How Employee GPS and Time-Tracking Software Can Save You Money?

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What Is GPS Tracking and How Does It Work? 

GPS stands for the Global Positioning System is a satellite-based radio-navigation system developed for determining the accurate coordinates of military and civil users. GPS uses an advanced algorithm to sync the location, velocity, and time data and it can be used for land, sea, and air travel. 

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When it comes to employee tracking, a GPS tracking device should be installed in a vehicle or a piece of equipment, or worn by a person. Using the appropriate GPS and time-tracking software, you will receive information about every employee’s location, route, speed, to your connected device.  

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With Timeero, for example, you don’t even have to install additional hardware - your employees can use company’s or even their own smartphones and tablets. 

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Some of the benefits include:

• Determining whether your employees are where they claim to be while on the go;
• Getting the precise trail path of their movements;
• Receiving clock in and out reminders upon arrival/departure, getting alerts for clocking in out of bounds;
• Tracking speed, distance, and the exact arrival time for each location.

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It’s worth mentioning that Timeero works even when your employees are offline, which means that you can get all the data you need at all times.

The Importance of GPS Tracking 

Thanks to the GPS and time-tracking software, you can have increased visibility of your entire fleet and workforce on the go. With real-time data and analytics, it’s possible to optimize driving routes and reduce overtime work, thus saving a lot of money. 

Here are some of the reasons why GPS tracking is a must. 

1. Cut fuel costs

You’ve probably heard how UPS drivers avoid left turns as much as possible. And no, this isn’t an urban legend but a very data-driven decision that helps the transportation company save 10 million gallons of fuel per year, and 6-8 fewer miles driven per route.

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Left turns are considered unsafe and wasteful in terms of time and fuel since they’re going against a flow of incoming traffic. This example illustrates how you can optimize routes and ensure your employees take the fastest and most efficient ones by using a GPS tracking app. As a result, you can minimize fuel consumption.

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Another factor that contributes to increased fuel costs is idling. Stats say that leaving the engine on while the vehicle isn’t moving can waste up to a full gallon of fuel per hour. Although it doesn’t seem like much for a single vehicle, it adds up if you take your entire fleet into consideration. 

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Furthermore, if your employees use their personal vehicles for work, your company is eligible for tax deductions. For implementing employee mileage reimbursement program, GPS tracking app with mileage tracker feature is a way to go for your business.

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2. Prevent unauthorized vehicle usage

You probably don’t want your employees to run their personal errands while at work, driving a company car. Or, even worse, making detours while on their route. 

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With the help of GPS software, you can track employee time and location in real time. Timeero, for example, has a very useful feature that can prevent unauthorized vehicle usage - geofencing. You can use it  remind your employees to clock out when they leave a geofence. 

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Not only will you be able to discourage the practice of using company vehicles for personal purposes, but you’ll also be in the know regarding where your employees are while on company time. 

3. Encourage and promote safe driving 

By monitoring whether your employees are speeding, you will both cut fuel and maintenance expenses, plus encourage safe driving. 

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Gas mileage drastically drops at speeds above 50 MpH, and GPS will notify you if some of your employees tend to speed or exhibit other kinds of reckless driving behaviors. Similarly, sudden braking, excessive cornering, and hard acceleration cause the wear and tear of the tires and the vehicle in general. 

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Your employees’ safety while behind the wheel of a company vehicle is an even more important factor. In order to create a safe workplace for them, as well as protect your business from high insurance rates and out-of-pocket expenses in case of a traffic accident. 

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GPS tracking will keep both your employees and company property safe on the road.   

4. Boost employee productivity 

Real-time employee GPS and time tracking tools allow you to identify where every employee or vehicle is at any given moment. This way, it’s possible to manage your entire workforce and fleet more efficiently by fast dispatching to assignments and tasks.

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Put simply, managers can allocate the upcoming tasks to the vehicles or employees nearest to the destination. Also, using GPS gives an overview of employee activities, so that managers can better coordinate activities, divide up the workload, and make better use of employees’ time. 

5. Improve customer service 

We’ve already mentioned the importance of customer experience for the success of your business. By dispatching the fleet and workforce according to the volume of work and location, you’ll significantly improve response times and delight your customers.

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In addition to that, time and location tracking will help you identify ineffective and unproductive employees that cost you a lot of money and lost business opportunities. 

6. Employee safety 

Your employees are your most valuable asset, and you should make sure they’re safe while they’re performing their tasks. GPS tracking can improve their safety since you can always see where they are and assist them in case they need any help. 

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Also, such apps allow you to route your employees to safer roads, thus avoiding hazardous circumstances or heavy traffic. 

7. Protect your vehicles from theft

In many cases, your employees are responsible for expensive company equipment and shipments, so accurately locating their position is of critical importance for preventing holding them accountable, and minimizing theft risk. 

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Physically installed hardware GPS devices can come in very handy if one of your vehicles gets stolen. If you notice an unusual activity of a car or truck that’s not being currently used, you can immediately alarm the authorities, forward its location, and speed up the recovery of the vehicle. 

8. Reduce your carbon footprint and environmental pollution

A gallon of gas translates to 20 pounds of CO2. You can only imagine how much carbon emissions your company’s vehicles generate while on the road.  Maybe reducing the carbon footprint isn’t at the top of your priority list, but remember it’s the air that all of us breathe at stake. 

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Going green and using electric cars is still an expensive option, so a GPS app can be a substitute. To recap, by optimizing routes, you’ll spend less fuel, and in turn, you’ll reduce carbon emissions and environmental pollution. 

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9. Avoid penalties, lawsuits, and fines by staying compliant

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Compliance is not only a legal obligation but also a competitive advantage for your business. Timeero can help you stay compliant in various ways, saving you from the hassle and cost of penalties, lawsuits, and fines.

Here are some of the benefits of using Timeero for compliance:

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• If you are in the home healthcare industry, Timeero meets the standards of HIPAA and EVV (Electronic Visit Verification), so you can provide quality care to your patients while complying with the regulations.

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• If you have hourly employees, Timeero can help you comply with overtime payment laws and FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) by accurately tracking employee time and overtime hours. You can customize the overtime settings to match the rules of your state. For example, California has a special setting for its strict overtime laws.

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• If you operate in California, Timeero can also help you follow the state’s break rules with the California Break Tracking feature. This feature can save you a lot of money by avoiding the penalties for not tracking employee breaks.

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Why You Should Track Employee Time

Despite seeming as if you don’t trust your employees, time tracking has the purpose of boosting the productivity and efficiency of your workforce. In addition to that, these apps can facilitate administrative tasks and streamline operations. 

1. Ensure the right billing 

Billing is a complex and challenging task for every business. It takes a lot of time to track work hours on a weekly basis. If you’re relying on your employees to fill out timesheets, you can count on the fact that some errors will occur - both accidental and intentional. 

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And there’s a lot of paperwork involved too. By using a time-tracking app, you will streamline the process and ensure that all the hours are billed accurately and that your employees are paid properly. Timeero integrates with popular payroll and accounting software, which means that you can simply approve and export time records to them.   

2. Streamline project management

The success of every project heavily relies on planning it in advance. There are critical factors that you have to take into consideration, such as the scope of work, required workforce, and deadlines. 

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To prevent scheduling conflicts, balanced task allocation, bottlenecks, missed deadlines, and similar project management obstacles, use time tracking. Project managers will have an accurate insight into how the entire project, as well as individual tasks, are progressing, thus preventing over- and understaffing. 

3. Increase revenue 

There are different low-level, repetitive tasks that yet have to be completed. 

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Instead of allocating such tasks to your employees, it’s much better to identify how much time such tasks take up and automate them. This way, you can accelerate your processes and allow your employees to focus on more complex, valuable tasks that bring profit. 

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Besides, can save up on overhead costs by not having to hire additional workers to deal with an increased workload. 

4. Identify “silent tasks”

We spend a lot of time every day on small, insignificant tasks that seemingly don’t require more than a couple of minutes of our time. The trouble is that we’re not aware of how many of these tasks there are, and the truth is they add up and drain our energy. 

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Using a time tracking app will help you plan both your and your employees’ schedules, allowing for these silent tasks and not simply overlooking them.

5. Prioritize tasks

Tracking time can tell you how to prioritize tasks and ensure that the most profitable ones will get done first. You’ll notice that certain tasks can be placed lower on the priority list, while some can be completely eliminated if deemed unprofitable.

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For example, if your customer support reps get a lot of calls that don’t require solving complex issues, you can think about implementing chatbots. This way, you’ll free up your employees’ time and allow them to focus on the calls that require critical thinking, while chatbots will handle frequently asked questions. 

Best Practices for Introducing Employee GPS and Time Tracking 

Employee pushback and legal issues are the biggest challenges of adopting employee GPS and time tracking. 

Here’s how you can overcome these obstacles. 

1. Transparency 

Don’t try to impose GPS and time tracking on your employees without having an open conversation with them about why you have decided to implement this technology. 

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Being transparent and talking them through potential privacy and legal concerns they might have is crucial. Explain why it’s important for the company to know their whereabouts as well as how much time they spend actively working. 

It’s also necessary to tell them how you will use and store their personal data, as well as who will have access to it. If they’re using their own smartphones and tables, make sure that they’re monitored only during their work shifts. 

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Finally, check legal regulations regarding GPS and time tracking in your state and stay compliant. 

2. Employee benefits

Another way to get your employees on board and get them to perceive this technology not as “Big Brother” spying on them, but as a method to make their job easier and more productive. 

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For example, by optimizing routes and dispatching, your employees will be able to perform more tasks within a given time and earn more. Similarly, incentivizing your employees based on their performance will motivate them to be more engaged and responsible at work.  

3. Address employee concerns 

No doubt that GPS and time tracking can be seen as too intrusive, which is why some employees might feel threatened and reluctant to accept this practice. That’s why it’s important to obtain their consent, ensure legal compliance, and share all the benefits of this technology with them. 

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It’s a good idea to create an open discussion and invite your employees to participate and share their concerns so that your HR department and managers can find the best way to address them. 

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How Do You Make Sure You're Not Losing a Lot Of Money And Business Opportunities Due To Unproductive Employees And Inefficient Business Processes?

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The GPS and time-tracking technology can significantly improve the productivity of your employees and improve your bottom line. But, it’s not only the lost minutes that you should count. This practice goes well beyond obvious benefits, as it can lead to improved customer experience, more business opportunities, and employee satisfaction if implemented properly.