Category: Mobile

Just before the Christmas break, our sales executive James attended Facilities Integrate in Auckland, New Zealand. With most trade shows across the world canceled or postponed in 2020, we felt incredibly lucky to have an opportunity to attend a non-virtual event.

It was fantastic to meet with customers (both existing and prospective) in person, and catch up on the impact such a turbulent year has had on your businesses. 

We noticed a few common themes in the conversations we were having with attendees. In the midst of a pandemic, processes have had to change. We caught up with James to hear what his key takeaways from the event were.

Facilities Integrate

James, first off, can you tell us a little more about Facilities Integrate?

Facilities Integrate is a trade event specifically for facilities managers. It’s a great opportunity to network with peers in the same industry, try out the latest equipment and technologies, source the best suppliers and generally keep on top of what’s happening in the facilities space. I feel very lucky to have been able to talk to our customers in person again!

I’ll bet. When talking to the attendees, what did you notice was the biggest challenge facing facilities managers during the COVID-19 pandemic? 

Contact tracing came up a lot. More specifically, facilities managers were looking for flexible solutions to make signing in as easy as possible for everyone. 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of our customers understood the importance of signing in visitors. However, it was generally the high security or hazardous sites that were concerned with signing in employees and contractors, too. With the COVID-19 pandemic, that’s all changed. 

Now, every workplace has a responsibility to protect the health of those working in its duty of care. One of the most crucial ways to do this is through contact tracing. This means signing everyone in each day is more important than ever. Lots of the facilities managers were looking for easy ways to turn signing in and out into a habit for employees. 

How can WhosOnLocation help with that? 

WhosOnLocation offers an incredibly flexible platform with 12 different ways to sign in – so there’s something for every workplace, and every employee. We often find our customers will use a few different methods at one site, to make it as easy as possible for employees to remember to sign in. 

Which methods are the most popular?

Some employees prefer to download the WolMobile app on their smartphone and use the auto sign in/out feature. This is the most foolproof way of ensuring everyone on-site is accounted for. It uses geofencing technology to update on-site status. Employees and contractors don’t even need to lift a finger.

Others might prefer to sign in using a touch screen kiosk in reception. Or scan a card to sign in with one simple step. Or even just provide their name to the front of house staff. 

Offering a variety of methods makes it easier to sign everyone in. So you can be safe in the knowledge your contact tracing processes are as robust as possible. 

Is there a method that’s preferred by customers? 

The kiosk (using an iPad or tablet) is the most common way to sign in. This is especially the case now we have released our touchless kiosk feature. By setting your kiosk to touchless mode, you can now present a QR code on the screen. Guests scan the code to sign in from their own smartphone. 

Employees, contractors and visitors simply scan the code to see the entire kiosk experience replicated in their browser. It’s been a game-changer during COVID, as customers looked for a more hygienic, hands-free alternative to the sign-in kiosk. 

Did QR code posters come up in conversation at the event at all? 

Great question – it was really exciting to demo QR code posters for the first time at the event. These posters are an easy, low-cost way to deploy WhosOnLocation, as no expensive kiosk hardware is required.  

They’re also a great way to make your sign-in process more robust. If you have multiple doors, you can use posters at each access point. This helps to capture any employees or contractors who use side entrances to enter or leave.

New to WhosOnLocation? 

Updated: January 2020

With the rapid evolution of geolocation technology we are now faced with the issue of apps following our every move without really knowing where that information is ending up. Not all app users are comfortable with this type of data collection, which presents challenges for businesses that need this information to give you a stronger user experience or like ourselves that need it to keep you safe. So how do we get big brother to leave us alone but also get the most out of this revolutionary technology?

What is geolocation?

A geolocation is the identification or estimation of a real-world geographic location of an object, such as a radar source, mobile phone, or internet connection. The coordinates generated from the geolocation (latitude and longitude) are used to determine a location, such as a street address. 

Why do apps need access to my smartphone’s geolocation?

Geolocations are used to plot courses, track elevation changes, see location history, find nearby shops, tag images on social media, check in to locations and get the local weather information. We also use it every day to make our lives easier, to interact with other people, to solve problems, to set goals, to track anything. 

Our WolMobile app for iOS and Android is designed to keep you safe while working (onsite, remotely or moving between locations). For WolMobile to work effectively it needs access to your location permissions. Here’s an overview of the key features to keep you safe and secure while in your employer’s duty of care: 

• Automatic sign in/out

If your organization is using automatic sign-in/out, they will have a geofence set up around your organization’s. Once your phone has registered as having crossed into the geofence (using your location information), you’ll be automatically signed in or out. 

• SOS Alerts

Should you need to send for immediate help, tapping the SOS button will send a notification to your location information to your organization’s nominated SOS Responder(s). The notification contains your location information as part of the alert ensuring assistance can locate you as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

• Follow me

If you’re working in a high risk situation, alone or traveling between sites, your organization may ask you to use the ‘Follow Me’ feature. Designed for your safety, ‘Follow Me’ alerts your   nominated safety contact if you need assistance in an emergency, to check in with you throughout the day or have spent too long at a high risk or restricted area.  

• Locations list 

If your organization has multiple sites, WolMobile will use your location in a similar way to Google Maps, providing you with directions, maps, the distance to other locations and ordering the list with the closest locations first. 

Are my apps always tracking me?

The majority of apps on your smartphone can track your location, however, you have to give them access first. If you have downloaded an app that has requested to use your location information you would have been given the option to ‘Always allow’ or ‘Only when using the app’. 

‘Only when using the app’ seems like the more appropriate option but with WolMobile because we need your location to know whether you’re on or off site or if something was to go wrong you must select  ‘Always allow’ when prompted, for WolMobile to work accurately.

The good news is we’re not always tracking you. WolMobile only tracks your location when you’re signed into a location or moving between locations. Once you sign out and finish work at the end of the day, your location will no longer be reported on. 

It’s also worth noting that only selected individuals with admin access to WhosOnLocation will be able to see your location whilst you’re signed in. 

Update: January 2020

We’re always making improvements to our products. Since we first published this blog in November, we’ve already improved WolMobile’s geolocation reporting feature. The latest update brings a whole host of new features, including the ability to filter the map by who’s on or off site, get more information when you hover over a person’s pin and search the map by Service Provider Organization name, to see the location of everyone on-site from that company.