FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Employees & Location Tracking
I need a system that is simple for my employees to use. How do they clock-in/out?
Simple – Yes! For employees using the Call-In method, they will dial the Chronotek toll-free number from any phone line (except pay phones), enter their Access Code and Job Code (if required). The system reports, “You have clocked in at xx:xx am/pm”. The next call will register as the clock-out and reports, “You have clocked out at xx:xx pm; you have worked xx hours:xx minutes”. The goal is to get people clocked-in as quick as possible!
For employees using the Chronotek app, they will enter their Chronotek login credentials and select the correct Job (customer, location, site, etc.) for the shift. If the address has been setup for each Job, then the system will “suggest” which Job they should clock into based on their current location. To clock-out, they press STOP… it couldn’t be easier!
How do you know the employee is really the one calling to clock-in/out?
Chronotek has a feature called Random Voice Verification (RVV) which is a tool offered as an additional layer of identification to help prevent buddy punching for employees using the Call-In Method. If enabled, employees are prompted to “Please State Your Name” at clock-in/out. The system stores this voice recording alongside the original voice recording that the employee creates on the first call into the system. Recordings are available for review in the Supervisor’s voicemail box; as well, they are available by .wav files.
Some of my employees need to hear Spanish options, is this available?
Yes, employees are asked for their access code in English and depending upon their language setting, hear the remainder of the prompts in English or Spanish.
How do I know the employees are on site when they clock-in/out?
Chronotek can report the employee’s location at clock-in/out through several clock methods. Whether using the Call-In method (land line or regular cell phones) or the Chronotek app, the system is able to report whether the employee is “Located at Job” or “Located NOT at Job”. This data is based on the Caller ID captured (land line phones) and the Location Services report from the smart phone (Chronotek app). Read an informative article on our blog site: GPS Technology Game.
I prefer my employees to use the app, but not everyone has a smart phone.
Chronotek offers a tool called Supervisor Clock whereby a person with access to the Chronotek app can clock employees in/out with the tap of a button. Also, all of the clock methods are “interchangeable”. Employees can use a regular cell phone to clock-in, and then be clocked-out with Supervisor Clock. There is a method to meet every situation.
New Accounts
How does the trial session work?
Upon sign-up you will have full access to the system with a live account. Our hope is that you will test the account for a full 30 days to make sure it is a good fit for your business. This will give you an opportunity to run at least two pay periods with the live data to see the ease of the payroll process. At the end of the trial session, we require a credit card number to be entered on your account for the monthly auto-pay process. This will continue service and set your account to Active Customer. We respectfully ask that trial session is kept to a limit of 20 employees. If you need to “test drive” the system with a larger group of employees, we will be glad to shorten the timeframe of the free session, so make sure to let us know. It is usually best to test the system with a small group of employees before rolling out to the entire staff.
Do I have to sign a contract?
The Chronotek service is a monthly plan, with no contracts or obligations. On the first day of each month, an invoice is generated to include charges for the prior month’s activity; so you only pay for the service that has been used. Accounts are setup on monthly auto-pay by credit card or bank draft to make this an easy process.
Do you offer training or help if I have questions?
Our Customer Support Team is second to none…and free! We offer telephone support, live chat, and email support. As well, we have an awesome online help site that will allow you to search for any keyword or topic; videos and printable guides are also available. Our goal is to provide every tool possible to help your business succeed! Our normal business hours are M-F | 8am-6pm ET; we monitor after hour messages and will return calls the next business day, or as necessary.
Are there setup fees involved in a new account?
Chronotek does not require setup fees for new accounts. We do require deposits from large companies (more than 100 employees/customers) that require data imports or FTP/API setups. We will make sure to discuss this with you ahead of time.
Reports & Payroll
Do you have proof that Chronotek can help my business?
We have customers from our beginning days over 20 years ago because it works! No other type of service gives you the return on investment that our service can give – savings in payroll dollars, payroll administration, enhanced field communication, and location tracking. It is a true employee management system. Read two great article about this on our blog site: Would You Trade a Quarter if I Gave You a Dollar? and Minding Your Minutes.
What kinds of reports can I run to help me to better manage my business?
Chronotek offers a variety of reports to see your total labor hours/costs and job costing stats. Hours are automatically calculated and can be viewed by any date range needed (day, week, year, etc.). Overtime is calculated at over 40 hours/week and can be expanded to see over 8 hours/day, over 12/day, 7 consecutive days worked. The Budget Planner is a real-time and interactive tool to help you stay on track with labor hours and contracts.
How can I use Chronotek to control overtime expenses?
Chronotek offers several tools to monitor time card hours. The reports on the Admin site and Chronotek app offer a snapshot of the current work week’s hours to help control overtime. At a glance, you will always know the hours worked by employee and by customer site. Read about the new overtime rules on our blog site: New Overtime Rules – Don’t Panic and New OT Rule Makes Automated Timekeeping a Necessity.
Can you explain the QuickBooks API interface?
Most timekeeping systems make you export IIF files that you must upload into QuickBooks. We decided to have Chronotek do that work, so we created an interface program that does the upload automatically. When Chronotek and QuickBooks are open you can press a button, and seamlessly the program checks to ensure the data matches in both systems, and then takes the snapshot of the timecards and puts it into the Weekly Timesheets section of QuickBooks. It really is that easy.
Do you have exports available for payroll services?
Chronotek has several export formats that can be sent directly to your payroll service rep, or be easily imported into your account. These exports are generated from the Payroll Snapshot which is a powerful tool that calculates regular and overtime hours for any pay period. This includes overtime with semi-monthly payroll, over 8 or 12 hours in a day, and 7th consecutive day for California overtime.
System Facts
What is the difference between a timekeeping system that is “hosted” versus one that is not? Why should I care?
That is a great question, although the word “hosted” usually slips by most people. Hosted boils down to our phone lines, our servers, and our responsibility. We really are a service, so you buy nothing and worry about nothing. It is our utmost priority to keep the service running optimally; we have a 99.99% up-time record over the past 20 years.
What are the advantages of using Chronotek versus a card reader or biometric reader?
Chronotek does not require any special equipment on site. It is hard to place equipment at remote sites the might change frequently. Biometric devices are not accurate enough, registering 80% or even 90% accurate. Employees are probably there 80-90% of the time! And some devices require you to collect the data each pay period. With Chronotek, employees simply use a phone (site or cell phone) or the Chronotek app to clock in and out. These clock events are collected live and are viewable from any internet access. You can receive text messages at each clock in or out for the ‘problem’ employees, or just no-show alerts if you use job schedules. Random Voice Verification can be used to prevent buddy punching for employees who use the call-in method.
How can I be sure all my data is 100% secure?
Our Chronotek servers are in secure co-location sites with backup services. Data access to the servers is secured with firewalls and internal alerting mechanisms. All Chronotek data crosses over HTTPS (used by our Web servers to transfer and display Web content securely just to the recipient- simply said, encrypted). You know you are using our secure certified site when the URL says “https://” and there is a lock icon in the browser window pane (usually at the bottom). Periodic secure, off-site backups give another layer of protection in the event of catastrophes out of our control.
What happens if the Chronotek system does down?
There are many “moving parts” to the Chronotek system. We believe in selecting the best vendors to minimize the impact of downtime, which is inevitable with any system due to the many technical components beyond the system. Because of this commitment, we have a 99.99% up-time record over the past 20 years. Read a great article about this on our blog site: Building a Business: Choosing Vendor Partners.
