Still using paper timesheets to track your employee payroll? That is how Salem SD in Wisconsin tracked its employee time, up until 2016. Four years ago, it started using Skyward SMS 2.0 TrueTime with School Technology Associates time clocks. The time clocks come with up to two reader types, with the options of a swipe barcode reader, a proximity reader, or a biometric reader. Salem SD was already using proximity key fobs for access to doors and other areas in its school, so for its time clocks it was an easy decision to choose the proximity fob reader. Looking at the set up of the clocks, Tony, IT Specialist at Salem SD says, “They’re very secure with a nice case that attaches to the wall mount. They are also easy to troubleshoot and the access to admin settings are ‘hidden in plain sight’ which is a really nice feature from an IT perspective.”
Touch Clock running Skyward SMS 2.0 interface
After setting up and giving the employees a run through on how the time clocks work, everyone picked it up quickly. “I like that it’s convenient for staff,” said Susan, Business Manager at Salem SD. “We have three time clocks by the main entrances where people come and go. It took a little time for everyone to remember to clock in, but soon it became a routine that the first thing you do when you arrive is place your fob on the reader and clock in.” Crystal, Bookkeeper at Salem SD says, “The time clocks have taken away a lot of manual error. Now, we don’t need to manually add up everyone’s timesheets. It also holds staff more accountable to clock in and out everyday, instead of every Friday employees quickly filling out their Monday to Friday schedule on the paper timesheet.”
Algoma SD, another school in Wisconsin, has a similar story. “We were doing a ton of manual paper timesheets and it got to the point where we had to look over the timesheets. Some employees would add up their time wrong, or add the minutes wrong, forget to put a lunch in there; it became very cumbersome. So we reached out to Skyward and found out about TrueTime and School Technology Associates time clocks,” said Jason, Director of Business Services at Algoma SD.
Last November, Algoma migrated from Skyward SMS 2.0 to Skyward Qmlativ. “At first I didn’t think about if the time clocks need to be upgraded to work with Qmlativ, then I reached out to School Technology Associates and found out, yes they do,” said Jason. Luckily, the conversion was easy and after a software upgrade to the clocks, Algoma was able to have them up and running again with the new Skyward Qmlativ. “The conversion went great, and the new user interface for the clocks is really good. Employees can quickly look at their timesheets and see if they are good, or if they forgot to punch out a day. It’s a really great improvement.”
Touch Clock running Skyward Qmlativ Interface
When looking at how the time clocks have helped improve its processes, Susan at Salem SD says the biggest benefit is time. “It’s so much quicker than it was before. A lot of time was spent filling out the timesheets, locating them, submitting them, having them approved. Being able to get it all done electronically has saved so much time.”
For Algoma SD, Jason says, “The main benefit for our employees is that the time clocks are so simple. You clock in, you clock out, and at the end of the week you hit submit. It’s really been beneficial to employees, due to the fact it’s so simple. On the business side, it has streamlined payroll, cutting down the pre-work by two-to-three hours.”
