Request a demo today 866-676-2372 or 239-465-0587 (Int’l)
Request a demo today 866-676-2372 or 239-465-0587 (Int’l)
Hello, and welcome once again to the latest issue of the Position Logic newsletter. One of the things that you’ll doubtless notice as you read the newsletter this month is that the Tech Knowledge and the Business Corner sections go hand-in-hand. Why? Because in the past little while two major events have occurred here at Position Logic that are not only exciting in Tech terms, but that also present you with some amazing business opportunities: Being named by Garmin as an authorized partner, and our release of mobile tracking applications for both the Android and Blackberry platforms.
Garmin names Position Logic as Authorized Partner
Let’s start off with the Garmin partnership: Following a lot of hard work by the developers and a trip to Garmin’s U.S. headquarters by both Felix Lluberes and Hong Long (CEO and CTO, respectively), we’re proud to say that Position Logic has earned Authorized Partner status with Garmin following a stunning demonstration of just how fully and completely Position Logic has implemented Garmin’s Fleet Management Interface – better known as the FMI, for short.
Why is that exciting? Well, all of the current generation of Garmin devices (yes, even the one my mom uses) have built into them a set of functions which Garmin exposes for third parties like Position Logic to develop against. In a nutshell, all of that functionality which Garmin builds into its devices is the FMI, and it is that complete range of Garmin goodness that Position Logic has been able to leverage.
What kinds of functionality are we talking about, here? Garmin already gave the answer by sticking the words “Fleet Management” in front of “Interface.” Operators on a platform powered by Position Logic will now be able to communicate on-screen with drivers in their fleets with a full feature set that includes tools like driver messaging, on-the-fly route assignment, and device-generated ETA. All of this takes place on the screen of the Garmin device that the driver has in the cab with him – and needless to say, that greatly simplifies communication between the driver and dispatch.
How does all that magic happen? Under the hood, so to speak, the Garmin device is connected to all of the same great hardware supported by Position Logic that you’re already used to and using – and it is those devices that actually act as the middlemen and communicate with the platform. (This particular magic does not work by Owl, as some of you might have guessed.)
Well, obviously we’re excited about our Garmin partnership. But we’re also excited by the opportunities that this makes available to our more important partners: All of our service-provider clients. The addition of the Garmin FMI implementation to our platform enables you to provide exciting, state-of-the-art services to your own current and future fleet management clients that will increase their fleet efficiency and boost their bottom line.
Even better, since the Garmin devices need to be connected to a GPS hardware device in order to communicate, all of that same device functionality that you currently provide to your clients will still work. Does your client need fuel level reporting on the platform in addition to his Garmin device capabilities? No problem. PTO sensors? Still no problem. In fact, everything about the Position Logic platform and device integration that makes it great currently just gets even better when you add the Garmin FMI support on top of it – and we’re pleased that now you’ll be able to pass that added value on to your clients.
If you’d like to talk to us about the Garmin partnership, or about anything else for that matter, you can call us at (U.S.) 1-866-676-2371 or 239-465-0587 (U.S./International) – we’d love to hear from you! You can also visit the Garmin page on our website, or drop by our Facebook page and say hello at http://www.facebook.com/PositionLogic. Or just send an owl!
The Android app gets people moving
Last month in the Business Corner we talked about the huge growth market that is personal tracking, including a couple of scenarios like VIP tracking and lone-worker monitoring, where keeping track of individuals might not be just a job, but also a potential life-saver. This month we’re pleased to announce that we’ve released mobile tracking applications for both the Blackberry and the Android platforms, making personal tracking just that much easier to initiate and manage.
For all intents and purposes, the apps function identically on the Blackberry and Android platforms, and are easy to both install and configure. The first step is to get the download link for the appropriate app from Position Logic. You can then click on that link on the appropriate device to download the application, and just that easily it’s installed. Once installed, a brief phone call or email to one of our all-star account managers will have the device licensed and activated on the GPS tracking platform with very little delay, and it will be displayed on the platform with all of the same great functionality – think history, alerts, et al. — that any other device has.
Once it’s installed, you or your clients will find that it’s extremely simple to configure the application settings on the device. Simply go to the application’s menu, and you’ll be able to control features such as how often the device reports in to the platform with its location, the accuracy threshold needed in order for the system to consider a location report as valid, and how often panic reports are sent.
It really is that easy to start delivering this great software and service to your clients. Why would they want it? Keep in mind the billions of dollars that will be spent in the personal tracking sector in the next few years, and then think about how you can get a piece of that pie for both yourself and your clients. Assuming your client has a need for personal tracking, what better way to rapidly deliver it to them than in the form of software for devices that there is a high probability they already carry with them?
In fact, the device form factor (phone) is important here. Because personal tracking requires that some trackable device be either carried or worn on or about the person to be tracked, it’s important that the device be acceptable to the person being tracked. These apps were not designed for covert use or surreptitious tracking, after all – as mentioned previously, they were designed for people like lone workers or others who might be in situations – dangerous or otherwise – where it’s important for their locations and movement to be tracked. And even in situations where personal tracking is implemented more in the interests of worker efficiency than safety, it’s still important to have the device be one that the worker will keep on themselves as they go about performing their duties.
Finally, we can make it even easier for you to leverage the relationship you already have with new or existing clients by fully branding the software with your own corporate identity. We think you’ll agree when you consider everything — the ease of installation and configuration, the increases in safety and efficiency that the software can bring, and the complete branding to your identity– that this software is a powerful tool for you to have at your disposal, and we’d love to talk to you about it in more depth.
We hope to see you next month! In the meantime, why not drop by our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/PositionLogic and give us a Like and a hello? And never forget, you should never hesitate to drop us a line or leave a comment below!
"At Position Logic, we promise to always deliver a quality product and back it up with exceptional customer service. Every interaction with a client is an opportunity to bring value to our customers and prove our commitment to their business."
President / CEO
- Felix Lluberes
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