Timekeeping really should be simple and affordable. For many smaller businesses, however, this isn't always the case. It may start that way, but as employees are added and the business grows, the manual methods of recording, tracking, and reporting can become overwhelming. The answer for many of these businesses often involves investing in time clock software.

How Time Clock Software Can Work For You

The best timekeeping solutions are designed with busy HR and payroll managers in mind. This means timekeeping solutions that are simple to set up, and make it simple for employers to manage employee time cards on a daily basis. 

Good systems offer a variety of advanced timekeeping features can be set up so that most of these are "behind the scenes" so to speak. This allows you to focus on simply collecting time, editing cards, and running reports. Automated time clock systems typically send employee's time punches to the web for simple editing and reporting by their supervisors. That data can be sent both through a standard phone or fax line (analog) or through a digital (Ethernet) connection.

Advantages of an automated time clock system

Functionality - A simple timekeeping solution is one that offers practicality for your process. A good system provides simple hardware setup and a user-fiendly approach for tracking employee punches, editing time cards and generating reports for payroll processing.

Convenience -  Automated timekeeping can dramatically reduce the administrative work involved in collecting and calculating employee hours. Because your data is sent electronically for payroll processing, it can eliminate:

• Faxing, phoning in, or any other form of manual transmission of employee data
• Human error associated with manually calculating time sheets
• Labor hours required by payroll clerks to collect and calculate payroll each period

Savings - An automated time clock system can provide huge savings for employers.  Not only does it provide great convenience for HR staff members, supervisors, and business owners, but it also dramatically reduces labor costs. These savings are created through:

• Eliminated "wasted labor minutes" from employee time theft and approximations
• Eliminated time spent by payroll clerks in collecting and calculating time card data
• Minimized expenses associated with human error in processing timekeeping data
• Increased productivity and accountability for time worked by employees

Seven ways you can benefit with quality time clock software

1. Calculate your savings. Track actual minutes worked. Eliminate wasted labor minutes.

2. Cut administrative costs. Automate time tracking and eliminate administrative hours.

3. Increase productivity. Pay employees for minutes worked only.  No late arrivals and early departures.

4. Eliminate so-called "Buddy Punching". Prevent employee time theft.

5. Simple online editing. Log in from any workstation to easily manage data online. 

6. Reduce labor costs. Dramatically reduce your cost of labor.

7. Easy setup and operation. Typical hardware can be set up in a matter of minutes.

How Much Should You Keep In-house?

The key is to think strategically, and act tactically. In other words, anticipate your needs and expected growth while taking steps today to improve and streamline your current processes and systems. In many ways, your time keeping system can be seen as the scorecard that helps maintain your business. Paying your employees as cost-effectively as possible makes good fiscal sense!

With the wide variety of tasks and accountabilities HR professionals are responsible for managing, having the best tools at their disposal becomes an ever-present concern. Programs evolve, technology changes, and what was purchased and installed three years ago, for example, may not be sufficient for today.

And while investing in the best available software is a viable option, another direction you can consider is outsourcing. This can be simply outsourcing one process such as payroll. However, with a full-service provider such as Accuchex, you have additional options for outsourcing as well.

Let Accuchex help you in managing your HR needs, payroll processes, and staying on top of compliance demands. Get your Free Download: Payroll Outsourcing Guide to help you make an informed decision or call Accuchex Payroll Management Services at 877-422-2824.