etrace® 4.6 Provides Service Operations Staff with Real-Time Alerting of Mobile Worker Locations and Activities; Wireless Barcode Scanning and Printing Enable Greater Field Efficiency
MINNEAPOLIS — Sept. 16, 2005 — Gearworks, a leading provider of on-demand mobile workforce management software, announced today the release of etrace® 4.6, a new version of its flagship etrace software that enables service-driven companies to measure, manage and optimize field operations at the point of service delivery.
Gearworks’ etrace is a location-intelligent, wireless and Web-based solution that leverages GPS and the new generation of integrated, application-enabled mobile devices to provide service-driven companies visibility and control of their mobile workforce and field-based activities. etrace 4.6 raises the bar by delivering a wealth of real-time and rules-based alerting, reporting and security capabilities that provide service operations staff with greater awareness and control of field-based activities. Version 4.6 also improves the efficiency of mobile workers with new Bluetooth peripheral support, which enables wireless attachment of bar code scanners for simplified data entry and mobile printing of things like job orders, receipts and credit card transactions.
“The real-time nature of etrace version 4.6’s WorkZone processing and flexible alerting enables us to get ahead of worker productivity issues before they become a problem,” said Jackie Hucovski, controller for Sabre Heating. “It allows us to become more proactive.”
New Features in etrace 4.6
etrace 4.6 includes the following new features:
Rules-Based, Real-Time Alerting
Allows users to build a wide range of real-time alerts based on operational events in the field. Using a powerful rules-based engine, operations managers can define exactly what worker activities they want to be alerted on and in what way (e.g. email, pager, SMS or etrace message to the worker). Conditions that can be configured to generate an alert include: GPS coverage, stop/travel, login/logout, timecard, job status, job detail and form detail events. For example, etrace can identify a speeding driver and send an alert to the dispatcher and, at the same time, send an alert to the driver via etrace messaging on the handset requesting him to “slow down.”
Real-Time WorkZone™ Processing
Creates virtual boundaries around important locations – such as customers, depots and supply yards – and then accounts for and reports worker time and activity inside a WorkZone, as well as transit to and from the WorkZone. Operations managers and dispatchers can now view, in real-time, whether a worker is traveling to, from or stopped within a WorkZone.
Role-Based Security
Provides dispatchers and operations managers the ability to control access rights (create, edit and view) within etrace Mission Control of specific individuals or groups. Companies with multiple divisions or work groups (e.g. installation and repair) can restrict access to only the members of that group. Access to sensitive reports/functionality also can be controlled on a role-by-role basis.
Bluetooth Peripheral Support
Enables service-driven companies to make their mobile workforce more productive by equipping them with wireless bar code scanners, printers, mag-stripe readers and other Bluetooth-enabled peripherals. Now a mobile worker can use etrace to quickly and easily scan installed part numbers, generate an invoice, take payment via credit card and print a receipt within minutes — all right at the point of service delivery. etrace Bluetooth support works with a broad range of Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices including Java-enabled phones and the Blackberry. “etrace version 4.6 continues Gearworks’ focus on enabling service operations to shift from reactive and latent management of workforce and service delivery activities to proactive and real-time,” said Todd Krautkremer, president and CEO of Gearworks. “In a game of economic inches, being able to proactively engage service delivery issues as they arise and to extend the capabilities of the mobile workforce can have a dramatic and positive impact on productivity and the customer quality of experience.”
etrace 4.6 is currently deployed on Gearworks’ on-demand service and is available now for mobile device download.
About Gearworks
Minneapolis-based Gearworks (www.gearworks.com) is a leading provider of mobile workforce management software that enables service-driven companies – from mainstreet to the Fortune 500 – to monitor, measure and manage their field operations at the point of delivery. The company’s flagship product – etrace® – is a location-intelligent, wireless and Web-based solution that runs on a new generation of low-cost, application-enabled mobile devices. By providing dispatchers, operations managers and other service organization stakeholders with real-time visibility and control of field workers, workflow and activities, etrace enables businesses to make their workforces more productive, processes more efficient and consumers more delighted.
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Media and Analyst Contact:
Brian Wachtler
Haberman & Associates
612.338.3900
brianw@habermaninc.com
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