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For those that have employees, what are you using to record your employees hours? Do you record just straight hours or are they broken down by; driving time, cleaning time at each scheduled job, lunch, etc. Is anyone using a system that uses gps to record time/movement, just using handwritten paper or a cell phone or other digital device.
I’m old school. Just using hand written time sheets. Sign in from the time they get to the office in the morning, sign out at end of day when they leave the office.
I have seen some phone apps that track by vehicle movement and GPS. It asks if logging time is required when vehicle stops or moves after logging in at a customer’s home. It would be great if service monster had this in their system.
I have used GPS tracking in both of my vehicles for the last two years. I operate in the lovely state of California where the employer risks being sued if they fail to record time properly and provide meal and break periods. For this reason I pay my techs an hourly wage and they record their time and meal and break periods on a Sign In/Out Sheet. I have looked at Time and Attendance apps but have not found one I like just yet. I use the GPS units to track the vehicles, time they spend on each job, telemetry etc
Mark,
What are the cost associated with the GPS trackers and how long do they record the history? Also, where do you feel is the best place to purchase one?
One thought/idea to consider is the tracking feature already built into devices (i.e. phones). If you are providing a phone for your employees/van, especially Android, you can track where that phone is with surprising (scary?) accuracy using https://www.google.com/maps/timeline if you turn on the location feature. We have tablets in our vans, so I am going to start exploring this as a tracking/time option as we grow. Something to consider if you are already paying for the devices.
The advantage of a GPS unit is they are plug and play. They plug directly into the vehicles ECU under the dash. There are all sorts of bells and whistles that you can garner from a unit. Of course, it all comes with a costs. My units provide a plethora of information from location, to speed, to engine diagnostics to exceptions such as hard braking or hard cornering etc. The system will even tell me when, how long and the costs of any vehicle that sits idling longer than 3 minutes. They now have distracted driving features as well as the ability to communicate to each unit. I use GPS Moible Solutions out of North Carolina. Set up costs were $99 per unit and $25.95 per month per unit with no contract or commitment. If you like, contact Melvin McNeill at
melvin.mcneill@gpsmobilesolutions.com or 919-954-8060. Web site address is http://www.gpsmobilesolutions.comHey Dave,
The GPS factor on the tablets can help you figure out where your guy left the tablet… oops.
Mark,
If I still had employees or teenagers at home I would sure do it. Seems like a very valuable device.
My youngest son (age 21) works as a lineman for a company that works for the railroad. He said the GPS they provide is $250 (If they lose or break it that what they will pay to replace it). It is a GPS and tracker both. All their foreman have one, plus one for each vehicle. No idea the monthly fee.
I imagine the data stays in their system for an extended period of time and could be queried anytime. I failed to mention, in the event of an accident, the unit will tell you everything the vehicle and driver were doing 90 seconds prior to the accident taking place.
I use the mytimestation.com iOS app on the iPad in our van. Each employee gets a 4 digit pin to clock in/out every day. I can easily pull up reports when I run payroll every 2 weeks. Very simple.
I think we should all bug service monster so they put it on that program.
For tracking I use the GPS on our androids along with the app followmee. It’s pretty cheap and provides history of travel, and speeds.
For time, I have a punch in clock at the shop, and I pay hourly plus 5% per job and 25% for up sales. Techs have a separate sheet to record job totals and up sales at the end of the day
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