Online Territory Managers

[carlos]

Have you used some territory managing software you can recommend?

 

Since the pandemic began we are using a Google Docs spreadsheet to keep track of territories. At first it worked great, but it has gradually become too complicated.

 

Some time ago we had a look at https://territoryhelper.com

It worked quite well but it was a subscription-based service and my elders do not agree to paying for it.

 

Some days ago I found onlineterritorymanager.com but the admins replied it's not available in my area.

 

Then I found https://territoryservant.com

I was able to create an account and it works acceptably well. It's clear it's a work in progress and still has some things to polish, but it works. My main objection to that site is that there is no way to backup or export my records in any format. So if tomorrow the site stops working, I lose all my territory records. I sent an email to the admins but haven't received any reply so far.

 

Do you know of other options?

 

[Californiamama]

At times it has been a struggle but we pray, do the best we can, and are so glad that the angels oversee this endeavor!  

 

Our congregation is using the Google spreadsheet but the trick was keeping access very limited to a few of the friends.  There is a team trained to correct addresses on the returned letter but they pass their work in and only two sisters have access to the master sheets and can generate new publishers copies.  Our new territory servant is distributing territories only electronically now but we are still updating maps and creating lists with a view to returning to door-to-door and using the list as a back up for NH. I'll watch your stream in hopes someone has found the ideal app and that it is available in my area. thank you for the question.  

Edited November 7, 2021 by Californiamama

[Tortuga]

We use Territory Helper but very few friends have signed up for it, so it's difficult to give them territory.

[Hope]

1 hour ago, Tortuga said:

We use Territory Helper but very few friends have signed up for it, so it's difficult to give them territory.

That's the best app... friends here pretty much won't get territory without it. We're all good and assimilated 😉

[Myew]

We use Territory Helper. You technically don't have to pay for it. They recommend donating $20 per year. It is possible for the administrator to donate for it out of his own pocket, even if the elders don't feel comfortable pulling that from the congregation's fund. I only say that as a fact, not a recommendation; I don't know the economic situation in Spain.

 

"While providing these services to congregations around the world, there are many expenses associated with hosting, maintenance and support. All of this is accomplished voluntarily and not for profit. Territory Helper is funded entirely by your donations!

By contributing $20 USD per year this money helps to cover your congregation's expenses.

Certainly not all congregations have the financial means to cover their costs, and if you are one of those congregations don't worry! Your expenses have been covered by generous donations from your brothers and sisters around the world who do have the means.

Thanks for your generosity and support!
- The Territory Helper Team"

Edited November 8, 2021 by Myew

[carlos]

8 hours ago, Tortuga said:

We use Territory Helper but very few friends have signed up for it, so it's difficult to give them territory.

Well, my intention is not to have the friends join the site, just somehow to keep track of who has which territory. Right now we are not even using maps, our territories are just postal codes.

 

I may give Territory Helper another try. Thanks!

[Amygdala]

I use this http://territoryweb.de/ and it’s great cause I can assign my partners to search another map and street names from 3 different telephone books. After my partner has saved their work from the map searched in my territory, it automatically saves the work up on my account maps. I can also search my map at the same time. It also automatically marks the streets done on the maps we‘ve searched.
 

The territory servant can also see how much I have covered, or provide technical help. But this is the German version, and I don‘t know if it is the same for different countries, perhaps different .-endings. de for Germany.

[Witness1970]

It was mentioned to me that the brothers in my new congregation (I moved here in 2016) had wanted to put the territories on the internet for over 10 years, but none of them had the time.  I was asked to put the territories online.  I researched the websites that brothers had designed.  I asked an elder what he thought and he said just choose one myself.  I had no knowledge of those sites.

 

I was given access to some proprietary data to use.

 

Territory Helper said it cost them $20.00 per congregation per year to maintain the site.  Territory Assistant said that there site would always be free but they do accept donations.  I chose Territory Assistant.

 

It took me about 3 days working full time (I am retired) to get all the territories on the website.  I simply used the same territory boundaries that had been used in the past. As I look back there are some territory boundaries that I would have changed, but we have already made out new wall maps from the web site and changing them now is not going to happen.  They are just minor details anyway.

 

We have new wall maps, new territory map cards on full page sheets. The territory map cards have QR codes that can be read so that the publishers have the information on their devices.  At present is just sending PDF files extracted from DATA-AXLE or from a GIS site for the county.  Using DATA-AXLE, I can have a well-formatted letter-writing territory (PDF file) for the Service committee in a few hours.  Getting a territory with more complete telephone numbers takes much longer.  The work I did making territories in PDF format is what prompted the elders to ask me to do the website.

 

I have personally sent Territory Assistant a donation for use of the website, but did not ask the congregation for a refund.  Territory Assistant does not need all the publishers to have access to the website, but just to read a QR code to have the information on their device for the territory for door to door work.  At present, the Service Overseer just assigns territory to the publisher and sends them a PDF file (either letter-writing or complete) for the territory.

[molnarj]

We made territories in Photoshop. Months work. Then we used territoryhelper to do the adminstration but now we plan to do that in JWScheduler. That maps look like this:

 

 

You can assign the territory in the app:

 

 

The publisher sees which territory he posesses. And when he has finished it he can check in and it's automatically registered in JWscheduler as being worked.

[luisenriquereyes]

On 11/8/2021 at 2:02 PM, molnarj said:

We made territories in Photoshop. Months work. Then we used territoryhelper to do the adminstration but now we plan to do that in JWScheduler. That maps look like this:

 

 

You can assign the territory in the app:

 

 

The publisher sees which territory he posesses. And when he has finished it he can check in and it's automatically registered in JWscheduler as being worked.

Are you putting phone and letter writing territores into JW Scheduler?   If so how?  A PDF of the list of numbers?

[carlos]

Thanks for all the references. I am having a look at every one of the sites you have mentioned.

[walkr2]

It was mentioned to me that the brothers in my new congregation (I moved here in 2016) had wanted to put the territories on the internet for over 10 years, but none of them had the time.  I was asked to put the territories online.  I researched the websites that brothers had designed.  I asked an elder what he thought and he said just choose one myself.  I had no knowledge of those sites.
 
I was given access to some proprietary data to use.
 
Territory Helper said it cost them $20.00 per congregation per year to maintain the site.  Territory Assistant said that there site would always be free but they do accept donations.  I chose Territory Assistant.
 
It took me about 3 days working full time (I am retired) to get all the territories on the website.  I simply used the same territory boundaries that had been used in the past. As I look back there are some territory boundaries that I would have changed, but we have already made out new wall maps from the web site and changing them now is not going to happen.  They are just minor details anyway.
 
We have new wall maps, new territory map cards on full page sheets. The territory map cards have QR codes that can be read so that the publishers have the information on their devices.  At present is just sending PDF files extracted from DATA-AXLE or from a GIS site for the county.  Using DATA-AXLE, I can have a well-formatted letter-writing territory (PDF file) for the Service committee in a few hours.  Getting a territory with more complete telephone numbers takes much longer.  The work I did making territories in PDF format is what prompted the elders to ask me to do the website.
 
I have personally sent Territory Assistant a donation for use of the website, but did not ask the congregation for a refund.  Territory Assistant does not need all the publishers to have access to the website, but just to read a QR code to have the information on their device for the territory for door to door work.  At present, the Service Overseer just assigns territory to the publisher and sends them a PDF file (either letter-writing or complete) for the territory.

Hi

I use data-axle to verify correct addresses and on occasion, phone numbers. Is the data-axle process you mentioned a simple process? If so, would you or could you send me the steps?
The TRT team (Territory Research Team) consistently uses Fast People Search but as a member of the team, I use other, more reliable resources. I appreciate in advance any help you can offer.

Thank you

Voni in NC

[Witness1970]

 

I don't want to get off-topic, so I sent you a PM. 

5 hours ago, walkr2 said:

Hi

I use data-axle to verify correct addresses and on occasion, phone numbers. Is the data-axle process you mentioned a simple process? If so, would you or could you send me the steps?
The TRT team (Territory Research Team) consistently uses Fast People Search but as a member of the team, I use other, more reliable resources. I appreciate in advance any help you can offer.

Thank you

Voni in NC

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by Witness1970

[molnarj]

On 11/10/2021 at 12:45 AM, luisenriquereyes said:

Are you putting phone and letter writing territores into JW Scheduler?   If so how?  A PDF of the list of numbers?

You can add a pdf file as Territory in JW Scheduler. The Publisher is able to open it in the App. You can also use the Notes field to add information. It is also displayed in the app.

[Pereira]

https://www.territoryassistant.com/

[Jdb483]

On 11/18/2021 at 6:20 PM, Pereira said:

https://www.territoryassistant.com/

This is the site we use.  It is quite easy.  It is easy to download the maps and I send them to the friends via email.

[geordie lost in Europe]

We've been using this, it was made by a local Brother. 

 

https://beta.territorybro.com/

[carlos]

On 4/26/2022 at 12:37 PM, geordie lost in Europe said:

We've been using this, it was made by a local Brother. 

https://beta.territorybro.com/

Thanks, Peter. That looks simple and nice.

 

I think I contacted the admins of most territory manager websites out there and most never replied. Finally a brother in another congregation convinced me to give territoryhelper.com another chance. I paid the subscription for another year, read all the help documents, watched all the videos, and finally understood the way the site works.

 

With a bit of trial and error I was able to import my territories as well as all the territory assignments from Excel. Once you have it going it's really easy to use and very practical. Since we have our CO visit this week, I exported all the territory registry to the official S-13 forms. The CO congratulated us because the registry looks so great.

 

For the time being we are using letter territories without maps. They are just zip codes. But I have imported the maps so that they are ready when we resume public witnessing.

 

Something that always worries me with this kind of thing is what happens if the site stops working or I can no longer pay the subscription. Will I lose everything? To prevent that, territoryhelper.com allows to export your maps, publishers, assignments and everything to several formats. So every week I export them all. If we need to switch to a different solution, I have all my data ready.

[More4me2do]

Since we are back to in person ministry, I am having to get back to using on my Android device Ministry Assistant with territory. In the past I was able to import from the territory QR code the map, street addresses as well as a link that shows the on-line version. However now on a new phone, Samsung S-21, when I import the same territory I get no streets and house numbers just the map and it now asks me to manually create the addresses. I don't remember that being the case before.

 

The territories were created in 2019 with Territory Assistant and looking at a completely different territory this one shows GPS coordinates as contacts but when importing  them into Ministry Assistant they show up as NULLs and no associated address. I need to be pointed in the right direction to get this going for the 2023 Service year and any help is appreciated.

[Tortuga]

I have a Samsung S10E and Ministry Assistant imports from Territory Helper without any problems. I'm sorry I can't help.

[More4me2do]

I tried 2 other older phones and they also don't import it from the QR code. But when you use the QR code will it import the addresses with streets and numbers?

 

I have a sneaky suspicion that the error is in the creating of the territories and will have to sort that since I did not create the territories in TA.

 

Thanks for confirming my questions as it helps me to advance in the trouble shooting.

[onBoard17]

Does anyone know if territoryassistant is still available? I'm no longer able to access the webpage.

[More4me2do]

From WHOIS it states this:

Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2024-10-31 T06:59:59Z

 

Therefore the domain name is good for another 2 years it might just be with their equipment. My Verizon FIOS in Maryland has been up and down like a Jojo for the past 14 days.

[onBoard17]

This is the message when you try to reach the page now:

 

Territory Assistant is temporarily offline

We are working to bring everything back online as soon as we can.

This work may take several days. Thank you for your patience.

You can reach us at support@territoryassistant.com if you have additional questions

[Daniel]

This is the message when you try to reach the page now:

 

 

 

WELCOME TO THE NEW TERRITORY ASSISTANT WEBSITE.

---

We are working to bring everything back online as soon as we can. There are a few minor fixes to implement before the system is 100% ready. Please do not change any data at this time because there may be a few changes as we are still finalizing a few things. Thank you for your patience

Due to a ransomware attack, the latest data from the old Territory Assistant website has been corrupted. We do have a clean backup from April that will be used in the new version.

Please accept our deepest apologies, we know some of that data may be difficult to recreate.

Any of the following changes made since April will need to be recreated:

• Congregation Accounts
• Territories and their borders
• Sign-in and Sign-out records (data for S-13)
• Contact data and Do Not Calls

Please contact us to see what we can do to assist you as we work together to build back what was lost.

Thank you for your patience.

You can reach us at support@territoryassistant.com or contact-project+territory-assistant-ta-blog-38570487-issue-@incoming.gitlab.com if you have additional questions.