GPS is a fantastic tool to have in your professional arsenal. But consumer-grade devices (compared to industry-specific options) often cannot fulfil the needs of a trade, service or construction business looking to innovate on how it works directly with employees in the field.
If you're already a user of AroFlo, you no doubt know just how useful our job management software is for running your business from anywhere.
But keeping track of your employees and work vehicles while they're on the road is where the functionality of most basic GPS systems ends. To keep things running effectively, you need greater insight into the whereabouts of your staff and assets when they're on the move.
At any given time, you need to know where your workers are, what they're doing, and how quickly they complete each job. Basic GPS tracking fulfils one of these needs but lacks the functionality to meet the other two.
The good news is that this extra functionality is already available through AroFlo. It's called AroPoint, and it's everything you love about regular GPS combined with many features that can give you complete visibility across your business.
In this article, we aim to answer some of your pressing questions about what AroPoint offers and how it can help your business based on real inquiries from AroFlo users like you.
How does GPS work in AroFlo?
If you've used any GPS mapping software or app before, you should have no trouble utilising what AroPoint offers at a surface level.
It has all the features you've come to rely on. From an interactive map to live directions and traffic updates pulled right from Google Maps.
Where it differs from industry-standard GPS options is in its advanced tracking features. With an AroFlo-compatible GPS unit mounted in a vehicle or fleet of vehicles, you can feed real-time job-tracking data right into your AroFlo system.
How does AroPoint make running my business simpler?
With AroPoint enabled, you'll find job scheduling and timesheeting much easier. By tracking your team's GPS locations and feeding that data into AroFlo, you now possess pinpoint accurate hours to record against employee payroll. You'll always have an exact account of how long your workers spent on the road and how many jobs they completed daily. In fact, with AroPoint up and running, you can say goodbye to phoning your staff multiple times a day to see where they're at.
It doesn't end there, however, with live GPS tracking also allowing you to assign employees to jobs based on their proximity, meaning faster response times, happier customers and more work for you with all that saved time. Learn more about the benefits of Geo Zone Scheduling.
Can I generate reports using the data collected by AroPoint?
With AroPoint's comprehensive reporting, you can use the data stored by your GPS to create detailed reports just like you can within AroFlo's other features (they can even be made available or hidden from specific users at will). These can be anything, from business KPIs, to how many times your vehicles were flagged over the speed limit or how many stops each vehicle made over a set period. You can even set up geofences to flag when a vehicle enters a certain area, a great option if, for example, you'd like to know how many trips to the local hardware store your employees make each week.
Can I track more than once vehicle at once?
Individual GPS units are automatically split up within AroFlo. All you need to do is name them, and you'll then be able to track each vehicle on the map and see all their movements from within the one interface.
Can I track assets with AroPoint, or just vehicles and people?
By linking assets to specific GPS units, you can track them in the same way as vehicles and employees. Asset data is stored individually, meaning you can retain a detailed tracking history for a specific asset even if you decide to move the asset to another GPS unit in future.
Can I link multiple assets to one GPS unit?
A single GPS unit can have as many assets linked to it as you like. As each asset is an individual entity within AroFlo, you can swap different assets in and out at will. This is very useful if your employees share company tools or other hardware.
Can I add custom points of interest to AroPoint?
You can add markers to any location within your GPS interface. This is great for tagging supplier locations and ongoing worksites to make finding where your workers are quick and painless.
Do AroFlo’s GPS units consume much data?
By default, AroFlo's supported GPS units are set to a 30-second frequency, meaning they'll only consume around 8.5 megabytes of data per month, that's .0085 gigabytes for reference.
Which GPS units are currently supported?
You can find up-to-date information about our currently supported GPS units and how they differ in form and functionality on our dedicated GPS unit page.
Great, how do I get started?
If you're an existing AroFlo user and feel like AroPoint is the solution for you, you'll be happy to hear it's very easy to get started. Contact our customer service team, and they'll help you take advantage of everything AroPoint has to offer.