I’ve been using the Glympse smartphone app for years to tell people I trust my location. If I’m on a road trip or a bike ride, I’ll use it to reassure my wife that I’m OK. She can see where I am on a map and that I’m moving toward my destination. If I’m visiting someone, I may use it to keep them abreast of what time I will arrive. It’s the automated answer to one of the most frequently asked questions of cell phone users: “where are you.” Glympse allows you to set how long the person can track your location, maxing out at four hours so it’s impossible to be used as a stalking tool.
Now Glympse is teaming up with Microsoft to offer its services to business that make house calls so that customers will know the exact time that the cable guy, the electrician or the pizza delivery person will arrive at their door.
Microsoft is embedding Glympse En Route within its Dynamics 365 for Field Service application so that business that use that Microsoft service can seamlessly start informing customers of the arrival time for a service call.
“Location and estimated time of arrival (ETA) management have become two of the most critical elements of successful field operations and customer interactions – whether it’s for a cable installation, office equipment repair, furniture delivery or maintaining mission-critical medical equipment. Customers demand better information to help them manage their busy schedules, including visual, interactive digital engagements that fit their mobile, on-demand lifestyles. Static, one-way alerts aren’t enough anymore, and service providers cannot afford to roll trucks to customers who are not available,” said David Troll, senior vice president of Sales and Customer Operations, Glympse
The new service will provide customers with automated periodic notifications containing a unique web link that directs them to a web-based experience (accessible via a mobile device, browser or embedded in a customer portal) to view the ETA and/or location of their service representative. As the appointment draws closer, the status is continually updated, according to Glympse.