Sales solutions company Tracer has developed a new application, Tracer Remote Manager, which makes it possible to easily manage people who work off-site, such as sales teams, field service agents and market researchers.
The application is Web-based and can run on all mobile phones issued after 2008. It comprises three modules: a database module, an activity management module, and an assessment module. Because the application is Web-based and delivered to clients as a service, there are no set-up or infrastructure costs. Tracer Remote Manager is priced from just R200 per user per month. It is available for companies that have from 10 users to hundreds.
"The application radically reduces call and text messaging costs," says Cobus van Graan, MD of Tracer. "Take the example of a call centre. A customer phones and asks for a technician to come to their premises to fix a computer. The call centre agent logs the call and records all the details on Tracer Remote Manager. Included are the notes detailing the customer's requirements, as well as a map with directions to the premises. The service technician receives all the details on their mobile phone and they are incorporated into a daily diary listing all call-outs. When they arrive at the premises, they have the option to escalate - if they need a new hard drive, for example, they can simply ask for one to be brought to the location. Once they have completed the call, they enter the billing details on the system and the invoice can be processed by head office immediately - and all this takes place seamlessly over the Internet, with not a single phone call required."
Tracer Remote Manager can be used to manage any type of worker who operates remotely, such as electricians, plumbers and maintenance staff. It can also be used by nurses who are sent out to take blood samples for insurance purposes, for example. Because it includes an assessments module, it's also suitable for use by site inspectors and those who collect data in the field. Entire questionnaires can be customised on the phone and submitted directly to head office.
"We are running a pilot project with a large company which is streamlining their premises inspection process," says Van Graan. "Prior to the roll-out of Tracer Remote Manager, an inspector would have had to fill in forms manually, then input the data into an Excel spreadsheet, and submit it to head office where the data would then have to be loaded into a central data repository. Now, the forms are completed on the phone and the data is directly captured into the database."
Van Graan says the uses of the application are virtually limitless for any field worker.
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