Every year around this time in late May, commuters and town residents all across the nation begin to see some changes taking place in their community; the roads are more congested, the local bars and public houses are noisier and more lively than usual, and many stores begin to take down their “Now Hiring” signs from the window.  All of these events point to one source: college students are home for the summer.  While students are typically excited to reunite with all the comforts of home (e.g. home-cooked meals, never having to worry about laundry, and living with others that actually care about keeping their living space clean on a consistent basis), many campus cleaning companies are not so thrilled to be confronted with the mess these students have left behind.  As campus Realtors attempt to employ as few cleaners as possible to help cut costs, these companies are faced with more work than ever in a time when college application rates continue to rise.  By making a GPS tracker as common as Windex and paper towels in every cleaning employee’s toolset, these agencies can utilize GPS tracking technology to ensure that their cleaners are operating in the most efficient manner possible.

Roland Realty is one of the largest campus Realtors in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, home to the University of Illinois’s flagship campus.  Spanning a portfolio of over 80 properties, Roland Realty is able to serve an immense and varied number of the student population.  At the end of year leasing term, Roland Realty must conduct turnover inspections and cleanings, in which it employs the outside services of such companies as Maid to Perfection.  With a small local cleaning agency taking on the responsibility of so many apartments to clean by a set deadline, managers need to be sure that they are allocating all of their employees to the right location at the right time.  By using a GPS tracker, managers can be certain of where each employee is at all times, in addition to relocating the nearest available cleaner to a certain apartment unit should an emergency come up.  GPS tracking technology has also made it possible for managers to ensure that their cleaners are not wasting valuable time on site, which has historically been cited as a major cost in unnecessary additional compensation and failure to meet the hiring organization’s expectations.

By referencing an easy to read digital map that is accessible on most current mobile devices receiving GPS tracking data from a registered GPS tracker, a cleaning crew manager has the ability to virtually be on site in countless different apartments at the same point in time.  Although college students may leave a mess in their wake, any cleaning company utilizing the full potential of GPS tracking technology can confidently ensure that next year’s tenants will feel as if they are the first to inhabit their new abode.

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Being Able to Tracking Mileage and Routes is Key

Working in the Field is Paramount

Source acquired Mobile Enterprise Magazine.  Soon, you will be hard pressed to name one area of society that is not being affected by GPS Tracking technology.  Even with smartphones and their abilities, applications are being developed for more specialized markets at an alarming rate.

GPS Tracking helps companies track their fleets, but they also can help tax collectors monitor their mileage and routes.  That is the primary use of the Office of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Their aim is to get the tax collectors out into the field as opposed to sitting behind a desk, because their collection efforts are worth thousands of dollars when they are outside doing the job from their vehicles.

They have implemented Blackberry systems with GPS Tracking to aid in mapping out the number of miles driven and the locations and routes which have been run.  This promotes efficiency among their agents.  Here are the major benefits. (more…)

School Districts Need to Embrace This Technology

From Indianapolis, Indiana, we are told that the Indianapolis Public School system will cut $860,000 from their bus division.  An audit uncovered a number of inefficiencies as well as a decrease in income from taxes that are being capped.

Many organizations are finding themselves in much the same position as this school district.  What they need to discover is that are other ways to cut their costs further.  Here are two that they might not have thought of. (more…)

GPS Tracking

Mayor Lombardi of New Providence, Rhode Island recently passed local legislation that resulted in 14 of the local city public works vehicles being installed with GPS tracking systems. The small town of North Providence is approximately 5 square miles large, but it is taking a giant leap into the new age of technology. Due to unknown reasons, New Providence reduced the number of their dump truck employees from 30 workers to 23 workers. Lombardi believes implementing GPS tracking systems will increase overall management and planning and the end result will allow the city to get the job done with the existing 23 employees by making them more productive and efficient. Lombardi believes the GPS tracking systems will validate his claim that the job can be accomplished with less people.

Real-Time Tracking

Glenn Corrente, a Public Works Director for Providence, stated that the GPS tracking systems are an excellent way for management to mobilize and route trucks in the field because the supervisors are able to see exactly where an employee is, how long they have been there, and other vital data all from a computer  screen. Although each vehicle tracking system requires a monthly service fee of approximately $25 per month, over time the city feels money will be saved and that GPS tracking will improve the public services.

Not Without Controversy

The GPS tracking solution for the city of Providence is not without controversy. A leader for the worker’s union, John C DeAngelis, does not believe the GPS tracking systems will automatically result in greater efficiency at a more cost-effective rate, and feels the city workers are already doing an excellent job. DeAngelis also suggested that if the city feels GPS tracking is necessary for the city dump trucks and other public works vehicles then the initiative should be universal to all city vehicles, including the mayor’s vehicle and Chief of Police’s city vehicle.

Opinion

Should the city of Providence have released 7 workers from duty and replace them with GPS tracking systems? If the dump trucks and some other public works trucks will be monitored via GPS tracking should the mayor and Police Chief also be required to have vehicle tracking systems installed to their vehicles? Should the public be able to monitor the data?

The benefits of GPS tracking technology is growing constantly.

Not content with merely tracking truck locations to see that deliveries are being made on time, Coca-Cola Enterprises has moved into a new area: analysis of GPS data for optimal efficiency.

The soft drink giant employs more than 10,000 driver/merchandisers, who are valued for their reports from the “front lines.” The delivery people are the first to know which products are moving, how fast they are moving and the benefits of product placement in a retail store.

That’s why Kevin Flowers, the director of enabling technologies for Coca-Cola, has furnished drivers with mobile GPS tracking devices. GPS tracking units have become so accurate, they can record location within just a few feet. Managers can now monitor each individual driver’s movements, independent of the company vehicle.

GPS tracking units can be equipped with about a hundred of hours of flash memory; and have their data read using almost-unlimited space on a personal computer. Fleet managers can do in-depth analysis of the wealth of GPS tracking data. Patterns of activity and habits can be identified – both those that work, and those that do not. (more…)