peachykeen

sae e-commerce

Tracking Reps with GPS

Is it common for large companies to use some sort of method of tracking their reps/managers/ae's etc. in their areas? I worked for a company that had a GPS app downloaded on our company phones that we had to initiate at the start of the working day and close at the end of day.

Have you experienced this? What do you think about it? What other methods do companies use?

🤠 Culture

😳 Ethics

💺 Outside Sales

33 comments

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FattySnacks

Politicker

Senior Account Executive

I can honestly say I would be a fry cook before I’d let a company do this to me

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

All those onion rings? Don’t mind me…

0PercentCloseRate

Politicker

Oh boy

I be an oinion ring before my company fry cook did this to me

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

They won’t get much from me these days. Track me from my office to the kitchen for more coffee. Lol

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

Once a week I go down my driveway to take out the trash. Exciting times.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Whoa! Hopefully that hasn't caused any angst.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

If you have a company issued phone or laptop just go ahead and expect it.

Filth

Politicker

Live Filthy or Die Clean

and then have the phone number forwarded to your personal and leave the phone on the office desk :D

funcoupons

WR Officer

👑

peachykeen

Politicker

sae e-commerce

🤣 I know, I know. Besides that, it was the best company I’ve ever been a part of.

Beans

Big Shot

Enterprise Account Executive

My pops was a gas salesman, they had this in his truck, it's pretty standard nowadays for field reps, think yu're food&bev industry, Oil & Gas etc.

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

Yeah I could imagine this is status quo if you're driving a company vehicle and/or transporting specific goods.

justadude

Fire Starter

The only sales guy

I worked for a telecom company that was working up to IPO a while ago. The managers would spend half their day driving by rep’s apartments to try to catch people at home instead of in the field.

SaaSsy

Politicker

I’ve heard of pharmacy companies doing this but never in another industry. Basically they’re projecting they don’t trust any of their reps so not a great look for any employee there.

peachykeen

Politicker

sae e-commerce

Ended up hearing stories of past reps taking advantage of the freedom. Like going fishing. Fair, when you’re living in FL.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

There's always that one who ruins it for everyone.

DungeonsNDemos

Big Shot

Rolling 20's all day

Much easier when they just send you a microchip to implant that gives them tracking without having to clock in and out.

The day anyone wants to track me is the day I quit.

CaneWolf

Politicker

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

WHAT.THE.FUCK

Justatitle

Big Shot

Account Executive

I’d hand in notice the day they announced this

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

hahahaha omg yeah thats just insane!! Another way to show your employees "we dont trust you"

Also I would constantly forget to turn it on, or off.

peachykeen

Politicker

sae e-commerce

Lol I played the “I forgot” card for weeks on end. But my numbers made for little questioning.

OldSchoolEightiesStyle

Good Citizen

Global Vice President

All part of the evolution. Beepers, car phones, cell phones, CRMs, GPS and next chips inserted into your arms. Whatever happened to trust, respect, belief and just hitting your quotas?

10XQLA

Politicker

Medical Sales Assassin

Absolutely, and it's an instant deal killer for me... Unless my base is like 250k. Not worth it to me. We are in sales for the independence and because 97% of the population cannot sell.... mic drop!!!

JECU

Opinionated

Account Manager / Co-Founder

I worked field service on swimming pools while in college. We had GPS trackers on the trucks and they monitored them weekly to make sure we were not just cruising around. Saw a co-worker, who I also went to college with, rip it out of the dash and throw it out the window for something to do.
He was also later arrested because the fire department “planted weed in his apartment and set it on fire to frame him and his roommate”
Fun times

Boutdamtime

Politicker

Client Executive

Yes. I’ve heard J&J does this to their ortho reps and I’ve heard reps will go park their cars at the hospital parking lot and bounce LOL.
My last company tracked our whereabouts via cell phone. I would routinely wrap my phone in tin foil when I took reps golfing or snowboarding for having a good quarter. One time we put our phones in a plastic bag and buried it in a bush by a prospects building.
My last company fired their number one rep who was tracking to be well over 100% closer to 200% for this. They tracked him for a few weeks and decided his mileage reimbursement wasn’t anywhere close to what he was actually doing and got rid of him.
Needless to say I stayed way too long and bounced the minute I could…

sketchysales

Politicker

Sales Manager

Wouldnt love it but nor would it bother me if other things at the company where right. I think if it was communicated at the start and not something they suddenly spring on you it wouldnt worry me. Especially if you are driving a company vehicle

peachykeen

Politicker

sae e-commerce

Yeah, I was made aware before I was hired. Used my own car but got a car stipend every month and company fuel card along with company credit card. So, didn’t love it either but hey, there we go.

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

This is so inflexible. I worked with field same when this use to happen. I hated it so much that I left the company within 2 months.

peachykeen

Politicker

sae e-commerce

They were totally flexy. But it always made you think you were doing something wrong. Numbers proved otherwise. They had reps who would go fishing during the working day or do a side thing for a few hours which is why this was implemented. I was told about it before starting. It wasn’t my favorite thing but the company as a whole; best experience I’ve had.

Upper_Class_SaaS

Politicker

Account Executive

You work at Amazon? lol

Jewcan_Sam81

Politicker

Account Executive

……what?

SaaSbod

Contributor

Sr Sales Account Exec

If they're doing this, I can only imagine what the IT team is looking at on the backend. Run, far and fast. Respect yourself even if they don't.

godpull54

Praised Answer

PDR

Depends on industry, I wouldn't see a problem with tracking a worker if he's doing D2D.

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