GPS Tracking (Pilot)
GPS Tracking gives dispatchers a current location-status list for technicians who are clocked in and uploading accepted device points. It shows freshness, activity, accuracy, battery state, and the source reported by the device.
Pilot availability: Existing pilot accounts can keep using GPS Tracking. New installs and re-enables are paused while ToolbagCRM finalizes the location-data lifecycle policy.
The ToolbagCRM page does not load an embedded third-party map. A map provider opens only when a staff member selects an individual technician's Open map link.
When to use this
Use GPS Tracking when office staff need to:
- confirm which clocked-in technicians have a recent accepted location;
- distinguish live, delayed, and stale device points;
- review reported activity, location accuracy, and battery state before dispatch follow-up;
- intentionally open one technician's coordinates in a separate map page.
GPS Tracking reports the latest accepted device point. It is not a turn-by-turn navigation, route-optimization, or automatic dispatch tool.
Before you start
- Confirm your account already has the GPS Tracking pilot enabled. New installs and re-enables are paused.
- Make sure each field user's login is linked to one active team member.
- Technicians must clock in and use the connected mobile workflow before locations can appear.
- Confirm dispatchers have GPS Tracking access. Customized roles may need an administrator to grant it explicitly.
- Set an approved company policy for location-history access and retention. The current pilot has no customer-facing automatic deletion setting.
Read the location dashboard
The top cards summarize:
- Clocked in with GPS — technicians with a current accepted location while their clock entry remains open.
- Live points — locations recorded within the last 5 minutes.
- Stale points — locations older than 15 minutes.
- Low battery — devices reporting 20% battery or less while not charging.
A technician card can show these freshness labels:
- Live — 5 minutes old or newer.
- Delayed — more than 5 minutes and no more than 15 minutes old.
- Stale — more than 15 minutes old.
Activity labels include Activity unknown, Driving, Stationary, At job site, and Off duty. Each card also shows the recorded time, coordinates, reported accuracy, battery/charging state, and point source when available.
Review a technician's latest point
- Open GPS Tracking from the main navigation.
- Review the summary cards for delayed locations or low batteries.
- Use Search technicians or activity… to filter by technician name or an activity such as
driving. - Open a technician card and check the freshness label, recorded time, accuracy, battery, and source.
- Select Open map only when you need to view that technician's coordinates in the external map page.
- Select Refresh to request the latest accepted locations.
Only technicians with an open clock entry and an accepted device point appear in the current list.
Tips
- Treat Delayed and Stale as follow-up signals, not proof that a technician is at the displayed location now.
- Check accuracy before acting on a point; a larger accuracy distance means the location is less precise.
- Ask a technician to check device battery, location permission, connectivity, and the mobile workflow when new points stop arriving.
- Limit GPS access to staff who need location information for dispatch or operational support.
- Review your location-data policy before expanding pilot use because accepted history is retained without a customer-facing automatic deletion control.
Troubleshooting
No active GPS locations appear
A location appears only after a linked technician clocks in and the mobile workflow uploads an accepted point. Confirm the technician is clocked in, their login is linked to one active team member, and their device can upload location data.
A technician shows Delayed or Stale
The latest accepted point is more than 5 minutes old for Delayed or more than 15 minutes old for Stale. Ask the technician to check battery, connectivity, location permission, and whether the mobile workflow is still active. Do not treat the displayed point as a current location until a newer point arrives.
Search shows no technicians
Search matches technician names and activity labels. Clear the search or try a label such as driving. If the full list is also empty, confirm that technicians are clocked in and uploading accepted points.
Refresh failed but locations remain visible
ToolbagCRM keeps the last loaded locations on screen when a refresh fails. Treat them as historical until a later refresh succeeds, and use each card's recorded time and freshness label before acting on it.
I cannot open GPS Tracking
Confirm the pilot is already enabled for your account and that your role has GPS Tracking access. New installs and re-enables are paused, so uninstalling the pilot can remove access until activation reopens.
The map does not appear inside ToolbagCRM
The pilot intentionally does not embed a third-party map. Select Open map on one technician card to open that point in a separate map page.