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On-Premises Or Cloud-Based Time And Attendance, Which One Is Better?

June 13th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Time and Attendance | Employee Time Tracking | Employee Time Tracking Software | Hosted Time and Attendance Software | Time and Attendance | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Time and Attendance Software | Time and Attendance System | Time Management Solutions | Web-Based Time and Attendance | Web-Based Time and Attendance Software | Workforce Management Software | Workforce Management Solutions - (0 Comments)

We often get asked this question. Should we implement your time and attendance on our Server or should we let you host it? Our response is often the same. Let us first understand your environment, your specific needs and how you plan to use our time and attendance system. Once these have been established, we will then provide you with a solution that best suits your needs. Depending on your company each solution serves its purpose.

The right time and attendance software can help transform a business and operations. That’s why we think it’s important to take time to first understand your needs before offering a suggestion.

Our hosted time and attendance solution provides broad functionality, is priced affordably, and is delivered in a manner that minimizes complexity.  The robust features of our on-premises time management solution mirrors our SaaS time and attendance.

Benefits of On-Premises and Hosted Time and Attendance:

On-Premises Time and Attendance Software

  • Control over all systems/data
  • Data is handled internally, by your company
  • Control over the maintenance windows, issue resolution, security and when patches are applied, etc.
  • All components of an on-premises time management solution is housed internally and is overseen by the customer
  • The flexibility of an on-premise time and attendance system provides deeper customization capabilities

Time and Attendance hosted by Apex Time Solutions

  • Low cost for services
  • No need to worry about the technical support of the application, applying patches, etc.
  • No need to have a dedicated IT infrastructure to maintain the software
  • You don’t need to invest in expensive hardware
  • Accelerated deployment – in most cases, access can be granted almost immediately once the contract is finalized

Whether you opt for an on-premises or hosted solution, the ATS time and attendance software enables you to reduce labour costs and manage your labour resources more effectively. With ATS workforce management software you could reduce labour costs by streamlining your payroll process and optimizing your workforce, allowing your organization to save on labour costs.
The ATS time and attendance solution enables you to reduce labour costs and manage your labour resources more effectively. By automating routine business processes, eliminating administrative tasks, and monitoring labour activities as they happen, you can make better business decisions that save your company money.

The bottom line… hosted time and attendance is gaining in popularity. However, many companies still prefer to purchase an on-premise time management solution. Download a copy of our white paper on “On-Premises or Hosted Time and Attendance” here or go to our website to learn more.

 

On-Premises Or Cloud-Based Time And Attendance, Which One Is Better?

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Is Biometrics Right for your Organization?

June 8th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Time and Attendance | Employee Time Tracking | Employee Time Tracking Software | Time and Attendance | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Time and Attendance Software | Time and Attendance System | Time Management Solutions | Web-Based Time and Attendance | Workforce Management Software - (0 Comments)

Biometric Time and Attendance System

The word biometrics heads the topic of conversation with 9 out of every 10 customers who contact us about our time and attendance system. Despite its popularity,  some still think of biometrics as a futuristic type of device that belongs in the movies.

Biometrics, or the use of biological properties (e.g., fingerprints, retina scans, voice recognition) to identify individuals, are increasingly popular methods of identification. They are no longer confined to criminal law enforcement and the imagination of science fiction writers dreaming of hand-recognition as an automatic door opener and remote eye-scanning while entering a shopping mall. Businesses now use biometrics to regulate access to buildings and information. Governments are contemplating the inclusion of biometric identifiers in passports, driver’s licenses, and possibly a future national ID card. Digital video surveillance is spreading in private and public places.

However, biometric technologies incite fears of constant supervision, profiling and control, leading to a loss of individuality, privacy and freedom. Many people feel uneasy being scanned and are alarmed about having their bodily data digitally stored in large databases along with sensitive personal information. Many questions arise: Can we trust the accuracy of biometric technology? Who controls the collection of biometric data? And who has access to the databases and for what purpose?

The hallmark of an ATS Biometric Time and Attendance System   will help your organization streamline payroll costs , eliminate “buddy punching” and ensure compliance with labour tracking laws. In addition, it offers many benefits including a strong return on your investment.

 To find out if biometrics is right for your organization, download a copy of our “Guide to Deploying Biometrics”  or click on our website to learn more.

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An Introduction to Employee Self Service

June 1st, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Time and Attendance System | Time Management Solutions | Web-Based Time and Attendance | Workforce Management Software - (0 Comments)

Today’s workforce is different from five or even 10 years ago. Among other things, when employees are applying for jobs, they look for companies that offer flexible work environments. The introduction of an Employee Self-Service Web-Based Time and Attendance System in your organization will put you on the list of “cool” companies to work for.

With Employee Self-Service, employees can see their time cards, submit vacation requests and view their schedules from anywhere they have internet access.  With the built-in workflow, you can configure the view and access for each employee.  This allows you to create a solution that works for all employees across different departments and/or locations.

Giving your employees access to view their leave requests through the Web-Based Time and Attendance Software drastically cuts down on the calls your HR and Payroll Personnel receive about how much time they have left to take. And most of all, you can free up even more time by cutting out all the work that still has to be done in completing paper vacation request forms.

Utilizing Apex Time Solutions Employee Self Service security features, employees can access their information via a kiosk at work, or from their own computer at home. The enhanced feature of ATS Employee Self Service frees valuable time for Payroll Personnel to deal with critical payroll related issues.

Apex Time Solutions Employee Self Service allows employees to view items such as:

  • Paid Time Off-current and history
  • Benefits
  • Skills and Training

 The Web-Based Time and Attendance Employee Self Service also allows employees to edit information in the systems such as:

  • Emergency Contact information
  • Email Address and/or telephone numbers
  • Emergency Contact information
  • Change of Address
  • Personal Information

 Key Features and Benefits:

  • Secure access and password protection
  • Allows employees to review their own benefit usage and benefit balances.
  • Deployed over the Internet or a Company’s’ Intranet
  • Employees can view and maintain personal information including, current and historical pay statements, emergency contacts, dependants and more
  • Look and feel is easily tailored to match your corporate collateral
  • Save time and reduce costs by putting employee information and HR processes on the web.
  • Streamline HR processes, including benefits enrollment and vacation/sick time.
  • Access employee information 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.
  • Reduce the number of phone calls received by HR.

 To learn more about Employee Self Service Web-Based Time and Attendance System, go to our website

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Are You Still Relying on The Honour System to Track Employees Time?

May 30th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Time and Attendance System | Time Management Solutions | Workforce Management Software - (0 Comments)

It’s not surprising to hear of companies today, who still believe in the honour system. At a recent white board session, with a multi-site 700 employee customer, when asked why they had not considered automating before, their response was fluid. “In the past, our corporate culture did not believe in tracking the time and attendance of our employees”.

A conversation with the Director of Operations of a fast food chain revealed that while she suspected “buddy punching” was taking place, they could not prove it. “Buddy Punching” is the practice of co-workers “clocking” in or out for each other at work. Reasons for this practice include: the employee might be late, wants to leave early, takes a long break or does not show up at all. The company is paying time (minutes, hours or even days of work) that is not being performed.

Can you imagine the daunting task of processing 700 paper time cards by hand? Next, figuring out 50 different pay classifications, 5 different collective agreements and department transfers and then keying all this data into your payroll software? That’s enough to give any HR Manager or Payroll Practitioner a headache on payroll days.

The ATS Time and Attendance System can be configured to work in any business environment. No matter the size of the company, our Workforce Management Software, can be configured to meet your specific company’s needs. Our Time and Attendance System includes: labour forecasting, employee scheduling, absence planning, job costing, overtime equalization, employee self service and mobile time and attendance applications.

Introducing an ATS Time and Attendance Software Solution to your organization reduces labour costs and improves business efficiency.

To download a copy of “5 Best Practices to Tracking Time and Attendance of Employees”, go to our website.

Are You Still Relying on The Honour System to Track Employees Time?

 

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5 Steps To A Successful Time And Attendance Implementation

May 16th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Time and Attendance System | Time Management Solutions | Web-Based Time and Attendance | Workforce Management Software - (0 Comments)

When it comes to deploying a time and attendance system, there are a number of best practices which remain key, to the success of an implementation. These include: keeping an open mind, setting time aside to migrate data, training of personnel, data management know-how and a process for continuous improvement. Depending on the size of the implementation, there may be other steps. However, we thought it best to mention five simple steps that can sometimes be overlooked.

Step 1.  Set Expectations
You should set realistic expectations. The implementation of a time and attendance system can sometimes be a complex process that takes a great amount of time and personnel resources. While you might be excited about having your new workforce management software installed as soon as possible, shortcuts cannot be taken if it is to be carried out successfully to achieve the desired result. The most common error is to underestimate the anticipated time required to deploy a new system.

Step 2. Requirement Specifications

This step can be easily defined as the most important and could head the list. Not having a set of requirements outlined may delay the implementation even with the best of intentions. The Requirement Specifications is important to ensure your company’s needs are fully understood before the solution is deployed.

Step 3. Project Management
Realistic Project Management Guidelines are vital for implementation success of your time and attendance system. The time and attendance software project should be carefully defined and controlled to avoid unnecessary delays. When the time and attendance project is well organized, sufficient time should be allowed for documentation, redefining and integrating processes and systems before testing and then going live.

Step 4. The Project Sponsor
The role of the Sponsor is important for the successful implementation of your time and attendance system. Your Project Sponsor should be someone who will be directly impacted by the use of the system on a daily basis. A small company might choose to use an HR and/or Payroll Practitioner or even the company’s controller. A larger organization with a multi site implementation might have a steering committee with one or two Project Sponsors.

Step 5. Communication

Before the implementation starts, management should take into account the impact the new time and attendance system will have on employees. No one likes surprises, least of all your employees. Give them advanced notice and make them aware of the benefits of the time and attendance system.  If they understand the advantages to the time and attendance solution and the business needs your company is trying to address, they will embrace the new system.

In closing…

Your time and attendance software implementation will be successful when realistic expectations are set, project timelines are defined and many of the solutions mentioned above are followed.

To download a copy of our white paper, on the implementation of time and attendance, go to our website.

5 Steps to a Successful Time and Attendance Implementation

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Web-Based, Cloud Computing, SaaS or is it Hosted Time and Attendance?

May 1st, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Time and Attendance System | Time Management Solutions | Web-Based Time and Attendance | Workforce Management Software - (0 Comments)

Customers today are so inundated by these buzz words it is not surprising there is so much confusion in the market place. We attended a recent user-conference where one vendor suggested that customers should become familiar with our industry acronyms. Now this is what we call arrogance. It is not the customer’s responsibility to understand different industry terms. Customers are always interested in, finding out how a product can help their business improve productivity and increase sales. Vendors, on the other hand, have to simplify their industry jargon in a way that is easily understood by the general consumer.

So, what are the differences between Cloud Computing Time & Attendance, Web-Based Time and Attendance, Software-as-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Hosted Time and Attendance? It all depends on who you ask. While some vendors will lead you to believe there are vast differences, in our view, they are very similar. It really all depends on how it is deployed or more importantly, who is hosting the software. If you are in search of a time and attendance system and run across these terms, ask your vendor to explain them in a way that you can understand. If it’s too difficult to understand, chances are the system itself might be prove too difficult to work in your organization. Look for a vendor that will take the time to explain industry jargon as it relates to a web-based or hosted time and attendance system.

To download a copy of our white paper on cloud computing time and attendance click here   or  go to our website.

Web-Based, Cloud Computing, SaaS or is it Hosted Time and Attendance?

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