Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Gearworks Announces etrace 4.0, Next Generation Mobile Workforce Management Soft

From: "marcel_rf1" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2004 20:07:06 -0000

March 03, 2004 10:13 AM US Eastern Timezone 

Gearworks Announces etrace 4.0, Next Generation Mobile Workforce 
Management Software 

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 3, 2004--
  4.0 incorporates first-to-market SmartTalk(TM) and WorkZone(TM) 
features; available in three progressive editions    

Gearworks, a provider of mobile workforce management software, 
announced today the release of etrace(R) 4.0, an enhanced version of 
the company's flagship etrace product, which measures, manages, and 
optimizes field service operations at the point of delivery. etrace 
helps organizations shorten job cycles, improve communications with 
customers and mobile workers, and reduce operating costs. 

etrace 4.0 is a wireless- and Web-based solution that runs on 
Nextel's GPS-enabled phones and is available in three editions with 
increasing levels of functionality. The three etrace editions were 
packaged based on feedback from Gearworks' customers, and incorporate 
first-to-market functionality such as configurable SmartTalk(TM) 
voice menus and a WorkZone(TM) reporting feature. 

SmartTalk(TM) utilizes voice XML technology to enable users to 
expedite data processing and transaction management activities in the 
field. The application's voice menus can be configured easily to ask 
the right questions in the right order and branch appropriately based 
on customer needs. Ultimately, SmartTalk enables workers to gather 
and process data to close out jobs in the field, create invoices, 
print receipts, and take payment. 

etrace 4.0's WorkZone(TM) reporting feature creates a perimeter 
around each landmark based on customers' criteria, enabling them to 
automate time sheet processes. When workers enter a WorkZone, etrace 
automatically starts the clock and records the elapsed time until the 
worker leaves the work zone. The result is no-touch time sheets for 
workers and greater time-tracking accuracy for organizations. 

"Increasingly, businesses with field operations are facing the 
challenges of visibility into and effective management of their 
mobile workforce," said Ernie Cormier, vice president, Business 
Solutions for Nextel. "etrace 4.0 is a wireless solution that 
streamlines our customers' business processes and allows them to 
automate timesheets, manage communication and workers, locate company 
assets, and have overall real-time visibility into their mobile 
workforce. Nextel and Gearworks are providing the enterprise with a 
smarter and more affordable way to manage their mobile resources." 

etrace 4.0's three progressive editions - etrace:worksight, 
etrace:workflow and etrace:worksmart - provide field service 
organizations more choices for getting started with mobile technology 
and a clear migration path for adding functionality. 

etrace:worksight for Greater Visibility 

etrace:worksight provides organizations real-time visibility to field 
operations, enabling them to respond to customers faster and allocate 
resources more effectively. Features include: 

-- Real-time fleet maps 

-- Location-awareness time sheets 

-- Worker maps 

-- WorkZone landmarks and location directory 

-- GPS-enabled driving directions 

-- Worker status indicators 

-- Integrated messaging 

-- Exception alerts 

"We evaluated multiple wireless solutions, but etrace provided us 
what we needed now for our deployment on 500 Nextel mobile phones and 
also a path for adding more capabilities down the road," said Brad 
Segal, President of Bradco Supply, a national building supplies 
distributor. "Gearworks had our technicians up and running on etrace 
quickly and we're already experiencing the benefits of having real-
time visibility to field operations." 

etrace:workflow for Greater Control 

etrace:workflow builds on the functionality of etrace:worksight, 
adding powerful job management and dispatching capabilities that 
enable organizations to quickly get the right person to the right job 
with the right information. Additional features include: 

-- Job scheduling and dispatching 

-- Robust job details configured specifically to each company's needs 

-- Additional WorkZone reports 

-- Printing of service receipts 

-- Optional enterprise integration using etrace QuickConnect(TM) 

"We were looking for a tool to help manage our mobile workers more 
efficiently," said Tom Frey, vice president for Pella Windows & 
Doors. "We have different guys in the field delivering, installing 
and servicing our products, and etrace provides the flexibility to 
manage all of them." 

etrace:worksmart for Greater Advantage 

etrace:worksmart includes all the features of etrace:worksight 
and :workflow. It changes how organizations do business in the field 
by eliminating paperwork and enabling them to process keypad-entered 
data to create invoices, accept payments and print receipts in the 
field. Additional features include: 

-- Interactive data collection and processing 

-- Point-of-sale (i.e. credit card capture, authorization and 
payment) 

"Our goal is to provide customers easy-to-use software that allows 
them better visibility, control and optimization of their field 
service operations," said Todd Krautkremer, chief executive officer 
for Gearworks. "etrace 4.0 builds on the proven success of etrace, 
providing customers a mobile solution that fits their current 
requirements and will grow with their future needs." 

About Gearworks 

Gearworks' mobile workforce management software, etrace(R), measures, 
manages, and optimizes field service operations at the point of 
delivery -- the last mile of the supply chain where dispatched mobile 
workers deliver goods or services to customers. etrace is a wireless-
and Web-based solution that runs on GPS-and Java-enabled phones, and 
is available in three editions with increasing levels of 
functionality. By enabling real-time visibility and control, etrace 
helps organizations shorten job cycles, improve communications with 
customers and mobile workers, and reduce operating costs. More 
information on Gearworks is available at www.gearworks.com.
  
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