Business Mobile World

As mobile phones become more powerful the more uses they can be put too. A simple software download can turn them into trackable devices, working in conjunction with GPS and an online real-time interface allowing businesses to monitor employees out in the field.

Mobile phone tracking has come a long way in a very short space of time. No longer reliant upon triangulation between mobile phone masts it now relies upon GPS enabled phones to accurately pinpoint devices within 5 metres at any given time.

It is intelligent enough to recognise when a phone is travelling in a vehicle, indicating direction of travel and speed, or when a phone is being carried by an employee on foot. It can be programmed to notify of arrival, departure and when entering specific areas or zones.

All of the gathered information is stored and can be accessed at any time and compiled into a number of useful reports such as timesheets, expense reports etc. These can be viewed and printed at the touch of a button.

Knowing where everyone is within your organisation will improve your customer service and will help with health and safety compliance where lone workers are involved. Mobile phone tracking can also help with reduced mileage, reduced overtime claims and a range of other money saving benefits for your business.

If you already have a GPS phone you can take a 14 day free tracking trial allowing you to see the web interface in all of its glory and get a hands-on experience of how the tracking software could help your business.

There are no installation costs and you could be surprised how little mobile phone tracking costs. It could quickly pay for itself in savings alone whilst also improving efficiencies helping you retain existing customers and win new customers too.

Even if you don't operate your own fleet, but have employees using their own vehicles on your business, this system provides a grey fleet management solution. Think of it as an employee management system rather than vehicle tracking or mobile phone tracking.

We've relaunched two websites this week following a brief break. These are:

• 21c Vehicle Tracking
• 21c Business Mobiles

We had a change of server late last year which led us to re-evaluate all of our websites. It was decided that these two could be put on ice temporarily whilst we concentrated on our main site.

However there have been some developments in the vehicle tracking arena which are exciting and need promoting so the 21c Vehicle Tracking website was chosen as the perfect vehicle to promote the new products.

And whilst we were reviving this site it was easy to put the business mobiles site back online too. This site won't be updated too much in the near future as we concentrate on the vehicle tracking developments.

Vehicle tracking, as a term, is pretty old now. Many businesses, who do not see the need for vehicle tracking, are missing the point. This is about employee management, protection and compliance.

The new breed of device tracking via GPS smartphones can do so much more than just keep track of a vehicle. Because it is not vehicle-fixed and remains with the employee it allows you to keep track of them and ensure that they are safe at all times whilst on your business. It also allows them to alert you if they have a problem with a simple press of a button. You can then see online in real-time where they are and get help to them if needed. This type of solution is ideal for lone workers.

It also allows you to keep track of your "grey fleet", vehicles owned by the employee but used on your business. This is important as your duty of care does not stop because they are in their own car.

Issues relating to privacy, particularly tracking employees outside of working hours, are now easily addressed via the online interface giving the employee complete peace of mind that they are not monitored 24/7.

And the best bit? The price. Businesses are always surprised that such a fully featured system costs so little. For your free quote please contact us or get in touch for a FREE, no obligation 14 day trial to see how this tracking solution might help your business. 

Originally this site was started solely to sell business mobiles, and products and services related only to this category. We worked closely with 21c Telecom Ltd, our main supplier, and had good success supplying businesses with phones on contract terms.

However, the telecoms market has moved on, and more and more businesses are sourcing all of their communication products from a single supplier. The advantages of this approach include cost savings, reduced administration, better customer service and enhanced fault resolution.

We are also able to offer a full range of business telecom products including:

• Business Landlines

This includes line rental, reduced call charges, telephone systems, telephone numbers, maintenance contracts, call management and more. Easy to understand monthly billing and a single point of contact for questions and problems.

• Business Broadband

Business grade broadband with low contention ratios giving your business a greater share of the available bandwidth. High speed, reliable broadband with routers supplied and installed where necessary.

• Mobile Broadband

USB dongles supplied to give you 3G mobile internet via your laptop or netbook. Speeds up to 7.2mbps.

• Vehicle Tracking

Track your vehicles or employees via hardware or a mobile phone. Live view of current position via real-time web interface.

All types and size of business can benefit from taking out a range of services with us, achieving large savings over a multiple supplier solution. Quotes are always free and we aim to save you money whilst simultaneously improving your business communications.

Vehicle tracking has been around for a few years now. Usually a GPS device is fitted to the vehicle and this transmits the position of the vehicle at pre-set intervals so that the movement of the vehicle can be tracked. Using the latest software, vehicle tracking is done online in real-time.

By utilising online tracking this means that you can log in from any device anywhere and see where your vehicles are. However fixed in-vehicle tracking does mean an initial cost for installing the hardware in each vehicle.

Now vehicle tracking can be done by mobile phone. Using a GPS enabled phone to transmit the position, direction and speed of travel, the phone can also show the whereabouts of the employee when out of the vehicle.

Both of these vehicle tracking systems enable savings to be made in your business if you operate a fleet of vehicles, whether small or large. Areas where vehicle tracking can help include:

• Reduced mileage
• Savings on diesel/petrol
• Reduced overtime claims
• Lone worker protection
• Helath and safety compliance
• Improved customer service
• Reduced admin via pre-prepared reports

Device tracking is easy to set up and, if you already have GPS smartphones in your business, is extremely cost efficient. If you don't already have GPS business phones suitable handsets can be supplied free of charge when you next renew your mobile contract. GPS enabled mobile phones can be obtained cheaply and still work well with the tracking software.

Device tracking also offers you extras such as tracking employees using their own vehicles on company business. You have a duty of care to them whilst they are working for you.

The savings made from a vehicle tracking system can quickly pay for the system itself and deliver cost savings on a monthly basis thereafter. There's only one way to find out how much your business could save and that is to get a vehicle tracking quote.

We have been looking at how we can make it easier for you to get in touch with us to get a quotation for your business mobiles.

The first solution has been to reduce the size of our online enquiry form. A number of fields have been removed and now it is just basic contact information we require and we will contact you from there to obtain anything else we need.

We have tested the new form out and it takes less than a minute to complete, typing in every field. If you have any sort of auto fill for forms enabled on your browser it will be even quicker!

We have also changed the telephone number displayed on the website from an 0844 number to a local 0115 number. This means that callers from mobile phones can get in touch cheaper (and usually free from inclusive minutes). Call us on 0115 944 8977 for a business mobile quote.

Remember our quotes are free of charge and without obligation. We can quote from one handset to two hundred plus and our aim is to save your business money whilst improving your communications.

In addition to business mobiles we also offer a number of related telecoms products including landlines, broadband, tracking and more. All of our services are designed to work in harmony together, streamlining both your internal and external communications, not to mention your administration and billing.

So visit our new look business mobile enquiry form and take a single minute out of your busy day to save your business some money.

Technology moves on apace and no area is moving faster than mobile phones. With the continuing rise in sales of SmartPhones, including GPS and always-on connectivity, the possibility to provide location-based services combined with mobile phone payment will be here soon.

This will allow you to receive information, offers and discounts on products and services based on your location. You might be walking along the high street nearing a large retail store and suddenly your phone beeps and a discount voucher appears on your screen. You visit the retailer, swipe your voucher to receive your discount, and swipe again to pay for your goods.

This will undoubtedly make life easier, particularly in paying for small items when you don't have any cash in your pocket. However the temptation to overspend will definitely be there for some. Also a lot of small impulse purchases can soon add up to a tidy sum at the end of the month.

It is also be possible to use your phone as a shopping assistant, taking a photo of an item in a shop and using an app to find info about it and get the best price. Apps could also be involved in money transfer between phones, so you could see car boot sales where the goods are bought by a shake of a couple of mobile phones and the money transferred from buyer to seller.

The security of the mobile payments will need to be excellent and combined with transaction limits to limit spending if people are going to adopt this technology. But any minor objections from people are likely to be overcome and many of the iPhone generation are going to want to get involved with this straight away.

They are the same people who will be using the new features on social networking sites which will enable you to see where your friends are and broadcast your location to your friends to meet up. The issue of privacy here is paramount but not insurmountable. There may be plenty of people who you don't want to know where you are!

Business applications for location tracking are already in use by many businesses who use device tracking systems to keep track of vehicles and employees during working hours. This enables the business to make savings and efficiencies and the systems can pay for themselves within a relatively short space of time.

Some startling figures have been produced regarding accident and offence levels amongst company car drivers last year.

In 2008 around 45% of business drivers were involved in accidents and 17% committed a driving offence.

Of the accidents 70% were at fault and repair bills were around £850 on average. Offences were mainly speeding and mobile phone related.

It does seem that business drivers don't treat their company vehicles with as much care as they would their own! In some ways understandable but when lives could be at stake better road safety should be observed.

Employers can find it difficult to enforce company policy for people away from the office however with a vehicle or device tracking solution some of these accidents and incidents could be averted.

For example it is possible to see the speed of your company vehicles in real time online and receive alerts when speed limits are exceeded. A stern word with the person involved may get them to slow down before they get caught and fined or cause an accident.

Persistent offenders can easily be identified at the touch of a button, even when they may have been lucky enough not to have got caught, and appropriate action taken.

Tracking your business vehicles need not be expensive and is within the reach of small businesses and large fleets alike.

As well as business mobile phones and landline telephony we can also provide your business with tracking solutions.

We have a dedicated tracking website at 21c Vehicle Tracking which provides more information.

Why does your business need tracking? If you operate vehicles as part of your business, for delivery, sales reps, even your own employees using their vehicles on company business, you have health and safety legislation to comply with.

The use of tracking can also yield cost savings on fuel, mileage, overtime claims, speeding fines, improved customer service, reporting and administration, and the system could pay for itself in a relatively short time frame.

Vehicle Tracking

Tracking hardware is fixed in the vehicle and uses GPS to report on the vehicle position, direction and speed which can be seen online in real time.

Device Tracking

No hardware is required, instead software is downloaded onto compatible GPS SmartPhones (eg. BlackBerry phones). When in a vehicle the phone will provide the same information as above, but you will also be able to track employees whilst out of the vehicle too.

Depending on your type of business and how you will be using the information will determine which system suits you best, however we can demo both systems for you so you can see how they work and how your business could benefit.

Visit our dedicated tracking website at 21c Vehicle Tracking to find out more and to arrange for a free quote.