The interface
Trackfox Winter Service Software

Chapter 3: The Homepage and Interface Description. Now, we are back on the Trackfox homepage and see a large Google Maps map with a menu on the left and an address bar. Here, you can enter any address worldwide, and it will be displayed on the map. In the upper-left corner below the Trackfox logo, you can see the account name that you are currently logged in with, which helps ensure you are using Trackfox with the correct account. Additionally, in the upper-right corner, there is a chat window where you can send and receive messages.

The left menu can be opened or closed by clicking on the three horizontal lines at the top left corner of the screen. With the menu closed, you get a better overview of the entire map. All the essential functions of Google Maps are also available in the Trackfox app, which we will explore later. In the bottom-left corner, you can find additional settings. For example, you can change your login password, modify general details about your company, adjust the map center point, and more. You can also set the average time it takes to clear snow manually and with a machine per 100 square meters. These details are important for automatically calculating the approximate clearing times for individual stations and entire tours. The great thing is that as time goes on, Trackfox becomes more accurate in calculating the durations for individual stations. In the “Profile” section, you can make changes to your user profile if needed.

Centering the Map and Scaling Work Performance. Since Trackfox can be used worldwide, let’s center the map on our deployment location. The default map fixation is centered on Berlin. To do this, click on “Settings” at the bottom-left corner and then select “General.” This will open a new input mask. In this input mask, you can enter the exact address of your deployment location. The focus of the map will automatically be centered on that location, which will be maintained whenever you open Trackfox. In the input mask, you also have the option to scale the specific work performance and travel times for your teams. Since different vehicles have different area cleaning capacities and work at varying speeds, you can enter individual data for each vehicle. For example, a vehicle with a plow will clean faster than a vehicle with a snow brush, and a tractor will naturally drive much slower than a Ladog snowplow. The logic behind this is simple: based on the on-site work and travel times, the system can calculate the duration of a tour relatively accurately. This provides you with greater planning certainty when creating all your tours. Further down, you have the option to add and customize various text fields in your protocol.

Creating and Entering Vehicles. Now, let’s go to the left menu, click on “Data Management,” and then select “Vehicles.” Here, you can enter all the vehicles for snow removal, including the vehicle number, ID or license plate, and vehicle type, by clicking on the “Create” button. Creating Drivers and Employees and Assigning Access for the Trackfox App. After entering the vehicles, go to the left menu, click on “Data Management,” and then select “Drivers.” Do the same for all the employees, drivers, and subcontractors working in winter service. By clicking on “Create,” you can enter their first name, last name, phone number, email address, and username and password for the Trackfox app. If necessary, you can assign one of the previously entered vehicles to a specific employee. However, this is not necessary for drivers who alternate vehicles. Finally, click “Save” to save the entered drivers in the system.

Creating and Entering Depots. To create depots, go to the left menu, click on “Data Management,” and then directly on “Depots

. Here, you can determine the starting points for all your vehicles. This can be a single location or multiple locations, such as when all employees park their vehicles at home and depart directly from there or from a storage area. You can enter the desired depot name, address, and an optional description. To create a new depot, click on “Create” at the top right of the screen, enter the depot name and address, and confirm by clicking “Save.” In the “Actions” section, you can delete existing depots if a location is no longer in use or edit them if, for example, you need to change the depot location.

Creating Orders. Now, go to the left menu and click on “Orders.” As the name suggests, this is where you can enter customer orders and integrate them into the system. Click on “Create” in the upper part of the screen to open a window where you can enter all order data, including the customer’s information, details about the vehicles used, and the clearance location. For example, you can enter the number of steps, hydrants, and the expected revenue. After entering the customer’s address, it will automatically appear under “Order Name.” This is because Google requires precise addresses for geocoding on the map. Locations at intersections or corners with multiple house numbers cannot always be accurately displayed. However, precise addresses like “Müllerstraße 37, 13353” are not a problem for Google Maps and will show an accurate pin on the map. In cases where the order location is on a street like “Müllerstraße 137, 137a, 137b, corner of Seestraße 44a, 13353 Berlin,” Google Maps cannot accurately display it on the map using a pin.

To address this, Trackfox has a simple function. To ensure that Google can accurately set a pin on the map even for corner addresses, the system automatically reduces complex address inputs to a simple address. In this case, it would be “Müllerstraße 137, 13353 Berlin.” Then, you can easily expand this address under “Order Name” to include the actual performance address, such as “Müllerstraße 137, 137a, 137b, corner of Seestraße 44a, 13353 Berlin.” This provides a simple and quick solution to this problem. In the additional fields, you can create a performance description and include important information for the employees about the specific customer. For example, you can specify where to pick up the key, who the employee should expect, and any special requests the customer has. Orders can also be imported from and exported to Excel using the “Data Import” and “Data Export” buttons on the Orders Main screen.

It is important to note that the input information must correspond to the column headers in the Excel file; otherwise, there may be errors or incorrect data that the software cannot process. Under “Actions,” you can add attachments, such as images and PDF files, to individual orders, such as a site plan that is relevant to a particular order. Orders can be deleted, modified, deactivated, and reactivated as needed on the Orders Main screen.