Bundling your software with a durable employee time clock is the right strategy and a profitable addition to your company's business model. But your expertise is in software, not hardware. So where do you begin?
Here's a checklist of essential factors to assess so you can find the right partner to bundle your software and start your time clock reselling program on strong footing.Different types of customers have different needs from your solution and the time clock that fronts it. For example, if your typical customer has a large number of employees who work for multiple departments or locations, you will want to offer them a time clock that allows workers to select the department or capture the location when they punch-in. Do you have a meaningful proportion of customers with high security needs and may want to use biometric readers on their clocks?
You can always find a simple punch-in/punch-out time clock. However, your customers may need more sophisticated technology. Make a short list of the most common types of operations represented by your customer base. Look at employee size, number of locations, and complexity of organizational reports.
You want to be able to offer your prospects and customers a variety of time clock options that will suit the different business operations and goals they have.
After you assess your customer base's types of operations, then dig down one level to identify what data would be most valuable to enhance their experience with your company's solution.
If your solution includes a benefits module, would your customers find it advantageous to let workers check their vacation or accruals at the time clock instead of taking their managers’ time? How many of your customers struggle with workplace safety? Would they find it advantageous to collect daily attestations from every worker whether or not they witnessed a workplace accident that day?
Think about the benefits your solution can offer and what data it might need to collect or be able to share with the time clock to deliver those benefits to your customers. Looking closely at the data will help you ensure the integration between a time clock and your solution serves both your customers and your business.
Spoiler alert – ATS can handle it all.
Delivering a piece of hardware is unlike delivering a software solution. Here are some of the physical considerations you’ll need to think about:
One option is to partner with a time clock vendor that manages the entire provisioning process for you. ATS partners never need to touch a time clock. Our teams handle everything from installing your software on the time clock, to delivering them to your customer's location or locations.
Understanding time clocks is fundamental to offering time clocks with your time tracking solution. You also need to be practical about what your business model will look like. Predicating your time clock model's profitability on replacement sales isn't going to endear your company to your customers.
The quality and durability of the time clocks you offer will reflect on your company and your solution. A cheap quality time clock may only last a few months. A durable time clock made from the highest-quality materials and construction techniques can last up to a decade.
A more complete time clock re-selling program doesn't limit your revenue opportunity simply to the time clocks themselves.
Regardless of the scope of your re-selling program, consider the durability needed for different types of clients. Manufacturing, hospital, or any high-traffic environment needs a more rugged time clock than the average office. Include work environment types in your initial customer needs assessment to determine the type of time clock variety you'll need to offer.
Our goal for ATS's partnership program is always to make reselling time clock simple and profitable. Contact one of our consultants today to start your conversation.