MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Xora Inc. has announced a new version of its GPS TimeTrack service, a low-cost time, location, and job-management application that promises to move real-time mobile employee and asset management into the mainstream, says the company.

The GPS (global positioning system) service is designed to help businesses track employees and hours worked, enforce overtime policies, accurately account for time and billing, and increase the productivity of the mobile workforce, the company says. The new release of the GPS service offers such features as automated dispatch, wireless text alerts, team and group management for large user deployments, and job scheduling.

Unlike services that track physical assets, such as service vans, and require vehicle-mounted GPS receivers, GPS TimeTrack combines an Internet-based service, smart mobile applications, and a new generation of GPS-enabled cell phones that stay with the employee, says the company. Users of the service include such businesses as HVAC contracting, food and beverage distribution, trucking, construction, vending services, security, and facilities management.

“This is the future for small businesses,” commented Debbie Carlson, office manager at Valley Heating and Air, a Sacramento-based heating and air conditioning firm. “GPS TimeTrack has become the single most important tool I use for keeping track of my mobile workers, their hours, and what they’re doing. We have two departments using it right now, and it is the only way we can keep track of costs and actual hours worked. The Xora service paid for itself within the first hour of use.”

GPS TimeTrack V1.1 is available for production use at www.xora.com. Pricing includes a one-time setup fee of $24.99 per user and a monthly service fee of $11.99 per user per month.

Publication date: 06/16/2003