Google Maps Coordinate offers tight integration with Google Maps as you would expect makes assigning jobs to a technician based on his location very simple and appealing to service managers. Assigning and sending jobs to field service techs is an easy task for dispatchers. Service jobs are time stamped and techs even have the option to accept or reject jobs based on their current on-site status. With an introductory price of only $15 per user Google Maps Coordinate seems like a nice solution for service companies.
Sounds pretty good, Right? What's the downside?
- Google Maps Coordinate only works on Android. If your team currently uses iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry or any other web enabled SmartPhone you are out of luck.
- Google Maps Coordinate only offers real-time work force dispatching and tracking. Yes, it provides great insight as to where you service team members are now but you are not provided any true scheduling capabilities. From the service techs perspective he only sees active jobs that are assigned to him enabling him to only focus on the jobs at hand.
- Integration into QuickBooks, Sage or other accounting systems is non-existent at this point. Given Google's influence I'm sure this will come in future versions. But for now there is no way to streamline and expedite the invoicing processes.
- Reporting - While Google Maps Coordinates provides information about a specific job there are now report functionalities that show you trends within your business; what service tasks are most common, which service tasks are most profitable, etc.
Clearly Google Maps Coordinate is Google's first step into providing a cloud based mobile workforce management solution. I expect it to evolve quickly. But based on the service companies I've talked to it does not meet the needs of a field service organization that is dispatching, managing multiple schedules, managing preventative maintenance schedules, managing inventory, conducting data analytics on service call times, evaluating service margins and profitability and integrating with their back end systems.
If you are looking for a real-time tracking and dispatching solution Google Maps Coordinate could be right tool for you. It certainly gives small to medium-sized service business a competitive tool to help them more dynamically manage their service crews and respond quicker to service calls placed by customers.
