Colleague told me to stop using GPS tracking on service calls

My coworker Mark insisted I was wasting time logging every stop in our field app instead of just driving. I dropped the tracking for a week and missed two client windows because dispatch didn't know I was stuck in traffic. Has anyone else had a boss or coworker give advice that actually made things worse for field work?

2 comments

2 Comments

evangarcia10d ago

Used to think GPS tracking was just micromanagement nonsense. Had a similar situation where my old boss pushed me to stop logging every job detail. Went without it for two weeks and missed three appointments because a bridge was closed and nobody knew where I was. Clients were furious and I had to refund two of them. After that I went back to full tracking and never had that problem again. Sometimes the tools are there for a reason, even if they feel annoying at first.

carr.xena10d ago

You ever notice how the worst lessons come from the ones we already learned but ignored? Your bridge story hits hard because its never about the tracking itself its about the backup plan nobody thought they needed. I tell my guys to treat GPS like insurance boring until its the only thing saving your backside. Had a buddy who ran his own landscaping crew and he swore off GPS because he said it made him feel like a babysitter. Then his truck got stolen with 5k in equipment inside and the cops found it in 20 minutes thanks to a hidden tracker his wife put in. He never complained again and he actually started using it for route planning to save gas. Honestly the whole micromanagement argument falls apart when you see how much easier it makes life for everyone. You can prove you were stuck in traffic or the bridge was out without having to argue with a client who thinks youre lying. Plus the old school guys who fight it the hardest usually end up being the ones who need it most when their memory starts slipping. Bottom line if youre the one driving the truck and getting paid by the job you should want that tracker. It covers your butt more than the boss's. And if your boss is using it to breathe down your neck thats a different problem entirely but that isnt what happened here.