Introducing PingTag Pro: Asset management, tracking and recovery for professionals and teams
This article was originally published on PingTag’s blog.
Exactly two years ago, PingTag was introduced to the world. The first version was created to solve a simple problem: to allow people to contact the owner of a parked car when it is in trouble without having to reveal the owner’s contact information to others. The initial version was also a DIY tool that people can use to generate and print their own private communication QR code at home and attach it to their windshields.
And for the past two years, the product has evolved to include ready-made QR tags for cars, keychains, bags, luggage, personal electronics, and even pets!
At the same time, the platform has evolved to include the ability to share a tag with multiple people who can reached simultaneously, the ability to reply anonymously via SMS, and to attach public information/note to the page that opens when a tag is scanned.
And users loved the freedom and peace of mind of being able to hide their contact information on some items, reveal them on others, and to be able to update their contact information if they are traveling, and add emergency contacts in seconds, without having to change the tags themselves.
PingTag became useful as a privacy-focused recovery tool for thousands of users around the world.
What about the remaining 99% of the time?
Since its inception, a major question has constantly been on my mind: PingTag is useful for 1% of the time, when an item is lost. But what about the remaining 99% of the time, when that item is with the owner? How can PingTag provide ongoing value beyond being an insurance product?
The answer came last November, when I wanted to find purchase information for a DJI drone that I had purchased a couple of years ago to file an extended warranty claim with the credit card company.
To accomplish that, I had to remember which email address I had used to purchase the drone, guess multiple times which online store I had bought it from, find that receipt through my emails, and save it as PDF.
Using the purchase date, I then had go into my credit card account, find the statement with that purchase, download that as PDF.
And finally, I had go to DJI’s website, search for the drone’s model, locate its warranty document, save it as PDF, and then send all that information to the credit card company.
I glanced at the drone on my desk: it already had a PingTag QR code on it so I can recover it if I lose it. And if I (the drone owner) scan its QR code, I would see the exact same page that a random stranger would see when they scan it.
And it made me wonder: What if I can access more information about an item that I own by scanning its PingTag, like purchase information, receipts, warranties, notes and attachments?
And that led to a higher order question: Why are records, information, notes and documents related to an item scattered across so many silos (photo albums, emails, cloud services, etc.) that are separate and disconnected from that item?
Why isn’t that information directly linked to the item it belongs to, and instantly accessible by the owner of that item by simply scanning the QR code on it, without having to spend so much time looking for it everywhere?
PingTag Pro
After several design sprints, prototyping, testing, refinement, and programming to answer those questions, PingTag Pro was born.
In a nutshell, it allows the owner of an item to attach information, links, notes and documents to an item, and securely access them any time by scanning the PingTag QR sticker on that item.
For professional gear or equipment, the owner can instantly access purchase information, invoice, link to the warranty, credit card statement, and even instructions manual.
For a car, the owner can access copies of registration, insurance card, and service records with any notes or invoices for past visits to the dealership or the mechanic.
That information can also be accessible by anyone with whom that tag is shared. For instance, if the owner shares the drone with a team member, they can also share its notes and attachments with that person by simply adding them to its PingTag as a contact.
And if that drone is lost and found, all its contacts will receive email and text alerts, and can reply anonymously via SMS, without publicly revealing anyone’s contact information.
Here is a 60-second video that shows how all those benefits work together to make PingTag Pro a must-have for professionals and teams
With PingTag Pro, professionals and teams can now save time by instantly accessing purchase information and receipts and documents for their devices, can keep track of which equipment is being used by which members, and can recover any gear item they leave behind or lose while on the road while keeping all their contact information private.
PingTag Pro was designed with creative professionals/teams in mind, because they often carry dozens of expensive gear items and travel with them across different locations between various tasks.
And to maximize the “peace of mind index” for those professionals, PingTag Pro also comes with unlimited tags and complimentary QR stickers to help them manage all their gear, equipment and devices without worrying about running out.
So if you are a filmmaker, photographer, audio engineer, DJ, or work in the entertainment industry, sign up for a free trial here , and experience the peace of mind that comes with having your gear managed, tracked and protected wherever you go.
