|
When Willard Bundy invented the punch clock back in 1888, businesses had been using technology to improve the way they recorded employee time worked. After punch clocks and time cards, the next big technological advancement had been the development of time and attendance software. For organizations, using good time tracking software for workforce management provides great advantages, such as automatic reporting and increased productivity. It can save businesses a lot of time and money on payroll preparation, while virtually eliminating clerical errors. The latest development in time tracking technology is “the cloud”—also known as Software as a Service, or SaaS. Instead of using software installed on a computer at your location, your employees clock in and out over the Internet. As with time tracking software, you can automatically compute hours worked and download data to your payroll processor. SaaS Flexibility If the software is 100 percent Web-based (and it should be to avoid obsolete technology and installation problems), you can run it from any computer on Earth. Software companies can deliver technology via two different models: installed at your location, or rented by you and running on the vendor’s site. The latter approach is called software-as-a-service (SaaS). There is no reason a provider can’t offer both options. SaaS allows early rollouts, server protection and easier upgrades. In an early rollout, the vendor lets you temporarily use the SaaS site while your IT shop deploys the machine purchased for your local installation. Server protection is the process of sending a backup to the vendor in case your local installation fails. Thus, the vendor can get your system running on his site instantly. SaaS allows easier upgrades because you’re provided a test site during the upgrade process that requires no hardware purchases on your part. Questions to Ask Vendors: • What sort of backup generator do you have in case of a power outage at your SaaS site? • Where is it hosted? • How many connections to the Internet does your SaaS site have? • How much does server protection cost? • Can I roll-out on your SaaS servers and later transfer the data to my own servers? • Where are SaaS backup tapes stored? • What kinds of security and fire suppression capabilities exist at the hosting site? Look Outside the HR Department When payroll executives implement time and attendance systems to automate payroll, they often miss the chance to facilitate greater profitability throughout the company. These executives are, of course, payroll experts. They are usually not experts at project accounting or billing automation. The time data they collect, if collected appropriately, can also be used to automate project management, project costing, project tracking, and project estimation improvement. Additionally, the data can be used for internal, external and reverse billing automation. Think back to that requirements gathering portion of the timesheet software selection process. Bring in R&D managers and marketing folks. Have an entire selection team. Yes, it may be harder, but it will unleash profitability that you didn’t know you had available. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can be sure that time management software will make enormous profitability increases in your company by automating payroll, billing, and most of all, project cost accounting. Lakshmi is a marketing professional and had been into writing for various technology related articles including time tracking software and absence tracking software solutions.
Related Articles -
time tracking, time tracking software, cloud based time tracking,
| 
