Computer Time Clock Software for Punch Clock Replacement

When the first employee punch clock was invented in 1888, its only purpose was to record the time employees entered and left the factory. The date and time information stamped on the original timecard gave the factory owner an official record of the time worked by each employee. Today, punch clocks are expensive to buy, difficult to maintain, reduce employee accountability, are inefficient, and make payroll processing difficult. In our current technologically advanced business environment, computer time clock software is the best choice for punch clock replacement.

Learn the reasons why every business needs to get rid of their punch clock by reading our new online article called Computer Time Clock Software - 5 Reasons You Need a Punch Clock Replacement.

Comparing Time and Attendance Software

There are many reasons businesses choose to update their employee time and attendance systems. For some, the cost of maintaining mechanical and electronic punch clocks make them impractical choices when cutting costs is paramount to survival in a difficult economy. Others are wanting to hold employees accountable with something more than a paper timecard or manual timesheet. In other words, they are looking for an accurate and impartial way to pay employees for actual hours worked. If any of these reasons sound familiar, then employee time and attendance software may be the perfect option for your business.

Learn what questions to ask when comparing employee time clock software by reading our new online article called Comparing Time and Attendance Software - 4 Questions to Ask.

Choosing Employee Time Clock Software

If you are an owner or manager of a business, you know the frustrations that come with trying to keep track of employee time and attendance. There are lots of options available, depending on your needs. If you would like to move away from mechanical punch clocks and paper timesheets, then employee computer time clock software may be exactly what you need to help your business simplify payroll processing, ensure attendance compliance, and manage labor costs. Not all time and attendance software programs are created equal, so it is important to find the right time tracking system for your business. If a free download is available from the vendor, then you should give it a try. Just make sure that the free time clock software download has all the same features as the actual program you will be asked to pay for. When reviewing time and attendance software, make sure you consider what features the program has to offer, what reports are available within the program, how user friendly the program is, and whether help is available during and after the time clock software review process.

Learn how to choose employee time clock software by reading our new online article called Choosing Employee Time Clock Software - 4 Easy Review Criteria.

Employee Time Clock Software Benefits

A traditional timesheet allows employees to record when they start and end specific tasks. For some employees, this just amounts to starting work in the morning and punching out at the end of the day. For others, this may involve keeping detailed start and end times for various activities, projects, or jobs throughout the day. Whatever your business needs, time and attendance software allows your employees to record this information much more easily, accurately, and objectively. Employee computer time clock software can help lower the operating costs of your business by making payroll processing more efficient, ensuring attendance compliance, making labor costs more visible so you can lower them if necessary, and helping automate the billing or invoicing of your clients.

Learn the benefits of employee time clock software by reading our new online article called Employee Time Clock Software - 4 Money Saving Benefits.

Job Security

Google's 'Search Stories' campaign led me to ponder my last 25 years as a software developer. The result is my story in 60 seconds. I called it Job Security.


While not directly related to our employee time clock software, it does give a little back story and a hint at the future!

Taking Time Off The Clock

As the leader of a business that publishes employee time clock software, we help employers all over the world easily manage their employee time and attendance. I find it a little ironic that my current inspiration has come from some time far away from the punch clock.

Having been immersed in the thrill of leading our fast growing company, I've somehow managed to go nearly eight years without taking a real, completely disconnected, extended vacation. My resolution for 2010 was to remedy this imbalance in my life. So my wife and I decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary by returning to Hawaii for the first time since our honeymoon twenty-two years ago. By the time I returned to work 12 days later, I was deeply impressed by the importance of unwinding, altering the pace, and changing scenery. The following are a few of the things I continue to reflect on a week after my return:

Anticipation adds to the enjoyment of doing.
Prior to our trip, several friends recommended we pick up a travel guide called Maui Revealed. In the week leading up to our departure and while we were gone, my wife and I spent a number of evenings reading the book and discussing things we would like to do and see. Maui Revealed turned out to be an unusually informative, frank, and even funny read that greatly added to the enjoyment of our vacation.  Something unexpected arrived with our reading - the joy of anticipation. We found ourselves looking forward to adventures with excitement. Many experiences were enriched with insights and observations that we most certainly would have otherwise missed. I return from vacation with a renewed appreciation for anticipation. I've made a commitment to be more intentional about anticipating upcoming events in my professional and personal life.

If you haven't experienced wonder lately, you're not completely alive.

One of the our favorite activities on Maui was snorkeling. I cannot begin to explain the sense of wonder I felt each time I drifted along in warm, salty ocean, joining effortlessly in the unhurried life of huge sea turtles and tropical fishes of an amazing array of colors and sizes. The backdrop of coral in pink and blue and green, together with the sea life that lives among them, left me feeling like I was swimming in an enormously beautiful aquarium. Only this was completely organic and therefore unlike man's attempt to capture and imitate the beauty of nature. These adventures comforted me with the knowledge that I belong to a benevolent maker of unimaginable creative genius. Unexpectedly (but I guess not surprisingly) I've discovered a renewed freshness in my own creative impulses.

Life is richer when you enjoy others.
Another unexpected highlight of our trip was the Wednesday evening we spent at Warren and Annebelle's in Lahaina Town on Maui. We started the evening with such fantastic food, service, and conversation that I would have gladly paid double for the privilege. A two hour show followed that completed one of the most enjoyable evenings we have had together. Warren Gibson is a close-up magician with hilarious comedic timing and pretty amazing showmanship. The evening reminded me how important it is to break from my own world of activity to enjoy someone else's talents and abilities. We have committed to one another that we're going to get out a little more often!

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
It's an old truism, I know. But the truth is that as the vacation ended, I returned with a new vividness in my life. As I rode my bike that first day back, I was struck by the sights and sounds and smells in the beautiful park I ride through on my way to work. I wondered how long I had been so dull towards the world and people around me.

It's one thing to know, or even say, that there is more to life than the pleasure of a job well done, even a job well loved. It's quite another to experience more of life by actually stepping completely away from the daily routine and responsibilities.  I welcome the balance and perspective it has brought as I once again find it's time to punch the clock.

Keith DeLong
Redcort Software

Whatever Happened to Customer Service?

We take customer service for our time and attendance software very seriously. When customers need help with their time clock software, or prospective customers have questions about Virtual TimeClock, we want to leave them delighted by the experience. But have you ever tried to define customer service? Some would certainly say it's how well a company consistently meets the needs of its customers. But that sounds like the focus is on the company meeting some minimum level of customer acceptance, and not on the customer whose needs may be unique and not even fully known. I think the definition of good customer service can only come from the customer. If customers are delighted by the service they receive, then that's good customer service. Even though companies try to objectively measure customer service success, it's essentially individual and subjective. What it takes to delight one customer may be qualitatively and quantitatively different from what it takes to delight another.

I had a recent customer service experience that I'd like to share. I had the unpleasant duty of needing to switch my broadband from DSL to cable, which meant switching Internet service providers. I called to set everything up, a 6 month promotional rate and then 6 months at the regular rate. Of course, it took longer than I expected. Of course, I was skeptical of the promotional promises. Of course, I had been lied to by the time the transaction was completed. But it was done, I wouldn't even need to think about it for another year, or would I?

Then I received my first invoice. I wasn't billed at the promotional rate I had agreed to when signing up. Score: Jeff = 0, ISP = 1. So I called the number on the invoice as directed if I had any billing questions. The live attendant said I'd need to call a different number before 6:00pm in order to get help with a billing question. I was thanked for my business, well wished, and asked if anything else could be done for me. Score: Jeff = 0, ISP = 2. The second call (before 6:00pm this time) went something like this: "We don't even offer a promotion for that amount", "We have a promotion that almost matches, but it requires phone service and you didn't order phone service", "The computer won't let me just enter an amount, I have to have a promotional code". I was told my best bet would be to start an instant online chat with someone in sales. Again, I was thanked for my business, well wished, and asked if anything else could be done for me. Score: Jeff = 0, ISP = 3. So I moved on to the infamous online chat. This time I was told that promotion was no longer available, but they'd see what they could do. Questions, waiting, more questions, more waiting. I was finally offered a solution that seemed satisfactory. I couldn't get the 6 month promotional rate I was promised, but I could get a slightly higher rate for a longer period of time. I immediately jumped at the opportunity because 1) this promotion may not be available after the next 5 minutes, and 2) it saved me more money in the long run than the original, and that's a good thing. Again, I was thanked for my business, well wished, and asked if anything else could be done for me. For the first time I could answer, "No thanks, you've done enough." So here's my little customer service analysis based on this recent experience.

What they did wrong:

1. Don't lie to your customers, ever.
2. Don't dangle a carrot in front of your customers and then yank it away because they don't meet some hidden qualification.
3. Don't put the blame on another person, the computer, or the "system".
4. Don't make your customers do all the leg work to get their issue resolved.

What they did right:

1. Kept accurate, up-to-date documentation in my record that even included the original promotional amount I was offered.
2. At least 1 person took responsibility until a solution was found.
3. Found something better for me, rather than just an equivalent offer.

Let me leave you with an analogy. Boiled chicken can meet certain of my nutritional needs, but it doesn't have much flavor. It doesn't delight the palette to say the least. But take your boiled chicken and combine it with other ingredients to make kung pao chicken, and now you've got a dish that delights the senses (at least mine, remember customer service is a subjective experience). I know Redcort Software has learned a few things about customer service after nearly 15 years in the time and attendance software industry. And I hope we continue to provide customer service that delights the senses of each individual we come into contact with.

Have a comcastic day!

Jeff Morrow

Redcort Software