TL;DR:
- GPS tracking is built into Exoserva — no third-party hardware or app required
- Real-time location updates include latitude, longitude, accuracy, heading, and speed
- Mileage is calculated automatically using the Haversine formula and logged incrementally throughout the day
- Customers get a shareable ETA tracking link (token-based, job-level) so they know when their technician will arrive
- Daily and weekly mileage reports export to JSON or CSV for reimbursement and tax purposes
- Location history is stored per technician for review and verification
How GPS Tracking Works in Exoserva
GPS tracking in Exoserva is software-based, running through the Exoserva mobile app on technicians' phones. There's no hardware to install, no separate GPS device to purchase, and no third-party tracking subscription to manage alongside your other software.
When a technician starts their day in the app, location tracking activates. The app records position updates — latitude, longitude, accuracy, heading, and speed — as the technician moves between jobs. These updates flow to Exoserva in the background. The dispatch view shows live technician positions, and the system builds a location history for each technician throughout the day.
This approach works for any fleet size, from a single owner-operator to a team of 50 technicians across multiple metro areas.
Real-Time Location
The live map in Exoserva's dispatch view shows each technician's current position. Location data includes:
- Latitude and longitude — precise position
- Accuracy — how precise the GPS fix is (in meters), so you can distinguish between a confident fix and a rough cell-tower estimate
- Heading — direction of travel (useful for understanding whether a technician is heading toward a job or returning from one)
- Speed — current speed, which helps indicate whether a technician is en route, stopped at a job, or stuck in traffic
Real-time visibility allows dispatchers to make accurate same-day scheduling decisions. Rather than calling a technician to ask where they are, the dispatcher can see it directly.
Mileage Tracking
How Mileage Is Calculated
Exoserva calculates mileage using the Haversine formula, which computes the great-circle distance between two GPS coordinates on the earth's surface. As the app logs incremental position updates throughout the day, it calculates the distance between each successive point and accumulates the total.
This incremental approach means mileage logging doesn't require a clean "start trip / end trip" workflow. As long as the app is running and recording position, mileage accumulates automatically.
The Haversine formula accounts for the curvature of the earth, so mileage calculations are accurate across all distances — whether a technician is driving 2 miles to the next job or 50 miles to a remote service call.
Why Mileage Tracking Matters
IRS reimbursement: The IRS standard mileage rate for business driving is a per-mile deduction (rate updated annually). For a technician driving 30,000 miles per year, accurate mileage logs translate to thousands of dollars in tax deductions. Without automated logging, technicians rely on manual records that are rarely complete.
Employee reimbursement: If you reimburse technicians for mileage, automated logs eliminate the friction of manual mileage reports and the disputes that come from estimated vs. actual mileage.
Job costing: For businesses that include travel costs in their billing, accurate per-job mileage supports correct cost allocation.
Customer ETA Links
When a technician is en route to a job, Exoserva can generate a shareable ETA tracking link for the customer. This link shows the customer the technician's current location and estimated arrival time without requiring the customer to call in or the office to manually communicate updates.
How ETA Links Work
- Each tracking link is token-based and tied to a specific job
- The link is unique per job — one customer can't see another customer's technician
- The link expires automatically when the job is complete
- Customers access it on any browser without installing anything
ETA links reduce inbound "when is my technician coming?" calls, which are among the most time-consuming interruptions for office staff. Once the customer has a link, they can track it themselves.
ETA Calculation
Exoserva calculates ETA based on the distance from the technician's current location to the job site. Dispatchers can see the same ETA data that's shared with the customer, so the office and the customer have consistent information.
Location History
Every position update is stored as part of a technician's location history. History is retained per technician and can be reviewed by managers for:
- Job verification: Confirming a technician arrived at and left a job site at the recorded times
- Route review: Understanding how a technician routed through their day
- Dispute resolution: Documented GPS records provide objective evidence in customer or employee disputes about service delivery
Location history is searchable by technician and date range from the Exoserva admin view.
Mileage Reports
Export Formats
Mileage data exports in two formats:
- JSON — for importing into other systems or custom analysis
- CSV — for opening in Excel or Google Sheets, submitting to accounting, or sharing with a bookkeeper
Report Periods
Reports cover daily or weekly periods. A daily report shows all mileage logged by a technician on a specific date. A weekly report aggregates across the work week.
For tax preparation, weekly reports make it straightforward to calculate monthly and annual totals. For reimbursement, daily reports support per-day expense submissions.
Setting Up GPS Tracking
For Technicians
GPS tracking runs through the Exoserva mobile app. Technicians download the app, log in with their Exoserva credentials, and grant location permissions when prompted. Most modern mobile operating systems allow granular location permission settings — "while using the app" versus "always." For accurate tracking throughout the workday, technicians should grant "always on" location access while the app is in use.
For Managers
The dispatch view in Exoserva shows technician locations once the app is running. No additional configuration is needed. Mileage reports are accessible from the Reports section, filterable by technician, date range, and export format.
FAQ
Does GPS tracking drain the technician's phone battery significantly? Modern phones handle background location services efficiently. The primary battery impact comes from screen-on time and data transmission, not GPS reads. Technicians who are concerned about battery life should keep a car charger accessible — standard practice for field workers already.
Can technicians turn off tracking? Technicians can deny or revoke location permissions in their phone settings, which would disable tracking. Whether to require location permissions as a condition of app usage is a company policy decision. Many businesses communicate clearly that GPS tracking is part of the job, which tends to make consent straightforward.
How far back does location history go? Exoserva retains location history based on your plan's data retention settings. Contact support to confirm the retention period for your account tier.
Related Guides
- Google Calendar Sync: Eliminate Scheduling Conflicts
- AI Dispatch: Intelligent Technician Routing
- Setting Up AI Voice for Your Business
Ready to Track Every Mile Automatically?
GPS tracking is built in — no hardware to buy, no separate subscription to manage. Set up location permissions in the Exoserva app and start generating mileage reports from day one.