The addition of location tracking analytics was the first major addition to the Service Tracker application previously designed and deployed to security companies all over Australia.
In this update, we aimed to address one of the most common feature requests from customers of having a solid back up method for verifying that a security guard had indeed attended a particular location, even when the guard was out of the car meaning the vehicle GPS was no longer usable. This resulted in the addition of GPS location tracking being added to the Service Tracker mobile applications for iOS and Android.
The reason location tracking was a highly requested feature is due to some security guards (not all of them, just a few naughty ones here and there) getting creative with avoiding detection whilst on shift, often finding new and creative ways to fake checkpoint inspections or even get a good nights sleep while on the job.
We were also finding more and more that GPS location verification was being included in the contractual requirements for mobile patrols making it harder for a security company to win new contracts without it.
To address the customer needs, we implemented GPS tracking into the iOS and Android application, and updated the Service Tracker web dashboard to include options for device management such as toggling GPS tracking per device, as well as customising the location tracking interval.
Location data collected from enabled devices would be reportable via the Service Tracker web dashboard and displayed in the newly developed analytics to visually show managers their compliance ratings throughout the course of a shift.
Real-time alerts were also included based on customer feedback to alert managers and stakeholders of non compliant events in order for appropriate action to be taken before it was too late. These events could include guards remaining in one area for longer than allowed, or not spending enough time on a patrol than was required (i.e usually walking straight passed the checkpoint without inspection).
The addition of real-time location data also enabled us to show duress events as they happen in order to assist with the safety of guards in the event of an emergency. These events could also be dispatched as customisable SMS or Email alerts to nominated recipients to ensure the right people received the information, at the right time.
