Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software

Will This System Really Help Our Organization?

Our sales reps have to answer this question often enough that they have the answer at the tip of their tongue. It’s always a resounding yes followed up with examples of how other companies are using the technology. However, the question remains, why would any company deny itself the use of cloud-based time and attendance solution to increase business processes when it has so many benefits?

An article titled “Convincing Skeptical Employees to Adopt New Technology” written by Rebecca Knight for Harvard Business Review, reads in part; “Bringing new technology and tools into your organization can increase productivity, boost sales, and help you make better, faster decisions. But getting every employee on board is often a challenge. What can you do to increase early and rapid adoption?”

The article espouses the virtue of technology with a fresh look on the best ways to get colleagues and employees alike to buy-in. We selected three paragraphs from the article and in no particular order, they are:

State your case “Persuading your team to adopt a new technology requires putting forth a valid effort. For example, if using CRM, will it enable salespeople to meet their quotas faster — which gives them the opportunity to make more money? Or increase productivity in a way that reduces weekend work?

Customize training
“Show that you are investing time in learning the new system. Some employees might prefer an online training session; others might need a bit more handholding and support in the form of a personal coach.”

Make it routine
If, for instance, you’ve recently introduced a new sales-tracking technology, start asking for weekly updates on the numbers. Of course, employees could still use provide the information without using the new system, but it would be more cumbersome and time-consuming.

The bottom-line, the use of technology and its adoption, in large part, have to do with how the benefits are explained to employees. If, as the article suggests, employees are told at the outset “what’s in it for them, there is a greater likelihood of them using the system. What will also be more impactful, is if employees are trained properly and then given reminded about using the system on a daily basis. Change takes time and since we are all wired not to accept change, it’s best to use the “carrot” approach instead of the “stick” when adopting new technology such as cloud-based time and attendance solution.

To learn more about ATS time and attendance system and training methodology, go to our website. You can also register for one of our monthly product demonstrations and to speak to an account executive, call us at 866.294.2467.

CRM, Time and Attendance System, Training

How You Can Make Cloud Time And Attendance Work For Your Business

With so much choice available in the cloud-based time and attendance industry, it’s very tempting to assume they all work the same way. At first glance, all cloud providers promise to give your business all the benefits of real-time analytics, 90% plus uptime, a solid infrastructure and the list goes on. Bypass the glitz and glamour and drill down to the “nitty gritty”, your actual business requirements.

If you can remain focus on your actual business, chances are you will end with a good provider. With ATS TimeWork Attendance OnDemand, your company gets an intuitive and robust central system that automates, and simplifies employee attendance of all aspects of your business processes.

ATS TimeWork Attendance OnDemand helps your company manage its business requirement through:

Complete automation- ATS industry-leading TimeWork Attendance OnDemand, contain components that helps companies manage fewer discrepancies and errors through data capture and up-to-the-minute information.

Real-time reporting- management have instant access and visibility accurate alerts and dashboards analytics based on workforce activity, designed to provide business insight.

Self-service portal- Employees and managed become empowered with flexible, anytime-anywhere access to personalized data including, time-off requests, reviewing of schedules, overtime allotment from any smartphone, tablet PC or workstation.

ATS cloud-based time and attendance provides companies with a way to expand and data storage without worrying about internal IT resources, server capacity or expenditures. And with the use of ATS TimeWork OnDemand, you can scale accordingly, based on the needs and growth of your business.

To experience ATS TimeWork OnDemand, go to our website and request a demo.

Employee Self Service, Time and Attendance, TimeWork OnDemand

Disruptive Technology Is The Future For Growing Businesses

At a recent meeting between ATS professional services team members and executive managers of a Midwestern U.S., 500 employee food manufacturing plant, who also happens to be an existing customer of ATS-the discussion centered on the company’s growth plans to add locations in a few more states and some provinces in Canada over the next 18 months. One of ATS professional services team member suggested that the customer migrate to our cloud-based time and attendance system to leverage its business growth potential. Cloud computing is disruptive and has no boundaries, two elements that should be embraced by organizations.

A recent report by IDC, reads in part, “The cloud has changed the fundamental nature of computing and how business gets done and it will continue to do so through 2020. In fact, IDC predicts that by 2020 clouds will stop being referred to as “public” and “private” and ultimately they will stop being called clouds altogether. It is simply the new way business is done and IT is provisioned. IDC research also shows that the global cloud infrastructure is super-scaling and becoming the launch pad for infrastructure innovation and as a result, hardware vendors’ innovations are shifting to “cloud first”.

And in an economic climate, that is still struggling with; effects from 2008’s recession, continued job losses and, where shareholders expect a rapid return on investment from IT and other related expenditures, the report goes on to say; “IDC is seeing organizations leverage cloud services as a foundation element in this strategy and layering on advanced analytics, collaboration capabilities and new technologies to drive rich customer experience, speed to market in of new products/services, creative digital marketing, mobile commerce and optimization of operational efficiencies amongst others.”

If your company is one of those growing businesses, and if you decide to migrate to the cloud, you will gain:

Unprecedented Flexibility — ATS provides its customers with the freedom to choose the timing of their Attendance ONDemand time and attendance upgrade. Just imagine having your software match the needs of your organization through release updates.

The Power of ATS Cloud Computing Database Migration — ATS Software-As-A-Service platform enables organizations to migrate their on-premises data effortlessly to our platform without concerns of sacrificing control or flexibility.

24×7, 365 Days A Year Of Access—ATS customers can leverage a cloud-based environment to get instant access to attendance, on-the-spot analytics and address leave management challenges, all on your smart phone, tablet PC or workstation from anywhere. Now that’s the modern way of business management.

As a leader of cloud-based workforce management solution, companies depend on ATS Time Attendance OnDemand to run mission-critical business processes globally and in the cloud. ATS cloud-based time and attendance lower IT costs, while increasing productivity, as the adoption of the cloud services is accelerating around the world.

To learn more follow Apex Time Solutions blog, LinkedIn business group and Twitter handle for real-time updates.

To have one of our account executives contact you go to our website.

Attendance OnDemand, Cloud Computing, IDC, LinkedIn, Manufacturing, Software-as-a-Service, Twitter

Attendance Software: Myth VS Reality

April 22nd, 2014 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Payroll | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Time Management Solutions - (Comments Off)

Recently, one of our practice leads had a conversation with the President of a large multi-site garden centre, espousing the virtues of a time and attendance system. The President had heard some good and some unflattering things about software automation and wanted to be convinced that if she were to go that route, she had all the “bases covered”. It turned out that one of her business colleagues and CFO of a distribution company was not overly excited about their time current time management solution.

The conversation focused, mainly on the unflattering aspects of automation, because, she wanted to make sure she understood what was involved. On the basis of that conversation, we decided to address some myths from reality when it comes to choosing and deploying the right solution for your business.

Myth: If we choose the solution company ABC is using; chances are we cannot go wrong because they are happy with their solution and they are in the same industry as us.

Reality: Choose a solution and a vendor that you are most comfortable with. More importantly, when choosing make sure the vendor demonstrates an understanding of your needs. Your selection should be predicated on your comfort level and not based on what another company, in your industry is using. A vendor who has taken the time to understand your business can adapt their solution to your specific industry. In short, forego the need to adopt the “Joneses Effect”.

Myth: We will get the best solution for the best price because there is a lot of competition.

Reality: It’s true there are competitors. However, the best price for the best solution does not exist. The old adage that “you get what you pay for” is true with software as it is for the type of shoes that you buy. And, when it comes to time management software, you do get what you pay for. Focus on what you need (with your budget in mind of course) that will help your business. If you are looking for all the bells and whistles at bargain basement prices, chances are, there are not going to be many vendors you can choose from.

Myth: We have been using time sheets for years. Our employees are always paid on time and we have no issues. We are not convinced that automating this process will help us in anyway.

Reality: Spend one day with your HR and/or Payroll Practitioner and observe the steps that they go through in collecting employee hours and then keying that data into your payroll software. We are convinced that after observing how employee hours are collected and then processed, you will ask yourself why is it your company has not adopted an automated time and attendance solution.

ATS is a leading supplier of time and attendance software and services to companies in every industry. ATS TimeWork On-Demand offers a broad functional scope that addresses business challenges, across multiple departments, locations and other areas of responsibility.

To learn more about our solutions, attend our next webinar. To view demonstration, go to our website.

HR Manager, Payroll, Time and Attendance

Outpace The Competition By Adopting Cloud-Based Time and Attendance

March 26th, 2014 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in ERP | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Time Management Solutions - (Comments Off)

The foundation of a time and attendance system is in its ability to accurately capture employee data thereby, providing efficiency. More importantly, the data needs to be assimilated and allow functional users across departments or locations to share information in a common, standardized way. But the time it takes and the vastly different approaches can sometimes leave decision-makers bamboozled, when it comes to time and attendance. In the world of heavy competition, companies are looking to increase profits, streamline payroll costs and stay ahead or at the very least, inline with their competitors. And, what better way to do that than to deploy a cloud-based solution.

Cloud computing staying power has defied even its most ardent detractors. And now, decision makers are quickly realizing the benefits of deploying a cloud-based time and attendance system, backed by unwavering support just makes good business sense.

An ATS Cloud-Based Time and Attendance provides the following benefits to give you that competitive edge:

Faster deployment: ATS TimeWork On-Demand is progressively faster to deploy. There is no need for expensive Servers or installing patches on your workstation. You can access the software from any device that has an Internet access.

Data Integration: ATS TimeWork has the built in flexibility to integrated with applications that include: Talent Management, HRIS, Payroll, ERP and CRM. Part of our ability to integrate with just about any software comes from ATS TimeWork On-Demand robust technology so third-party applications can connect and integrate with our ever evolving cloud platform.

Unified Solution: Our time and attendance promotes business innovation. The solution automates the entire lifecycle from process to pay cheque. In addition, ATS cloud-based time management solution allows you to manage all your time capture in real-time.

If you are ready to deploy a time and attendance application, that’s steeped in innovation, go to our website and take a test drive. To arrange a personalized demonstration, call us at 1.866.294.2467.

Cloud-Based, ERP, HRIS, Time Management Solution, TimeWork On-Demand

Is Absenteeism Making a Dent in Your Company’s Profits?

A recent article by the Conference Board of Canada on the cost of absenteeism to companies, reads in part, “The average Canadian worker was absent the equivalent of almost two full work weeks in 2011.” The article also goes on to say that “the direct annual cost of absenteeism is based on survey data provided by organizations to the Conference Board. Organizations estimated that the direct cost of absenteeism averaged 2.4 per cent of gross annual payroll – which translated to a loss of $16.6 billion in 2012.”

These numbers are staggering and beg the question, if absenteeism is such a problem in the workforce, why do some companies choose not to embrace advantages of a time and attendance system? The answer may lie not fully understanding its benefits.

Here are 5 ways your company can derive the benefits of an ATS time management solution:

Streamline Manual Time Tracking Processes and Increase Productivity
ATS workforce management software integrates all your payroll calculations and business processes within a single integrated database system. The application simplifies overtime, vacation tracking and other pay codes. All users share a common reference system and application interface, reducing the learning curve and enabling users to easily switch roles or take over functions without additional training. Once data in entered into the ATS time and attendance system, produces real time data analytics wherever it is needed throughout your company. With ATS time and attendance solution, your company will achieve a consistent flow of information from data capture, payroll and human resources to business intelligence, employee scheduling and benefit accruals.

Activate Modules as you Expand
ATS TimeWork time and attendance evolves with your enterprise. Easily activate new functions when you need them, connect additional users to the system or quickly bring new sites on board without the need for custom interfaces. Keep your system constantly up to date with simple, secure update procedures; ATS time attendance ensures the distribution of modifications across all connected workstations.

Eliminate Costly Server Installations
ATS hosted time and attendance minimizes both costs and installation time eradicating the need to install software on servers or workstations. Avoid the cost of a large in-house IT team; the robust, intuitive design of ATS TimeWork ensures consistent, reliable day-to-day operations.

Combine Best-Of-Breed Functionality and Low Cost of Ownership
Provide your company with the best functionality in your industry while dramatically reducing your time tracking costs. Mid-size companies face the same issues as larger enterprises in managing complex, industry-specific processes and servicing their customers. ATS time and attendance provides comprehensive, integrated workforce management system without the need for costly custom developments and months of professional services. Industry-specific and scalable, ATS TimeWork is the best employee time management application aimed to meet your most elaborate business processes, while minimizing any associated costs of installing, operating, maintaining and growing the system.

Business Analytics for Informed Decision Making
Get the most value from your ATS time management solution with the least amount of effort. ATS TimeWork business analytics provides regular updates to relevant information to give you real-time visibility across your organization. The ATS TimeWork business analytics is a powerful, easy-to-use business tool that drives smarter decisions in every departmental area of your organization.

To learn how your company can track absenteeism and increase productivity download a whitepaper or an online demo.

Is Absenteeism Making a Dent in your Company's Productivity?

Absenteeism, Conference Board Of Canada, Payroll, Time and Attendance Solution, Time Management Solution

All Time and Attendance Systems are not Created Equal

August 27th, 2013 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Time Tracking | Labour Analytics | Time and Attendance System | Time Management Solutions - (0 Comments)

While some of today’s time-tracking software applications have similar functions, there are significant differences between various products. To some degree many organizations have their own idiosyncrasies and what works well for one company might not fare as well for another company. At times there is too much emphasis on the up-front price which can derail the benefit of getting a good return on your investment. Companies would be wise to choose a solution that can handle their specific challenges with the right labour analytics to support the software.

Taking the time to select a time and attendance solution that best fits a company’s particular requirements will go a long way in avoiding problems. With a slow rebounding economy, some companies are so eager to cut costs they end up selecting the cheapest solution based on the assumption that all software is created equal. When this happens, a company can end up with a time management system that does not have the capability to meet their requirements.

A time and attendance solution for a company with one location will be different from a company with a head office in Vancouver and multiple sites across Canada and the United States.ATS TimeWork can be deployed in companies with 50 employees and scaled to organizations with thousands employees while meeting the needs of divergent business models.

A thorough analysis of you company’s business practices will uncover areas for improvement and will also help in selecting the right employee time management system the first time. One of the best ways for a company to select the right solution is to define its requirements and create an implementation strategy.

To view a demonstration of ATS time and attendance system, go to our website. You can also follow up on Twitter or join the conversation on LinkedIn.

You might also like:
Will our Cloud Time Management Solution Show an ROI?
Avoid Fruits from the Low Hanging Tree When Making Your Selection
Do You Know What You Are Buying?

All Time and Attendance Systems are not Created Equal

Labour Analytics, Time and Attendance System, Time Tracking Software

Is the Cloud a Viable Solution for Organizations?

It wasn’t too long ago that the naysayers predicted the demise of cloud-based software solutions as “Johnny come lately”. The growth of cloud-based software solutions is staggering and companies, who initially resisted, are now implementing these solutions in growing numbers. The continued momentum behind the cloud has accelerated as companies look for an alternative to on-premises applications that drag down business performance. ATS best-of-breed technology is fast moving beyond its roots in the small to mid and enterprise markets.

If your company is looking move your time and attendance to the cloud, there are numerous companies vying for your attention. However, not all cloud-based time and attendance providers are created equal and selecting the right vendor is an important decision that should not be overlooked. Here are five things to look for when making your selection:

Performance- Make sure your provider gives you easy access to their real-time visibility of labour analytics and historic data. That will quickly tell you how robust a system they have. Cloud computing is evolving rapidly and cloud-based providers need to be nimble to adapt to the demands of today’s rapid technology. Look for a strong record of innovation on cloud technology that demonstrates your provider is positioned strongly to meet your business needs in the long term.

Scalability –As your business grows and needs change, look for a solution that will work with different browsers, that will adapt to your needs and makes it easy for you to expand to new markets. The ideal vendor will have a solution that allows you to configure your software and has the ability to interface to multiple applications.

Upgrades –On-premises time and attendance software can be customized, but those customizations are tied to your current software implementation and can be a nightmare when you are due for an upgrade. In contrast, a cloud-based time management solution like ATS TimeWork is continually upgraded so you can be sure you’re always using the latest, most advanced version of your time and attendance software.

Market Leader-Moving to the cloud is a long term investment. As such choosing the right partner makes it that much more important. It’s important that you choose a market leader who stands head and shoulders above all imitators. Consider the types of customers the vendor has for added insight, along with testimonials. And don’t stop there, make sure this vendor has personnel that not only understand industry at large but most importantly, your business and your precise requirements.

True Cloud Competencies-Finally, but perhaps more importantly you should choose a provider whose core competencies are centered on the cloud. Some On-premises solution vendors have very different business models, application design approaches and infrastructure than those core competencies of a cloud-based provider, like ATS. We suggest you choose a vendor with deep expertise in cloud-based time and attendance software implementations to meet your needs.

To learn more about ATS cloud-based time and attendance software, go to our website. You can also follow us on our social media links and join the conversation.

Cloud Computing, Cloud-Based Time Management Solutions, Data, Labour Analytics, Workforce Management Software

Can Healthcare Providers Benefit from a Time and Attendance System?

The healthcare industry is very large and with its size comes complexity. For example, keeping track of wage changes and collective agreements is in a difficult task for healthcare administrators and managers alike. A time and attendance software will increase efficiencies and reduce the time it takes to process payroll. ATS TimeWork time and attendance gives healthcare operations, an efficient, centralized system with the power, flexibility, and scalability needed to improve productivity, control labour costs and enhance customer service.

Many healthcare professionals are aware of the benefits that come from implementing a time and attendance system. Even so, others remain reluctant to make the switch and in some cases cite concerns about confidentiality and security. ATS Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Time and Attendance improves accuracy, increases productivity, and ensures regulatory compliance by streamlining the time entry, time approval, and accrual management processes. The application is hosted in a secure data environment and provides true integration between departmental managers and payroll personnel. The healthcare scheduling module of our SaaS time and attendance includes an actual budget versus dollars spent by cost center, service line, facility and enterprise.

Benefits of ATS Time and Attendance Healthcare Solution:

Improves accuracy through employee time collection, validation and payroll processing
Uses real-time labour analytics to maintain pay code policies, employee scheduling, overtime, premiums and collective bargaining agreements
Applies user-defined pay rules to automate time, data integration and payroll calculations
Provides employees with multiple self-service options
Ensures compliance with federal, provincial, state and municipal labour laws

ATS SaaS Time and Attendance Software can help healthcare professionals meet their employee scheduling, time tracking and payroll challenges while ensuring their patients receive the best care possible.

To join the conversation, connect with us on our LinkedIn page or follow us on Twitter.

Collective Bargaining Agreements, Employee Scheduling, Healthcare, Labour Analytics, Payroll, SaaS Time and Attendance, Time Tracking

ATS TimeWork Time and Attendance is an award-winning workforce management solution that allows organizations to reduce payroll costs, work more productively and compete in today’s global economy. ATS time and attendance provides midsized and large businesses across Canada and North America with the tools to streamline your current business processes, and comply with collective bargaining agreements and labour law regulations. ATS Software as-a-Service (SaaS) gives you the power and functionality of an integrated application that includes the following imbedded modules: benefit accruals, overtime equalization, business intelligence, labour analytics, forecasting, employee scheduling and employee time clocks.

The Power of Web Deployment
ATS SaaS time and attendance deployment takes place in weeks not months or years. ATS intuitive software solution comes with inherent flexibility, power and security all managed and hosted by our state of the art data centre. The ATS SaaS time and attendance is ideally suited for organizations looking to have their system up and running quickly with affordable monthly payments in contrast to huge capital outlay. ATS SaaS time and attendance reduces the need for an internal IT infrastructure and provides a secure, cost-effective alternative for companies currently running critical business applications.

Data Integration
Customers looking to integrate their HRIS, Payroll, Talent Management, CRM and other third-party applications will realize this initiative with the ATS open database structure. For example, payroll can connect important business analytic information directly to operational managers and executives, HR connects key functional departments for better results and sales manager can track and control sales pipelines, resulting in shorter sales cycles, more closed deals, and higher revenues.

Add as You Grow
Our flexible deployment allows you to grow your company without growing IT resources. Add more users without worrying about installation, configuration, and support of additional hardware and software. With ATS SaaS time and attendance, you can extend your mission-critical business applications across Canadian and US regional offices without the need for local IT support or infrastructure.

Training and Support
Your solution is managed by a team of industry veterans with deep expertise in the world of time and attendance management and application hosting. Our ongoing maintenance and upgrades include a fully automated backup and a disaster recovery plan that protects your investment. Our North American network of implementation analyst and support representatives can provide you with on-site training, consulting and implementation assistance to help you realize a rapid return on your investment.

To learn about ATS Time and Attendance Solutions go to our website. You can also join the conversation on our Twitter or LinkedIn page.

CRM, Employee Time Clocks, HR, Payroll, SaaS Time & Attendance, Software-as-a-Service, Talent Management, Time and Attendance, Time and Attendance Canada

Will This System Really Help Our Organization?

How You Can Make Cloud Time And Attendance Work For Your Business

Attendance Software: Myth VS Reality

Is Absenteeism Making a Dent in Your Company’s Profits?

All Time and Attendance Systems are not Created Equal

Can Healthcare Providers Benefit from a Time and Attendance System?

Visualize Your Business Adapting To the Changes of This New Economy

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