Questions a prospective buyer of a Time Management system should ask

Product Related

• Is the system hardware offered capable and sufficiently durable to cope with the daily use by the employees, given the industry, environment and size of the workforce?
• Does the equipment come with an acceptable warranty? Does the warranty period reflect the Supplier’s confidence in the product?
• How broad is the product range on offer? Is the Supplier able to offer a range of systems from which to select one’s preferred solution?
• Is the product manufactured locally? If manufactured abroad, what turnaround times can be guaranteed in the event that the hardware develops a problem, and what capacity does the Supplier have to repair the equipment locally?
• Is the product developed within South Africa, and designed to meet the needs of the African market (Developing Countries; unskilled workforces)?
• Is the Hardware and Software developed by the same Company, and is the system fully integrated (OnLine & Real time)?
• Does the system offer an integrated Access Control system, and other useful functionality and the potential to expand and upgrade in the future?
• Is the software powerful enough to deliver all the functionality required to meet one’s needs – even the more complex shift patterns?
• Will the system allow one to do away with manual calculations and adjustments made currently to the time worked by employees?
• Is the system interface very user friendly, easy to navigate and operate?
• Will the system make the operator/wage clerk’s job easier and will it result in that employee becoming more effective in the workplace?
• Is it simple to select and extract the data required for different management personnel, daily at pre-selected times?
• Does the system incorporate an extract that will allow one’s Payroll Hours and leave information to be exported to one’s Payroll seamlessly?
• Does the software include Rostering and Leave Management functionality?

Service/Supplier Related

• Is the Supplier reputable with an established track record?
• Does this lend confidence to the likelihood of the Supplier having long term future and the ability to honour the service commitments it makes?
• Has the Supplier specialized in the field of Time and Attendance?
• Does the Supplier have national representation? Do they have a service centre located nearby? If not, how will one’s system be serviced in the event that this becomes necessary?
• Does the Supplier employ its own staff to provide the Project Management, Installation, Set Up, System Commissioning and Training?
• Or is the supplier an Agent for another’s product who may lack a detailed knowledge of the system and how best this should be commissioned?
• Is the system offered tried and tested? How long has this system been offered by the Supplier?
• Are references readily available from other Clients who use the same system? How independent and how positive are these references?
• Has the Supplier established a reputation for excellent service? Is this reasonably priced? Does the Supplier offer refresher training for system operators?
• Does the Supplier commit to ongoing research and development to ensure that its product range keeps abreast with new technology available?

Total Solution

• Will this system offer greater efficiency to one’s business than the current system employed to manage the time of one’s employees? Will this system ultimately save money for one’s business?
• Does the system offered by this Supplier represent the best value for money investment available?
• What are the inherent risks in this investment? Can one trust the Supplier that the system will live up to the undertakings given?