GPS Tracking for Landscapers

GPS tracking has entered so many different industries, and it’s making an impact for landscapers too. Landscaping businesses can streamline processes, increase profitability, improve security, and elevate employee productivity when using GPS tracking as an integral part of their business.

No need for a lengthy introduction here, let’s get to the details.

GPS tracking helps landscapers quote jobs more accurately

When you have GPS location tied to job locations and the time landscapers spent at that location, you can quote jobs more accurately in the future.

Rather than relying on a “I think that job took 3 or 4 hours,” or “I’d have to go back through my time sheets,” or everyone’s favorite, “Which job was that?” We can look at historic GPS location for employees and time spent at the jobsite to accurately (and efficiently) determine how many hours a job took to complete.

Whether it’s a simple mow job, or an extensive whole-lawn makeover, you can look to previous comparable jobs for reference when bidding for new projects. Having the ability to accurately estimate projects will save you time and make you more profitable.

GPS tracking helps landscapers manage employee hours

With GPS tracking, landscape company owners and administrators can more easily manage employee hours.

When you use an app like Labor Sync, your employees hours are tied to GPS location. You can see which employees work which job sites and for how long. You can see how efficiently your employees are working and can easily track employees’ hours and monitor potential overtime.

You can see how long employees are spending on lunch and if they’re reporting that accurately. You can see how long it takes your employees to commute between job sites.

GPS tracking empowers you to have a greater understanding of which of your employees are working when, where, how long, and how efficiently.

GPS tracking reduces landscapers’ liability

GPS tracking can reduce a landscape company’s liability in a couple of ways.

First, if you’re using GPS to track your employees’ locations, you can use this as a record in the event that a customer has a complaint. If their property was damaged, you’ll have a record of exactly who was there and when. If the customer has a window of time they know the incident occurred, you can determine if your employees were on-site during that time.

GPS tracking can also reduce liability when it comes to lost or stolen equipment. You can use GPS tracking equipment to locate your equipment at all times. If a skid steer goes missing, GPS trackers can help you find it. Truck isn’t where it’s supposed to be? You’ll know!

Insurance companies appreciate these technologies too. Using GPS tracking for your fleet and monitoring your employees’ driving is an important part of holistic risk management. Your insurance company may offer additional discounts with these measures in place.

GPS tracking can improve landscapers’ profitability

Beyond more accurate estimates for new projects, GPS tracking can increase your profitability by finding inefficiencies and inaccuracies.

If employees are supposed to clock in once they arrive at the jobsite, but are clocking in while eating breakfast a few miles down the road, you could be paying out thousands of unwarranted hours.

Let’s say a crew of 4 landscapers clocks in 15 minutes early and 15 minutes late for each shift every day for a two week pay period. For this example’s sake, their hourly rate is $20/hr. In one pay period alone, this one crew’s inaccuracy is costing you $400. Over the course of a year, that’s $10,400 – for one crew. Now, if you have five crews who all have adopted this habit of inaccurate clock-ins and clock-outs, you could be looking at over $50,000 of annual wages paid for time that was not worked.

You’ll have the data that you need to know where your profitability stands. Employees wasting time between job sites? You’ll know. Is a recurring job taking much longer than it normally does? You can follow up on why. Employees working more efficiently than you expected? You’ll be able to recognize them for their efforts.

All these things help improve your company’s profitability. But GPS tracking software can do more than this too. With an app like Labor Sync, where employees track their time and location together, your payroll process can be streamlined.

Instead of using paper timesheets, using an app allows you to import employee time into Quickbooks – meaning you can run payroll in minutes.

No tracking down missing timesheets.

No asking employees to clarify if that’s a “5” or a “6” in their clock-out.

No trying to read a timesheet through dirt or rips or stains.

No disputes with employees over inaccurate pay.

Export your time cards, run your payroll, and enjoy the profitability it brings your business. With your administrative staff saving this much time on running payroll each pay period, you’ll have time to dedicate to other areas of your business.