The term “bite off more than you can chew” is as relevant in the world of business automation as it is in just about every area of life. And to quote one of ATS longest tenured and most senior internal programmers; “time and attendance was intended to be easy and not the overly complicated application it appears to be today. While I understand that times have changed, the fundamentals remains the same. The original intent was to track employees time through the use of a software.” If that’s the case, then why do some businesses insist on a myriad of bells and whistles when in fact, only a tiny portion of the application is used.

While ATS advocates the use of additional modules as your business grows, our approach has always been to use what comes with the system or take the simple approach when automating attendance. If it’s insufficient, by all means, add modules and expand the use of your system. Of course, some companies want to make sure they are “getting the best bang for their buck” hence, the inquiry for bells and whistles at the outset. If that’s the case, then by all means go ahead. So what should you do if you are either thinking of buying a workforce management solution for the first time or changing to a new one? Here are some things to look for:

Scalability-Does this new system has the ability to grow with your business? For example, what if you were to add locations in Saskatchewan, New York and Vancouver in the next two years? Is this new system capable of handling work rules in those different jurisdictions?

Integration-How flexible is this system? If, for example you were about to purchase a payroll system that does not allow for third-party integration, unless it’s with the vendor’s preferred partner, find a different vendor. No company should be tied to propriety software that does not allow for data integration. That’s a 1980s type of mentality by a tiny number of software vendors, who are slowly shrinking into oblivion. The best software companies, today allow for integration into their applications, whether its; CRM, ERP, HRIS, Time and Attendance or Payroll Software.

Keep it Simple-If you have determined that the company you are about to choose can meet your business requirements and grow with you, then that’s a good start. Hold off the desire to implement everything under the sun. If the original intent is to track employee time, get reports in real-time and have the data be sent to your payroll software electronically, start there. The 200 plus reports, benefit accruals, job costing, employee scheduling, business intelligence and bevy of software modules can be added later on.

Deployment of a time and attendance should, at the very least be simple to implement, use and understand. That said, it is important to not be complacent when understanding the long-term implications and risks of whatever path you may choose. A company with deep expertise will help ensure that these tradeoffs and risks are objectively considered as part of your time and attendance and implementation process. And that’s where ATS deep expertise comes in.

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