model. It enables customers a flexible method for integrating TeleNav Track with third-party applications such as customer relationship management (CRM), payroll, accounting and dispatch systems.
TeleNav’s customers range from small enterprises to Fortune 500 firms; businesses can tap into various levels so they can make use of features and functions that best fit their needs.
As for rivals such as Google getting into the navigation space, TeleNav keeps on eye on its competitors but currently enjoys a “very commanding lead” in its space. “We’re very focused on maintaining our leadership in this area,” Halasy said.