Time and Task tracking with QR code and GPS
How is QR code used for time and task tracking and why is it important to field service businesses?
Field service businesses depend on their employees' performance in the field. Time and task tracking is critical to their business. A QR Code based system can help track an employee’s time and location with a GPS tag, and can also be used for tracking tasks and jobs. And smoothen the payroll and accounting process.
One of the hallmarks of deploying QR codes is the convenience factor. Businesses can get up and running with QR codes very quickly.
Geofences, also known as geozones, are virtual perimeters around a predefined area of interest, like warehouses, construction sites, or live customer project sites. When combined with real-time GPS information from an employee’s phone when scanning a QR code for instance, it can help track and map each employee’s location via GPS. This helps managers ensure employees are where they need to be and are performing tasks on the right equipment at the assigned times.
When GPS tags are combined with QR Codes, it provides precise indoors / outdoors attendance verification. This level of detail can be valuable in precise placement of the end user in their work environment e.g. A security guard who is on his rounds in building A, floor# 4, suite #402.
QR codes are widely used across many industries such as Manufacturing, Property & Facility Management, Security and Transportation. It can help in both time and attendance tracking of field staff as well as task or job site tracking. As customers have unique workflows, both time & attendance and task tracking workflows can be customized to fit their specific requirements using QR codes.
Checklist & Tasks Management with QR codes
Since links and information can be embedded in QR codes, employees can effortlessly scan QR codes to access the right checklist or information on a mobile device. It can help field employees accelerate the execution of tasks in a variety of functions such as facility inspections, building maintenance, checking equipment safety, security patrolling, inventory control, and logistics among others.
Just by scanning one QR code, field employees can fill out multiple form fields in numerous checklists as the app captures perfectly with the reference data. The mobile app eliminates the manual entry of data and enables the field employees to fill the correct checklist linked to the scanned QR code. Effortlessly helps the employees to carry out critical tasks such as building maintenance, inspections, building surveys, inventory control tasks, and covering all essential parameters associated with the particular task, and filling up the essential info that helps in documentation and reporting.
Cover Multiple Custom Checklists with QR-code Scanning
Employees can access thousands of custom checklists just by simply scanning QR codes. With an easy-to-use interface, the employees can easily capture large quantities of data typical of settings such as a warehouse where a huge number of property inspections or building maintenance need to be carried out or carrying out surveys related to sales, healthcare or market research.
The custom checklists can be used for multiple purpose:
- Property Inspection: The checklist can be customised and assigned to the field employees based on inspections requirements.
- Building Maintenance: Audits are an integral part of building maintenance tasks. Checklist can help conduct auditing on time and make sure that data has been captured accurately.
- Monitor Tasks: The manager / reporting head can monitor the tasks from anywhere. Get real time updates on the tasks completed, pending tasks if any and the completion date, images of replaced parts or dates of checklists carried out from anywhere in the field.
QR codes use case by vertical
Property and Facility Management
Property and Facility companies need QR code systems for inspection and maintenance purposes with real-time visibility to the managers and inspectors at any time. Janitorial/Maintenance workers can scan the QR code once inspections/maintenance is done and they can capture pictures as a proof of service. Managers can be notified on successful completion of the inspections task.
Moreover, manual scheduling of maintenance and inspection was a time consuming and effort heavy process. However, with the rise of software as a service and modern features like cloud database, QR codes, barcodes and smart devices, the process of inspection and maintenance scheduling has become much simpler and streamlined.
Construction
Construction companies need the ability to maintain accurate worker training records, asset records, tracking workers whereabouts and adhere to safety regulations, in general.
Using QR Codes in construction can help tackle these issues at hand in addition to the other challenges faced by construction companies, contractors, and workers. Using pen-paper to mark attendance of workers, managers, and other construction professionals is not just obsolete but also overwhelmingly time-consuming.
Instead, place QR Codes at the job-site to let the construction team and other employees record their attendance and/or access plans and specifications. Also make use of QR Codes that can lead to a checklist sheet to record everyday movement, upload pictures, and fill-in everyday tasks.
Manufacturing
Using QR code in manufacturing industries, you can monitor your inventory levels, track workers in manufacturing units, track your manufacturing processes and collect real time data in your warehouses using mobile devices. The workers can use smartphones or tablets for easy QR code scanning, completing mobile forms, tracking manufacturing processes through their various stages and data look up. Invariably, information collected using mobile devices is sent to a secure, central cloud location and is instantly available to all managers/supervisors.
How do QR code systems work?
The QR Code time clock system works via a mobile app. Employees need to install the app from the App Store and complete the registration process. Once the mobile number is registered, the manager/admin needs to set up employee information in the system. With this step, employee tracking starts automatically and managers have employee location available in real-time.
The user/employee can open the app to take additional notes including scanning the QR code. When the QR code is scanned, a note with the details of the QR code is submitted and available in Google sheets.
You can also create custom QR codes with options to change each element of the QR Code such as using Logo, Text, Photo etc. You can play around with customization features - adding a frame, a CTA, background or a logo - it could be your own logo or something that explains the associated action. For instance, if you are generating a QR code for property inspection, you can add a property like icon as a logo in the QR Code.
How can you deploy QR codes?
The simplest way to deploy QR codes is to generate them, print them on various materials (paper, plastic, metal), place them at the job site or equipment and have employees scan them during normal operations. With every scan, information is recorded, such as:
- Task X was performed using equipment Y at 9am by Richard in building#3 for 35 min
- Maintenance work was performed on the equipment X by John at 4pm, one issue was found
- 7 employees were late to jobs this past week
- Tasks were performed on equipment Y in building#3 was used for 22 hours this week
- Richard, Jake and Roberto worked on key activity Z in building 2 and finished the shift on time
Reporting and Payroll
QR codes can be of great help to track day to day operations and address issues in real time but good reporting can help you see the bigger picture over a longer period of time. Payroll reporting for example can be of great help. What if you were able to automatically track work hours for each employee so that they would not have to fill out timesheets? This is possible with QR code & Geofencing. With the allGeo QR code based time and attendance workflow, businesses can do exactly this. Supervisors can edit payroll reports and approve them before they go to payroll. Similarly, other types of reports can help in monitoring job performance by measuring operational KPIs for your business.
