The time clock is an integral component of your time and attendance solution, and the front gate where essential data comes into the system. Often, it's also the window through which workers can access personal data such as PTO accruals, schedules and more. For this reason alone, the last thing you want is for the time clocks in your organization to be a weak link in your workforce management ecosystem.
Adding time clocks to your solution's suite of offerings makes smart business sense – as long as your time clock partner is as attentive to the details as your organization is towards its own software.
#1 Time Clocks are Hardware – Durability Matters
It's logical to focus on functionality, but functionality doesn't matter if the nuts and bolts aren't working.
The materials and methods used to fabricate the time clock directly impact its shelf life. For example, low quality materials can't withstand the daily abuse a time clock takes.
The short-sighted might think that short product-life means more time clock sales. That's exactly the attitude to avoid in a time clock vendor. A high-quality time clock can last up to three times as long as a poorly constructed one. Replacing time clocks is costly for your customers, which ultimately makes it costly for you. Costly to your brand reputation, costly in terms of support resources you'd need to devote to addressing faulty time clock issues, and costly to your team, who don't really want to take responsibility for time clock maintenance.
#2 Time Clock Vendor's Range Provides Flexibility to Suit Your Customer Base
Durability should be consistent across the vendor's entire line of time clocks. However, you should be able to choose among a range of time clocks that meet different requirements, so you can serve the range of needs presented by your customer base.
For example, "durability" can mean different things in different environments. A vendor's time clock line may have the durability to withstand an office environment, but how does it function in a factory or outdoor environment? Extreme temperatures, machine vibrations, and high levels of dust and dirt all impact the functionality and durability of a time clock. If you offer your solution to manufacturers, construction sites, and other non-office workplaces, make sure the vendor has some ruggedized time clock options to offer.
Functionality and flexibility is also essential. No one likes those car salesmen who try to pressure you into buying more car than you need. Some of your prospects and customers likely have simple time and attendance needs. Your sales team should be able to offer them a high-quality, basic functionality time clock, instead of only offering more expensive, broad-functionality time clock with bells and whistles they don't need.
Having said that, many companies do need more than basic punch in/punch out functionality. This means being able to offer time clocks with wide touchscreens and data integration that serve as employee self-service kiosks, as well as time clocks that can implement customized business rules.
#3- The Customer Service the Vendor Offers You is the Customer Service They'll Offer Your Customers
Find out whether the time clock offers different service levels and exactly what each service level offers. You want to understand clearly how support communication flows among your organization and the vendor when an issue arises.
Questions to Ask Yourself
What processes and technology does the vendor have that:
- Can push out software updates to the time clocks seamlessly and without disrupting operations?
- Help your IT and customer support teams to resolve customers' issues quickly without having to turn to the vendor for assistance?
- Ensure rapid replacement of a faulty time clock?
You need to ensure that the terminal vendor provides the level of customer service you expect your organization to provide.
Partnering with the Right Time Clock Vendor Can be a Differentiator
Steering your customers and prospects towards the time clock vendor of your choosing helps you more effectively manage their installation. Having done your own due diligence in selecting a time clock partner, you know your time and attendance solution will be well served by whichever of that vendor's time clocks a customer selects. So choose wisely. Contact us today!
