Time Clock Software Blog

A Blog from the authors of Time Clock MTS, a cost effective time and attendance software solution

Moving to Online Time Clock MTS

We are committed to giving all Time Clock MTS users a functional employee time clock if Windows 11 brings about the end of Time Clock MTS. As we mentioned previously we’ll be offering all existing customers at least six months free use of our online time clock system. If you are thinking about transitioning to Online Time Clock MTS the table below gives a comprehensive comparison between the two systems. We encourage you to consider this table carefully to ensure the features you need are included in the online system. We also encourage you to consider the much simple process for setting up Online Time Clock MTS and the much lower on-going cost of ownership of the system. Moving your time clock to the cloud removes the continual risk of software downtime due to Microsoft Windows updates and changes. Are you ready to migrate to Online Time Clock MTS? Contact us now to get the process started.  Online Time Clock MTSTime Clock MTS Compatibility Any web-browser, Windows/Apple/MobileWindows XP->Windows 10 Installation Free?No Any Device?Windows devices only (pre-Windows 11) Works on Cell Phones?No Works over Internet?No Multiple Locations?No Multiple Timezones?No Variable Payroll RulesNo High Data SecurityModerate Job Tracking Geo-TrackingNo Vacation/Sick Time Tracking Multi Level Security?Single Level Immune to Windows Updates?No Requires Internet ConnectionNo Leave RequestsNo Tip TrackingNo Fingerprint ScanningNo Image... read more

Time Clock MTS and Windows 11

Microsoft Windows 11 is due for release in November 2021 and it brings with it a great degree of uncertainty for the future of Time Clock MTS. Right now we are not sure that Time Clock MTS will run on Windows 11 and more clarity will not come until October 2021 at the earliest. We are currently hoping for the best, but putting in place plans if the worst does eventuate. What Will Happen if Time Clock MTS Doesn’t Run on Windows 11? If the software doesn’t run on Windows 11 we will not be able to fix it in a timely or cost effective fashion. In effect the software will be rendered obsolete. What about the existing users of Time Clock MTS? Obviously if Time Clock MTS doesn’t work on Windows 11 we will not leave you without an employee time clock. All Time Clock MTS users will have the option to move to our Online Time Clock system for at least 6 months free of charge. The options we have available if Time Clock MTS is obsoleted by Windows 11 are: Users with current support can transition to Online Time Clock MTS and get a 12 month subscription to that system and we will transition all of your time clock data from January 1 2020 to present to the online system. Users without current support can transition to Online Time Clock MTS and get a 6 month subscription to that system. Users with current support who do not transition to Online Time Clock MTS can get a pro-rated refund on their most recent support purchase or software... read more

Exporting to Heartland Payroll from Time Clock MTS

Heartland, one of the world’s biggest payment processing companies offers a comprehensive and time saving payroll processing service. We’re happy to say that Time Clock MTS can export data easily to Heartland Payroll. Here’s the step’s you’re going to need to take: First Step – Match Employee Badge Numbers The export file uses the Badge ID to match the Heartland Employee Number. You’ll need to make sure that your Time Clock MTS employee Badge ID (set on the Employee Information Screen) is identical to the Heartland Employee Number. The Heartland Employee Number is available from your Heartland Employee Masterfile. Create the Export Format New Export Formats can be created on the Reporting->Data Export->Export Formats screen (view help topic for this screen). Navigate to that screen and create a new export format. You’ll then be shown the Add Export Format screen (see below). Give the export format a name and then set the type. Heartland Payroll can use either an aggregate or event type export format. However, if you want job tracking data exported you’ll need to use the EVENT based format. Once that is set you’ll want to match up your the rate codes in Time Clock MTS with the Heartland Company Earnings Codes. The Company Earnings Codes might look something like those shown below: The Heartland export file doesn’t require a header so you can leave that field blank. The final step to take is to create the actual export line format. Here’s what Heartland needs: “HRTL”,”<EMPLOYEE_BADGE_ID>”,”<EMPLOYEE_DEPARTMENT>”,”<RATE_CODE>”,”H”,”<HOURS_DECIMAL>”,”+”, “<RATE>”,”<JOB_NO>”,””,”<EMPLOYEE_NAME>” The first field “HRTL” is an example Heartland company identifier, used if your payroll account has multiple companies. The exact... read more

Time Clock MTS and Daylight Savings

Last weekend’s change to daylight savings time highlight a potential problem with Time Clock MTS if you do not have your Windows time settings set correctly. Here’s the steps that had to be taken to see this issue show up: You’re using Time Clock MTS with an internet time server. You DO NOT have Windows set to adjust the time automatically for Daylight Savings Time. To correct the time on the computer you manually adjust the system clock forward an hour. The time display in Time Clock MTS is now 1 hour BEHIND the time shown on the system clock (see below). Fixing the problem is simple enough. Just take the following steps: Set the system time on your computer BACK one hour. It should now be one hour behind the actual time. Change your Windows settings to allow it to adjust the system clock automatically for Daylight Savings. See the image below for how this is done in Windows 10. You should find now that the clock in Time Clock MTS matches the computer system... read more

Online Time Clock MTS Geolocation and GeoFencing

You might be aware that we also have an online employee time clock system called (rather imaginatively) Online Time Clock MTS. We’re just entering the last stages of testing for a major update to that system that includes Geolocation (or GPS tracking) and Geofencing. Geolocation & GPS Positioning Online Time Clock MTS can record the GPS location of employees when they punch in or out. The position is obtained from the device GPS (if you’re using a mobile device) which is very accurate. If you’re using a device that doesn’t have a GPS then Online Time Clock MTS will use Geolocation to attempt to determine the employee’s position, this is less accurate but can still be useful. Time clock administrators can view the coordinates of employee time punches on an interactive map display shown below. Punches can be clicked on to view the details of that punch and punches recorded in very similar (or the same) location are ‘spiderfied’ into a graphical web arrangement to allow for easy analysis of stacked time punches. Geofencing A powerful new feature is Geofencing. Basically this means administrators can define geographic regions by drawing shapes on a map and restrict employees to punching in and out when they are physically within those regions. One or more Geofences can be applied to time clock logins and employees will not be able to punch in or out when their location is outside of the fences. Obviously this is going to be a lot more useful when your employees are using the mobile time clock interface on their cell phone or tablet. Below you can see... read more

Time Clock MTS Version 6.1.6 Released

We’re uploading version 6.1.6 of Time Clock MTS as this blog post is being written. This version contains a few minor fixes and performance enhancements as detailed below: Deleted employees are no longer checked when updating the status of employees on the employee list. Employee count is now gathered during the main employee status query rather than separately when updating the employee list status. The query that gets the status of a single employee now works correctly if there is more than one time note assigned to the most recent time punch. The grouped employee status query now groups time notes by time rather than returning all notes. Fixed a long standing problem with the selected employee not updating correctly on the employee list when department folders were displayed. Tie breaker sort criteria added to the grouped employee status query to stop it returning more than one record from a sub query. Of course, there should NEVER be two most recent time punches but in the case of database corruption it can happen. This tie breaker criteria will stop an ugly error being... read more