With this Uber get-to-work-safe app, you are really spoiling us, ServiceNow
- Reference: 1597050905
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/08/10/uber_servicenow_app/
- Source link:
What's that? Helping staff "feel safe" when they are once again travelling to and from work "as soon as it's safe to reopen", said ServiceNow.
The workflow whizz, which [1]boasted recently it has an architecture that lets it innovate in two-week cycles, is also clearly adept at generating tools with misleading names.
Within the Workplace Suite is the Uber for Business "solution", a feature so "employees can easily co-ordinate their Uber ride to and from the workplace via their mobile device".
Innovation in action.
"Employees can concurrently schedule arrival time, reserve workspaces and manage health screenings, all through the Now Mobile app. The new integration comes hot on the heels of Uber's recent rollout of new features and policies to help protect the the health and safety of both rider and drivers."
[2]Uber was told by Transport for London in November last year that its licence for the city would not be renewed following a series of safety failures. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he understood the decision might be unpopular with Uber users but that "their safety is the paramount concern". Still, Uber remains available in London and 20 other cities across the UK, and the appeal against the ruling is ongoing.
TfL confirmed to The Register this morning that the Uber appeal case is scheduled for 14-17 September at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
ServiceNow pointed out more than 600 organisations, up from the 550 it highlighted last week, have downloaded its Safe Workplace apps, including Uber and Coca-Cola European Partners.
For everyone else, there is the Uber app available on all good smartphones – unless [3]yours is branded Huawei, sorry – via the Android Store or Apple's App Store.
So this is why ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott said at the end of [4]last month : "We're on the move to our destiny to become the defining enterprise software company of the 21st century".
What groundbreaking service does your home-brand or other corporate software offer nestled under "workplace solutions"? Can you buy cafeteria food under a submenu called "employee dynamics"? Can you even find your own payslip? Let us know in the comments below. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/30/servicenow_q2_2020_results/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2019/11/25/uber_loses_licence_to_operate_in_london/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/29/huawei_hms_appgallery_figures/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/30/servicenow_q2_2020_results/
[5] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Do I understand this correctly?
"The solution to this problem is another phone app that can be used to operate the Über app"
Yeah, came here to ask exactly that. An app that talks to an app because lusers can't operate the original app?
It's apps all the way down!
Whichever beancounter came up with that bright idea must be keeping themselves cosy at night with the warm fuzzies that generates.
Re: Do I understand this correctly?
When I saw the description of the problem, I though their solution was going to be a human with two phones to take voice calls from techno dinosaurs and book Übers for them.
My parents are in their 70s and totally comfortable with buying stuff on eBay and things like that. There really aren't that many techo dinosaurs still around.
Re: Do I understand this correctly?
Yea, but those that LIKE ServiceAnytimeNow, are the sort that need a PA, because they can't operate a kettle.
No doubt it requires a 15 menu, 20 step process to do it...but it will make a pretty pie chart.
Also, if you get done over by the Uber driver, does this make the company liable?
Re: Do I understand this correctly?
While I think the service is pretty meh, I think there's a bit more to it than that: the idea is to provide a tool that unites various APIs so that services can be coordinated and ordering simplified. Ordering for one or two people might be considered straightforward but once you might want something with even less manual engagement and better integration with billing systems, etc.
That said, given that their current partners are Uber and Coca Cola, this isn't really very sophisticated office automation. And WeWork has demonstrated quite ably how little money there is in this sort of thing!
Re: Do I understand this correctly?
Sure, but the stated problem wasn't "Everyone in the office has their own Über account, and the expense claims are a pain in the [rear end] to deal with". The stated problem was that the staff were such complete idiots that they didn't know how to use the Über app, in which case, why are you even employing them? Maybe that is a problem at ServiceNow? Who knows.
Do I understand this correctly?
The biggest problem that businesses face is that their employees are unable to operate the Über app on their phone.
The solution to this problem is another phone app that can be used to operate the Über app.