Precise geolocation for Shepherd Users with “what3words”

One of the central goals of Shepherd CMMS is convenience for the end user: Shepherd customers should find their operations run smoother and with fewer hurdles or bottlenecks as a result of onboarding Shepherd’s solutions for NetSuite.

This means Shepherd needs to be constantly on the lookout for developments and new practices in industry that could bring an added advantage to those users. 

With many Shepherd customers providing in-the-field services and operations, a major source of time lost is transport. Whether delivery of material or expertise, if time is lost finding the site your technicians need to work at that is money lost for your company and money lost for your customers. Indeed, when a customer’s address is a unit number on a sprawling industrial estate, this problem is painfully clear.

Shepherd has helped minimise this by adopting a new address format allowing very precise directions, enabling your technician to locate not only the customer’s business, but even which door they need to use.

This format is called “what3words” and functions by breaking the world’s surface into distinct 3m x 3m quadrants. These each then have a unique name made from 3 random words, rather than relying on a GPS coordinate that is harder to write down accurately on the go or a street number or building name in a postal code that covers an area measured in the kilometres squared.

For example, Shepherd’s office entrance is on Rotermanni 2, in Tallinn, postal code 10111, in Estonia. 

The building numbered as Rotermanni 2 has several entrances, on narrow pedestrian alleys and paths within a busy complex. Finding the entrance for Shepherd is, therefore, more challenging than you might think. On the other hand, using the what3words designation of inhaled.twirls.photos will put you right in front of the only door you need. 

A what3words address ensures:

• Quick, precise navigation and easy to enter on screens or in forms,
• Precision navigation to specific entrances,
• Navigation to places that do not have a street address,
• Sharing accurate pick-up and drop-off locations easily.

With this kind of information your technicians or delivery drivers can consult their Android or iOS handheld device, equipped with the Shepherd Mobile App and let the integrated what3words system direct them straight to the exact 9 metres squared where they need to be; nowhere else. 

Those all-too-familiar 5-15 minutes spent searching, once arrived on a site, need no longer be lost. Over the course of a day, week, month or year, that will be a lot of time saved for even a single technician, never mind your entire service workforce.

This is yet another example of Shepherd’s drive to make your operations as streamlined and up-to-the minute as possible, helping you identify inefficiencies and handing you a ready-made solution.

If you have any questions about how Shepherd CMMS can help your business reach its full potential, get in touch and see what Shepherd can do for you.