field employee tracking apps

We are in a mobile-first work environment, where field employee GPS tracking solutionsdon’t count as a luxury. It’s a basic need for businesses regulating a team of field agents, sales reps, or service technicians.

Your agents will deter the use because of concerns like privacy breaches and fear of micromanagement. But to tell you, this isn’t the reality. The benefits of field employee GPS tracking apps far outweigh the drawbacks — if used correctly.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of field employee GPS tracking solutions and its pros outweighs the cons.

The Real Pros of Field Employee GPS Tracking App

1. Real-Time Visibility & Better Accountability

With an employee GPS tracking app, managers get to know live whereabouts of their field staff, task status and the total work hours. This helps businesses boost field operations while eliminating risks of time thefts or unproductive billable hours.

It even helps ascertain whether the assigned routes or visits are getting followed as per the plan or not.

For Example: A delivery supervisor with the app can check their teams’ current route and delivery progress live. This will help in responding quickly in case of delays or route deviations.

2. Improved Field Team Productivity

The software will help eliminate manual check-ins and reduce teams idle time too. With constant GPS data, teams will stay more productive and well managed.  

Moreover, managers will find it easy to optimally allocate resources after quickly factoring their teams’ current task status, proximity or availability to the task site.

Bonus: The software live view of field rep routes which helps managers reroute them to ensure fast arrival at task site and even more faster task completion – all while saving lead to faster task completions and reduced fuel costs.

3. Maximised Customer Experience

Businesses that are into service deliver like solar companies or any after sales companies, for them, real time location of their technicians is everything. The software provides exact location and ETAs of their agents to the customers. The clients get tracking id to expect their arrival time.

This doesn’t the client’s patience and keep them satisfied with the service delivery and overall experience.

Imagine: Your clients getting a tracking id explaining that agent is just 20 minutes away, wouldn’t this add to customer value?

4. Fair & Transparent Performance Reviews

We know how GPS data also act as a solid proof of employees’ movements & visits. But it also explains agents visit duration, distance, route & commute patterns along with major idling time or breaks.

This helps you evaluate your agents with visibility and fairness. You can spot on dissect this data and use this to either encourage performers or motivate the lagging ones.  

5. Smarter Field Team Scheduling & Dispatching

With visibility into field staff routine & current movements, it super easy for the field managers to dynamically and in run time assign and schedule urgent tasks to the nearest field rep.  

They don’t have to engage in exhausting calls to figure out which one is available currently take this ticket or task. You can see yourself and make the decision.

6. Quick Safety and Emergency Support

When there are sudden accidents, breakdowns, or emergencies, the software not only shows GPSlocation of staff to send help, but it has an SoS button too. The agent can press it in case of emergencies or any tight spot agents feel they are in.

7. Data-driven Insights & Decision Making

The employee GPS tracking software helps generate precise and valuable insights, which can include —  

  • Target vs achievement
  • Task efficiency
  • Goals completion
  • Daily mileage
  • Average travel time
  • Idle hours
  • Route trends
  • Or top-performing territories

These analytics are super helpful in refining your operations strategy so well.

The Cons of Employee GPS Tracking App (Only when app is not used correctly)

No doubt there are several upsides of using such app, there are some concerns too —- if the app is not used correctly.

● Privacy worries

Employees may feel they are getting watched.   

Solution? You can set clear tracking policies. The software like TrackoField have auto mark out feature that stops tracking once the shift hours are over.  

● Initial pushback

Your teams may resist tech adoption if they are not properly guided.

Solution? You must conduct a thorough session on how to not fear this tech and its uses and benefits. Tell them how the app is there to treat their pain points.

● Costs of implementation

Businesses may see GPS tracking software as an expensive deal to begin with.

Solution? Well, not all software providers charge the hefty sum. Platforms like TrackoField has custom pricing plans suiting business’s needs. Small businesses can start tracking their small team at a very cheaper rate.  

But if you will see, the cost is just time, and ROI always grows from what you say.

Conclusion! The Pros Clearly Outweigh the Cons

Best employee GPS tracking apps when implemented with great visibility and transparency and not with an intention of surveillance, they add to businesses growth.  

You will start seeing your team’s efficiency growing, workflow improving and field team coordination problems getting solved. Clearly, the software has more pros and cons are just certain fears that can be solved with the right approach.

Companies that adopt field employee tracking software responsibly are stepping up for smarter workforce management and better revenue growth.

Can’t wait to explore an intelligent GPS-based employee tracking system decked with functional features? Test TrackoField with a free demo.