International SOS and Control Risks Launch TravelTracker Mobile

PHILADELPHIA, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- International SOS and Control Risks today released TravelTracker Mobile, an on-the-go enhancement to the companies' market-leading TravelTracker service. TravelTracker Mobile gives clients the ability to view, locate and contact globally-mobile employees, anywhere, anytime, from any one of more than 5,000 different types of mobile devices.

"Our clients are responsible for managing the health and safety of employees across the globe, which means that they need to be aware and equipped to respond immediately whenever a situation arises," said Jan-Coos Geesink, CEO of Travel Security Services, a joint venture between International SOS and Control Risks. "TravelTracker Mobile integrates seamlessly with the assistance services provided by our medical, security and logistical experts – a feature that is particularly important when we are helping clients manage global crises."

"The convenience of TravelTracker Mobile is invaluable for our clients, who are often traveling themselves," said Tim Daniel, Group Executive Vice President, International SOS. "No longer do they need to have a laptop on-hand when a disaster strikes. They can now use their mobile phone to get the details on the situation, assess its impact, and respond appropriately to support their employees and senior executives."

A travel risk management tool that often fulfills duty of care, the existing web-based TravelTracker system is used by over 500 organizations. Key system statistics include:

• Currently, approximately 2.6 million unique travelers are tracked through the system per year, based on 58 million bookings received.
• Following the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, more than 150 companies, government agencies and nonprofit organizations used TravelTracker to access information and provide advice to nearly 700 travelers.

In a recent poll, 44% of clients indicated that they could estimate the number of employees they have in any given country around the world within just 15 minutes. TravelTracker is a key tool for many clients tracking their globally-mobile employees.

There is no additional cost for the mobile-enabled version – it is offered as part of the regular annual TravelTracker subscription.

"We pioneered global travel tracking programs after 9/11, and since that time our system has evolved to become the sophisticated offering that TravelTracker is today," said Daniel. "With the release of TravelTracker Mobile, the information is now even easier to use. We expect this enhancement to drive up the number of TravelTracker users dramatically and result in even broader usage of the tool."

TravelTracker Mobile supports more than 5,000 different types of mobile devices, including the vast majority of those used by businesses, such as the iPhone™, BlackBerry™ and other smart phones. The service does not require any downloads or special set-ups; instead, users access the site by visiting the regular TravelTracker website address on their device's web browser and login using the same credentials they normally do.

Once they have logged in, users are taken to a dashboard view that gives them a global snapshot of their travelers, broken down into the total number, those in locations with current medical or security alerts, and those in high and extreme risk countries.  Users can also search for specific travelers by location, flight, name, event and risk level. After searching, users can view travelers' itinerary and contact information, and get in touch with them by email or, if they have opted in, SMS text message.

"The ability to communicate quickly with large groups of travelers is particularly valuable," said Daniel. "When communication networks are severely degraded due to a crisis, text messaging is sometimes the only option for contacting affected employees and finding out their status. With TravelTracker Mobile, companies that employ this option can disseminate vital information to all of their effected personnel with speed, clarity and consistency."

International SOS and Control Risks developed TravelTracker Mobile with Usablenet, a leading mobile-web company. The technology protects data privacy, as it does not host, store or database any content, traveler information, or customers' information.

Demo logins to TravelTracker Mobile and sample images of the program in use on an iPhone or BlackBerry device are available to press on request.

About International SOS

International SOS (http://www.internationalsos.com) is the world's leading international healthcare, medical assistance, and security services company. Operating in over 70 countries, International SOS provides integrated medical, clinical, and security solutions to organizations with international operations. Services include planning and preventative programs, in-country expertise, and emergency response. A global team of 6,000 employees led by 900 full-time physicians and 200 security specialists provides health and security support to enable its members to operate wherever they work or travel. Members include 66 percent of the Fortune Global 500 companies.

About Control Risks:

Control Risks is one of the world's leading global business risk consultancies. As a trusted adviser to almost three quarters of the Fortune Global 500, we enable our clients to succeed in complex and hostile environments. We provide the information, advice and practical support they need to manage the political, security and integrity risks that come with doing business internationally.

SOURCE International SOS