One of the core HR functions, time and attendance is often seen as a tedious but easily accomplished task and gets inadequate attention when it comes to technology. Still, keeping accurate time and attendance data is integral to efficiently running any organization... and the right software can make all the difference. With that thought in mind, here are four questions that you should ask your potential vendors before deciding on a time and attendance software package:

Can It Affordably Meet Your Company's Needs?

By and large, business decisions are practical ones made with “hard” numbers so a time and attendance software suite must offer more in savings than it costs in actual dollars. In addition, the suite must also handle every one of your routine tasks – and a few more if it is to be truly valuable – or else there is no point in purchasing it. In short, your vendor should be matching your business needs to the software and not vice versa. That is, configuration and customization are key... not the “bells and whistles” that the vendor likes to tout.

Is the Software Easy to Use?

First and foremost, any time and attendance software suite should be intuitive in its interface and easy to use in its functionality. Every software vendor will proclaim that proper training will resolve these issues but there are always new people entering your organization who will not be able to be trained by the vendor. For these people – no matter how talented or tenacious – the software must be readily understandable or they will not be able to easily get up to speed.

Does It Deliver Accurate Results?

As any HR manager or director will tell you, more time is spent by their staffs in fixing “simple” mistakes than in accomplishing the routine chores of the department. A simple case in point is a payroll error. In many cases, the department will almost shut down to get an employee their check while everything else waits in queue. It is essential that your time and attendance software sends accurate data to your payroll, benefits and tax departments. Otherwise, you and your team will spend many weekends fixing problems that should never have occurred.

Who Do You Call When There IS a Problem? 

Software vendors come in all shapes and sizes. The ones depend on their advertising budgets and name recognition to gain clients while the smaller, family-run ones must go the extra mile to gain customers and maintain them. While the larger firms will have a large support staff, you may never talk to the same peson twice. On the other hand, these smaller vendors usually provide a single point of contact who will remember the details of your company and your specific issues.

A Final Thought 

Ultimately, the final decision on which time and attendance software package is dependent on your specific needs and your specific expectations. The larger firms have reputations for being dependable but that image is largely self-generated while their noted lack of customer service is well-documented. Smaller firms are more in tune with their clients, more nimble at customization and far more customer-oriented. In the end, however, the choice is yours.