12 Location-Based Reminder Ideas for Business Owners

Most to-do lists remind you at the wrong moment. “Collect the rate list from the supplier” pops up at 10 am, when you are at the shop and the supplier is across town. By the time you are there, you have forgotten.

Location-based reminders fix that by ringing when you arrive. In Karo, these are place reminders: save a place, put it on a task for yourself, and your phone reminds you when you get there. They are free, in the Karo app on Android.

Here are 12 ways business owners, managers and staff use them. Each one is a task you give yourself.

At your own shop or office

1. Opening and closing checks

Save Shop and keep a repeating task for yourself: “Check the cash drawer, switch off the AC, lock the shutter”. It reminds you each day as you arrive, so the routine never depends on memory.

2. Things to bring from home

Save Home with tasks like “Take the GST file to the office” or “Carry the spare keys”. The reminder rings as you reach home in the evening, when you can actually put them by the door.

3. Signing and approvals

Save Office and give yourself “Sign the salary cheques” or “Approve Ravi’s leave”. You will see it when you walk in, not while you are on the road.

Money and paperwork

4. Depositing cash

Save Bank and give yourself “Deposit the day’s cash” and “Update the passbook”. It rings at the bank’s door, not at your desk.

5. Bills that can only be paid in person

Save the electricity office, the municipal ward office or your CA’s office. Put the task on the place, with a due date too, so it is both on time and remembered.

Suppliers and stock

6. Collecting from suppliers

Save Supplier, Sadar Bazaar with “Collect the new rate list” or “Return the damaged cartons”. It is waiting for you when you get there.

7. Stock counts

Save Warehouse and keep a weekly repeating task for yourself: “Count the stock and share a photo”. Use a bigger distance for a large yard, such as 200 or 500 metres.

8. Checking deliveries

Save the godown or the loading dock with “Check the delivery against the bill”. Finished tasks stay quiet, so you only hear about what is still open.

Out in the field

9. Client visits for sales staff

A salesperson can save their regular clients’ shops and give themselves the follow-ups for each: “Show the new catalogue”, “Collect the cheque”. Every visit starts with the right reminder.

10. Site work

A site supervisor can save each site and give themselves the checks for it: “Photograph the slab”, “Check the cement stock”. One place, its own list.

11. Service calls

A technician can save a customer they visit often and keep that customer’s open jobs on the place: “Replace the filter”, “Bring the warranty card”. The reminder rings at the gate.

For you, not just work

12. Everyday errands

“Buy milk” on the dairy, “Pick up the medicines” on the chemist, “Pay the school fees” on the school. The same feature that runs your business keeps your evening errands in order.

How to set one up

1. In Karo, open Places, tap Add a place, name it and choose where it is: use your current location, search for it, or paste coordinates or a full Google Maps link.
2. Choose how near counts as being there: a new place starts at 100 metres; pick a bigger distance for big sites.
3. Give yourself a task and choose the place under Remind me at a place.

The full walk-through, with the settings Android asks for, is in How to set location-based reminders on Android.

Good to know

• Place reminders are for tasks you give yourself. For work you give your team, use due dates, reminders and follow-ups; each person can save their own places for their own tasks.
• Your location is checked on your phone and never sent to Karo. Karo keeps only the places you save. See how geofence reminders work.
• They ring in the Android app. On iPhone and the web you can still save places and put them on tasks.

Start with one place

Pick the place where you forget things most, save it and put one task on it. Get the Android app, or register free and see every feature.