GeoOp News

The New Zealand Herald takes a look at GeoOp

2010-03-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

What platforms does GeoOp support?

2009-12-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a brief summary about each mobile platform we support.

GeoOp and SMS - GeoOp can be used as an online system for your administration or call center staff. Jobs can be added and notes created as new information comes to hand. SMS or text messages can be easily sent to your staff to allow for quick and simple notification.

GeoOp and Smart Phones + iPhone - If your team have internet capable smart phones or iPhones they can access the mobile version of GeoOp called Mobee. Via Mobee a user will simply go to www.geoop.com and enter their username and password. From there they can view their jobs, see unallocated jobs and add notes accordingly. This means that all information is viewable from one central system by all staff. This allows for communication to be sent to and from other staff and to the customer quickly and easily without having the contact your mobile worker for an update. Click here to download our free iPhone app.

GeoOP and GPS capable smart phones - Being able to see where your staff are during the day is hugely beneficial. GeoOp's tracking capability allows you to see a staff member's location if they are using GeoOp Mobee with a supported GPS capable smart phone. Evey time time they access the mobile web page version of GeoOp their location is updated automatically to GeoOp. They can opt-out of the GPS upload if they wish and it is up to the company using GeoOp how they manage this. The location of the users can be shown in a number of ways from using the location history in the user's details or in the GeoMap where you can see the "last known location".

Unfortunately GPS tracking is not available on the iPhone iMobee version due to Apple's development rules.

GeoOp will be releasing the Android version early in 2010, which will be similar to our iPhone application but it will have the additional GPS tracking feature. Sign up to our newsletter if you want to be one of the first to try it out.

What is Mobile Workforce Management (MWM) and how does GeoOp fit?

2009-12-17T02:53:00.000-08:00

MWM, when done well, allows for greater utilization of mobile workforces, seeing a reduction in their mileage, whilst increasing information management, jobs per day and therefore increased income potential.

A MWM allows you to keep track of all your company's jobs, mobile workforce schedules and to keep all this information in one place, to be accessed by admin/call center staff or my your mobile workforce, anytime, anywhere.

So if a customer calls for an update on their job they don't have to contact the mobile workforce member for an update. All their data should be in the MWM.

Traditionally MWM systems that manage both workforces and job tasks use expensive proprietary hardware and they cost a lot of money to setup with expensive ongoing monthly fees.

GeoOp has turned the tables on this antiquated scenario and provides a system that can be set up in only a matter of minutes using your existing technology. There's no money to spend upfront when using the free evaluation sign-up process. GeoOp is a cost-effective pay-as-you-go system with the simplest of licensing plans.

Something we recognized early in GeoOp's development was not all companies stick to just one brand of mobile phone. In fact some companies have no two phones alike, let alone the whole fleet's. The good news is that GeoOp is truly multi-platform.

GeoOp can push Jobs out to your workers on old phones via SMS, or if they have smart phones, the job is sent to the mobile web app, called GeoOp Mobee.

Simply go to www.geoop.com on your smart phone to login. GeoOp also has an iPhone application called iMobee, available as a free download on itunes via http://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/geoop-imobee/id342852026?mt=8. An Android version is due for release early in 2010.

Find out more and download GeoOp at http://www.geoop.com.

GeoOp is a SaaS solution. Explain SaaS and how it fits.

2009-12-17T02:44:00.000-08:00

The fundamental feature of GeoOp is allowing companies to access a central system to create and monitor new jobs, update job status in real time and record notes on site to ensure prompt and accurate invoicing.

The other key component of GeoOp is its use of a company's existing infrastructure, for a simple and cost effective way to leverage what is already in existence to provide significant productivity increases.

What is SaaSilia all about?

SaaSilia is company with a focus on providing state of the art solutions using solid win/win fundamentals. We believe that advanced business solutions should be accessible to companies of all sizes. Advanced mobile workforce management is no different.

As you can probably tell from our name, we fully believe in SaaS solutions.

SaaS technology has experienced a revolution of its own.

SaaS or "Software as a Service" isn't new. Anyone who used an old green screen computer system, was using a terminal that hooked into a mainframe – a form of SaaS dating back to the mid 60s. These mainframe systems held all the data and the processing in one central location. The data was inputted from 'dumb terminals' which unlike the computers of today were totally useless without a connection to the mainframe.

What this meant though was adding new terminals and setting up new staff was a relatively simple process given there were less desktop support issues and less complexities involved.

Sounds great, so what happened? The PC, or Personal computer, arrived. With the advent of the PC people were able to access computing power that was previously only available in large corporate offices. Because there was no network and no internet, the PC had to have the capability to process, execute and store many tools within the one 'box'. This included the complexities of computer operating systems, programs, floppy disks, or if you were lucky, disk drives.

As the power of these computers increased so too did seriously complex programs, operating systems, viruses, more hardware, the list goes on.

The SaaS re-revolution

Earlier this year, some 30+ years after the first mainframes, Google announced the Chrome Operating system. This system will rely heavily on cloud or SaaS-based computing. The system will have less bells and whistles than other operating systems but is designed to manage email and website-based tasks. This system is a fundamental return back to the mainframe model and is made available thanks to the ease and accessibility of the Internet.

SaaS solutions are being adopted by some of the largest companies and corporations around the world. SaaS can be used by any sized company and the advantages are worth the jump!

The obvious benefits of SaaS to the end user is they don't have to buy expensive computers, worry about processing power or disk space as all of this will be provided for in the cloud environment. Google isn't silly and will allow for email and document storage offline. This will be managed easily so end users don't have to worry about disk space, etc.

Maybe it's the 'cloud' term or things have come full circle, but SaaS solutions have gained huge followings and are incredibly popular with savvy businesses. Why? A SaaS solution can be set-up in minutes, usually without any other dependent software, and it can be accessed in a number of ways from devices anywhere in the world. These devices can be desktops, laptops, netbooks or Internet or wi-fi-enabled smart phones.

SaaS also has the advantage of integrating with a number of other software systems, like having accounting packages talk to CRM tools, allowing for increased efficiencies with little or zero double handling of data.

SaaS removes a lot of I.T headaches and burdens from a company. No longer does a company need file servers, exchange servers, database servers, or backup systems. SaaS handles this with ease. You pay for the convenience and the infrastructure instead of license fees and the unknown. And based on history, SaaS works!

Download GeoOp. Visit http://www.geoop.com.

How GeoOp was born?

2009-12-17T02:21:00.000-08:00

We've often been asked, "How was GeoOp born?" So we thought we'd post a response and direct future enquirers here. Such is the life of busy software developers :).

To us, the beauty of software is it is the solution to a problem. Good software makes life easier, and hopefully more profitable if you're in business.

What problem made GeoOp the solution? We noticed a number of industries where their management of mobile workforces was not only letting them down, it was affecting their reputations.

We live in a fast paced environment where everyone wants to know what they need to know in a heartbeat. Throw a business into that equation and there's a lot at stake.

To remain competitive, any company that employs a mobile workforce, must be able to effectively track their mobile team, their jobs and their locations, and be able to communicate with them and their customers about anything to do with their job at any point in time.

Having this information stored in a central database where it can be accessed by the entire team would see jobs created, dispatched and processed faster than ever before. This would open up a world of productivity gains and remove a lot of the stress associated with managing a mobile workforce.

Do you think we could find a solution that didn't involve buying expensive hardware and/or getting tied into costly long term contracts? No, it didn't exist. And there you have the challenge that we at GeoOp's parent company, SaaSilia, set out to conquer.

Our task was to create a mobile workforce solution to:

• keep track of mobile staff
• keep track of their jobs
• keep track of mobile staff locations
• keep this information, as well as notes and communications in a central location for easy access by all relevant staff members
• keep costs to a minimum by using existing technology.

So, we were looking to develop a solution to manage mobile businesses in a new way. But it's not an accounting system or a CRM, but instead is a tool to manage staff in the field, their tasks, time, and communications (information management). Its design will be simple and will use technology effectively and be a powerful tool for companies of all sizes.

So it's sort of a Geo Operations tool. 'Exactly, let's call it GeoOp for short'. The name stuck, and here we are with GeoOP, a new way to look at managing business.

Four months later(!!), with a fully functional SaaS solution with call centre, mobile version and iPhone version, with Android version on the way, GeoOp went from concept to reality. How's that for focused?

And that's how GeoOp was born.

Welcome to the new GeoOp blog, GeoOp World

2009-12-17T02:04:00.000-08:00

GeoOp is an exciting, stress-free and more profitable way to manage mobile workforces using a company's existing technology. GeoOp's parent company SaaSilia is all about making technology and smart solutions available to companies of all sizes. We believe that great business tools should be easily accessible.

Subscribe to our RSS feed. We'll be updating our blog site regularly. Welcome to better business with GeoOp.