adminThe quality of any biometric time and attendance system is determined by the quality of the software it uses. Finding good software is the key. You would like to make sure that the software meets your needs and is robust enough to handle whatever your business may or may not throw at you.
What do you look for?
1) Ease of Implementation: Any biometric time and attendance system should be easy to implement and use. If a software involves hours of training and is complicated to learn, then it is not worth it keeping in mind the cost and productivity. Therefore, it is not necessary that you go with a product like that. To find the right fit, first understand the needs of your team and the attendance management. If they need something menu driven with “Wizard” options, find the software solution that provides it. Determine what they (or you) value and then find it. Also, many software solutions come with free support or training included. These added values can create big value and save loads of time for your company.
2) Software Capability: What exactly you should be able to do? Record “exempt employee sick time”? Vacation pay? Holiday pay? Manage over 1000 employees? Write a list of requirements which can be fulfilled by the software. Then write a wish list of everything that you would like to be able to do. Now, go shopping. You will be amazed at the options that software solutions come with. Also, if you need something that is not a standard option, talk to the manufacturer about the possibility of customizing the software.
3) Payroll Export Options: You work with Paychex, QQest, or ADP for your payroll processing. Make sure you find a biometric software that exports to those programs. Also, speak with your payroll provider to see if they have any opinions regarding the software.
4) Customer/Technical Support: Average software solutions become great solutions with the right support service and world class biometric software can be worthless if you cannot use it and cannot get anyone to support you with it. More and more, attendance software manufacturers are offering complimentary support with their products. It is necessary to do some kind of probing in order to find out about the support staff and existing clients using their services. These probing questions can give you an idea as to whether a company can earnestly back up their support claims.
