NEW YORK – When it comes to managing a dispersed, mobile workforce of professionals or a fleet of vehicles essential to transporting goods and services, businesses often face roadblocks to productivity and performance. That’s why Verizon is enhancing Field Force Manager and Fleet Control to help companies achieve greater returns -- from managing mobile workforces to fleets on the street.

Verizon’s enhanced offerings combine location management, cloud services and tablet-based solutions to meet the unique challenges in operating fleets. The offerings feature:
• A new version of Verizon’s Field Force Manager, the company’s flagship workforce management application, to help companies manage and empower employees in the field with mobile work tools and applications and new enhancements for use on 3G and 4G LTE smartphones, tablets across various mobile operating systems as well as enterprise-grade, rugged barcode-scanning devices.
• An enhanced Verizon Fleet Control application, which can now be combined with a rugged, secure enterprise tablet pre-loaded with transportation and company-specific applications to help manage fleets and operations in the field.

Working with Xora, a provider of mobile workforce management solutions, and mobile solutions provider DecisionPoint Systems, Verizon is rolling out an advanced version of its workforce management solution that leverages the power of smart phones and tablets to provide employees with more work tools and mobile applications in the field, including electronic forms, location-based services, mobile timecards and job dispatch.

The enhancements include substantial design, functionality and feature enhancements that make the software even easier to use and provide faster and easier ways to access and share critical data about the business, including giving managers near-real time visibility into operations through a cloud based management application, according to Verizon. Workers in the field can now easily clock into shifts, accept jobs and update status when completed, and submit electronic forms with barcodes, pictures and signatures for proof of service. At the same time, their managers – using cloud computing technology – can keep tabs on business activities in the field and make quicker decisions, such as rerouting the nearest worker to a new job when a customer needs service.

Verizon is working with DecisionPoint Systems to offer Field Force Manager as a turnkey mobile business solution encompassing professional services and mobile device management on rugged enterprise devices connected through machine-to-machine data plans.

Working with mobile fleet optimization provider XRS and DecisionPoint Systems, Verizon is making its Fleet Control solution available on the rugged secure enterprise blank tablet – a “blank slate” that can be tailored for individual customer needs. By combining Verizon’s wireless network with XRS’ Turnpike’s fleet management software, mobile workers and fleet managers can benefit from a robust mobile work tool ideal for use in and out of the truck, according to the company.

With Fleet Control, which is a build-to-order solution ideal for both private and for-hire fleets, transportation and distribution businesses can leverage technology to redefine the everyday driver experience while monitoring vehicles and drivers, optimizing routes, simplifying driver inspections, managing speed and fuel consumption, and helping to remain compliant with regulatory reporting requirements, according to the company. Fleet Control also comes with a series of other optional applications that can improve business operations and can integrate with new or currently used proof-of-delivery applications.