Getting Started with Time and Attendance Plus |
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To get started you should download Time and Attendance Plus from our website. Save this file to your computer then run the file (using the Start->Run command or by double clicking on the file in Windows Explorer). Please note that Windows Vista users will need to run the installation as the local computer Administrator. You may be able to do this by right clicking on the file and selecting Run as Administrator or you may need to talk to your IT staff to help. Installing the software is straight forward, and in most cases you will not need to change the default installation options. After installation you will be asked to run the software for the first time.
You can either run the software for the first time at the end of installation (you'll be asked if you want to do this). If you want to run it later then you'll find Time and Attendance Plus will have added an entry to your programs list or optionally to your desktop.
You'll be asked to set and confirm an administrator password the first time you run the software. The password is case sensitive so be sure that you remember it or note it down somewhere. You'll need this password to be able to log into the management areas of Time and Attendance Plus. There's no way to retrieve the password from within the software so if you ever forget it you'll need to contact our support staff to have it reset for you.
Time and Attendance Plus includes a short tutorial showing the basic use and functionality of the software. The first time you run the software you'll be asked if you want to view this tutorial, this is highly recommended for new users of the program. You dont have to view it the first time you run the software, but if you ever want to see it you can always access it from the Help->Show Tutorial menu.
To get you up and running quickly Time and Attendance Plus can create some sample employee records for you. This is worth doing so you can take a look at the sort of information that can be tracked within the software.
Time and Attendance Plus runs normally in non administrator mode, allowing basic time and attendance data collection and some reporting. To access all system and administrative functions in the software you must login as the administrator. You can login as the administrator using the File->Log In As Administrator menu.
The best thing to do now is to configure the software to suit your company. You can learn about how to do this by taking a look at the Setting Up Time and Attendance Plus help topic.
There are various decisions to be made now as to how employees will use the software. This includes how they will clock in and out, what sort of security settings are required, or they can or should enter comments on punching in and out. You can look at the Display Settings, the Interface Settings, and the Security Settings help topics for more information.
All global payroll settings can be set using the Payroll Settings help topic. This is where you can configure pay rates, overtime rules, shift allowances, sick time, vacation time, and much more.
There are a number of other settings within the software that will provide you with additional flexibility or allow the software to suit your company better. For more information take a look at the Departments help topic, Employment Types help topic, Holidays help topic, Shifts help topic, and the System Options help topic.
While you are logged into the software as the administrator you can create employee records. Use the Manage Employees->Add An Employee menu. For more information see the Employees help topic.
When you've configured Time and Attendance Plus to your liking it's time to get your employees to start using it. Employees can use the software in two basic ways, you can learn more about these by reading the Keypad Interface help topic or the Employee List interface help topic.
Rather than just using one computer to collect time and attendance information you might like to use many computers to do this but keep all of your data in one location. Time and Attendance Plus allows you to do exactly this. There is a version of the software that allows data collection only (called the 'client version'). This version would be installed on the PC's you just want to use for getting your clock in and out information. To learn more see the Network Setup help topic.
Time and Attendance Plus can generate a number of different reports suitable for payroll or cost tracking. It is also capable of exporting information in a variety of formats for easy integration with other systems. To learn more about reporting in Time and Attendance Plus read the Reporting help topic.