Avista have developed a commercial time & attendance management product for service providers, ie: office cleaning, elderly care, business security, or technical service. The service provider uses a mobile phone or a phone with NFC reading capability, as a tool for attendance communication via a host server.
With a view to increasing efficiency and improving competitiveness of companies, (Avista) have expanded the benefits of the industry standard “swipe card” concept used in many organisations. Avista have designed a soloution that uses NFC to communicate (swipe) via a tag placed at any given location “on site”. This “attendance” record from the individually designated phone is encrypted and sent via GPRS to a server where it is stored for management access via the internet, ie: one management location can view all contracted security “visits” ensuring time targets and service levels are met.
The service can be managed by personnel (activity manager) to generate “call out” SMS messages to other “on – call” colleagues, should a timed visit not be met, ie: service performer fails to appear at a specific time. If the reader is not activated via the designated phone host, the system can send an SMS reminder to that specific performer. If that performer cannot make the visit, the activity manager can communicate via SMS or other mobile techniques like email to other personnel, calling on them to cover.
All activity management can be achieved on a standard PC with internet connection. Planning, managing and reporting on the service can be achieved with minimal training and installation. Avista are aware that this scheme has a wider potential which requires further research and development with a partner to assist with the possible usage in other market sectors.