Month: February, 2008

How to Choose the Right Time and Attendance Tracking Software Program

20 February, 2008 (15:30) | Employee Time Tracking Software | By: Employ

Replacing your company’s antiquated clock with just any time and attendance tracking software is not enough. You need to carefully consider your options if you wish to maximize the benefits you’ll use from the program.

How to Choose the Right Time and Attendance Tracking Software Program

Cost – How much does the time and attendance tracking software you’re eyeing costs? How long before you can recoup your investment? Will there be additional expenses to incur in relation to its implementation and usage? Use resulting figures as another basis for comparison among the different software programs you’re considering purchasing.

Ease of Use – Start with the installation process. Is it easy or will you need the services of the software company or a professional technician? A complicated installation process could be a problem if you’re thinking of expanding and you’d like to use the same program for all your branches. How about the actual process of using it? Is the control panel easy to access and utilize? Is the design functional and user-friendly? Would it be easy to instruct chosen employees about using it?

Compatibility – If you are using a separate computer-based payroll system then it’s quite important that your attendance tracking software program be compatible with the former. If not, you’d be forced to manually convert or merge data to end up with the right figures when determining employee wages. Consider its compatibility with your computer hardware, the company’s network infrastructure, and maybe even your Internet connection and properties if you’re going to use it as well for employee time tracking software.

Number of Employees – Time and attendance tracking software programs also vary according to the number of employees it can handle. You should definitely take note of this when shopping for the right program. Small and medium-sized businesses may occasionally be lucky enough to enjoy free use of certain time and attendance tracking software programs if they have a low employee count. Companies intending to expand in the near future should of course consider buying a time and attendance tracking software program capable of monitoring a greater number of employees than what they presently have.

Convenience – Ease of use is concerned about the comfort awarded to the part of the administration. Convenience on the other hand focuses on the ease of use in the employee’s part. It’s definitely preferable if you find a time and attendance tracking software program that’s convenient for employees to use.

For software programs with fingerprint readers, for instance, consider how long it would take to get a reading as well as its accuracy rate. Use the same factors when shopping for software programs using bar code scanners and ID badge readers.

Security and Accuracy – You don’t want a time and attendance tracking software program that employees would find easy to hack, especially if you’re running an IT company and employing IT savvy individuals. You wouldn’t want a software program either that’s prone to providing inaccurate results due to a fault in its design or set up.

Features – Look for additional features that you might need like voice recognition or a customizable database. Make a detailed list of what you’d want and need from a time and tracking software program and remember to have it with you when shopping!

Customer Support – Last but not the least, choose the time and attendance tracking software program that offers round the clock customer support and service. This is especially important if you’re running an Internet-based program and you’re suddenly experiencing downtime.