As we all often use Google Maps Timeline for our personal needs. But what if businesses want to use it for tracking employees? Will it give the best results? Or should businesses consider the best app to track employees? Let us discuss which is a Google Maps Timeline alternative that would give massive results in tracking your field employees in this blog.
How Does Google Maps Timeline Operate?
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With the help of Google Maps Timeline, users can see a comprehensive history of their previous locations, itineraries, and means of transportation. Timeline automatically creates a daily track of your whereabouts in the background by utilizing your device’s motion sensors, GPS, and Wi-Fi signals.
Users must have Location History enabled in their Google account and be logged into that account on a smartphone in order to utilize this feature. Once activated, Google Maps Timeline logs your travel routines, including the locations you visit, the length of time you spend there, and the mode of transportation you use, such as walking or driving. Using the Google Maps app or timeline.google.com, you may view your timeline at any moment.
How Reliable Is the Timeline on Google Maps for Tracking Miles?
When it comes to measuring mileage, Google Maps Timeline is reasonably accurate, particularly when driving. Using your route and GPS information, the algorithm determines your mileage, usually with a small margin of error. However, accuracy may differ based on the strength of the GPS signal, the settings on your phone, and whether you’re in a city with tall buildings or poor signal coverage.
It’s crucial to remember that Timeline is not a tool for professional mileage tracking. Even while it gives estimates, it falls short of the accuracy of mileage apps designed especially for corporate use and reimbursement reporting.
Is Field Employee Tracking Possible with Google Maps Timeline?
Technically, field workers can be tracked using Google Maps Timeline, but there are a lot of restrictions. Each employee must:
• Have their Google account open and active,
• Maintain the GPS function on their phone
• Have Location History on.
Employees also have complete control over their data. They can disable the function completely, halt tracking, or remove visits. Because there isn’t a single admin dashboard where employers can see the timelines of every employee, it isn’t dependable for official tracking.
Consider utilizing specialized field workforce management software such as Lystloc with GPS tracking capabilities to keep tabs on field activity or track mileage for your field crew. These technologies include compliance controls, real-time visibility, and more precise mileage logs that are customized for companies.
Book Lystloc’s free demo here!
Where Does Google Maps Timeline Lack in Tracking Employees?
👉One of the drawbacks of Google Maps Timeline for tracking mileage is that it lacks odometer-level accuracy. Unlike an automobile’s odometer, which measures actual wheel rotation, Google Maps uses projected routes to determine miles.
👉It might not precisely account for stop-and-go driving, U-turns, or minor delays. The phone’s GPS must be turned on, Location History must be enabled, and the user must be logged into their Google account for mileage tracking to function.
👉Battery saving mode or poor GPS signals can cause gaps or missed trips.
👉Particularly when visits are concise or the device fails to identify a change in position, trips aren’t always easily distinguished from one another. It can be time-consuming and prone to errors if you have to manually add or update missing trips.
👉The inability to collect official mileage reports for tax or reimbursement purposes is the fourth drawback. It would be necessary to manually compute and record mileage, which is unreliable for audits.
👉Unsuitable for fleet or field workforce tracking because it is solely linked to individual accounts, and you cannot access or manage mileage data for a group of employees.
👉Users have the option to disable Location History, erase journeys, and suspend tracking at any moment. Because of this, data used in business is either faulty or incomplete.
👉Google Maps Timeline is purely historical, you cannot view someone’s current location or track journeys as they take place.
How Lystloc Monitors Field Workers: A Clever Way to Help Teams That Are Always on the Go
Having the proper employee location tracking app is essential for managing a field or mobile crew. This is where Lystloc, a cloud-based program for location intelligence and field employee monitoring, comes in. With a full suite of functions to monitor, control, and enhance field operations in real time, Lystloc acts as a superforce software for industries of all types.
What is Lystloc?
Lystloc simplifies field operations by integrating performance monitoring, activity reporting, and location tracking into a single user-friendly interface. Businesses may make better decisions, increase productivity, and create a more open workplace culture with the help of real-time updates, actionable insights, and automated reports.
Live Tracking of Location
The ability to track location in real time is one of Lystloc’s primary functions. In order to improve visibility and accountability, employers can observe the real-time position of their field employees straight from the dashboard. By enabling managers to confirm that workers are present at the appropriate time, this tool lowers time theft and boosts productivity on the ground.
GPS Monitoring Device for Routes
A thorough map of the paths taken by employees during the day is provided by Lystloc’s GPS tracker. This facilitates better route planning, reduces needless travel, and helps to understand travel patterns. Additionally, managers can verify daily travel schedules and customer visits by looking at previous movement histories.
Precise Mileage Monitoring
Accurate mileage tracking is essential for cost control and reimbursement. Lystloc uses GPS-based position data to automatically determine field workers’ distance traveled, doing away with the necessity for manual logging. This function guarantees mileage records that are accurate and impenetrable and can be utilized for payroll or expense claims.
Logs of customer interactions and meeting notes
Lystloc enhances reporting by logging meeting notes in addition to tracking. The identities of the clients, the topics of discussion, and the results of customer encounters can all be immediately recorded by field workers. Managers can get comprehensive insights into field operations and client contacts without making follow-up calls due to this real-time data synchronization.
Geo-Fencing and Monitoring
Businesses can use Lystloc to set up geo-fences, or virtual walls, around client or job site locations. Only workers are permitted to enter and exit these areas, ensuring precise location-based attendance. This enhances attendance compliance and decreases buddy punching.
The Best Google Maps Timeline Alternative – Lystloc
Apps like Google Maps Timeline are useful for calculating miles and reviewing your past travel experiences. But for corporate use, particularly when it comes to tracking field workers, it’s preferable to depend on specially designed solutions that offer the management, control, and precision that businesses require.
Lystloc is a comprehensive workforce management solution for businesses with field teams that offers more than simply a GPS tracker. Lystloc allows you to keep in touch and manage your situation, whether you require precise mileage information, real-time location updates, or customer visit logs.
Try out Lystloc today!
