Help Us Help You

Virtual TimeClock users typically contact technical support either because something isn’t working right (support) or they just don’t understand how it's supposed to work (training). Redcort Software technical support team members know that when you have questions about your time clock software, you want answers in a timely manner. Here are some things to have ready when you call in to help us quickly resolve your issue:

1. What version and edition of Virtual TimeClock are you using? Ex: Virtual TimeClock '12 Release 1 Pro Edition. It's easy to find this information in the About window of your time clock program.

• On Mac, go to the Virtual TimeClock menu and choose About Virtual TimeClock.
• On Windows, go to the Help menu and choose About Virtual TimeClock.

The About window looks like this:

2. What operating system are you running? Ex: Windows XP Professional, Mac OS X 10.6.8, etc. Here's how to find out:

• On Mac, go to the Apple menu and choose About This Mac.
• On Windows, right mouse click My Computer or Computer and choose Properties.

3. Did you receive an error message? If so, what's the exact error message on your screen? Screen shots are really helpful.

4. What changed? Ex: Are you doing something differently? Did your IT person add a new computer to the network?

With that information in hand, we're off to a great start toward figuring out what's going on. You can also call tech support if you have a question on how a time clock feature works, need help upgrading, or just want to make a suggestion to improve Virtual TimeClock.

No matter what the issue, we're here to help!

Angie
Technical Support Team
Redcort Software, Inc.

Time Clock Software Maintenance and Support

What are the advantages of Virtual TimeClock Software Maintenance & Support?

This optional program provides long term, economical, and uninterrupted operation of your time clock software. In other words, it’s a cost effective way to make sure your Virtual TimeClock is always up-to-date. It’s renewed on a yearly basis, so there are no surprise costs for updates, data file repair services, or technical support.

So just what does this mean to you as a customer?

• It means you'll receive personalized service from trusted, knowledgeable support specialists, who are familiar with your time clock software product and ready to help resolve issues over the phone, email or via live chat.
• It means you'll receive regular software updates that you can download conveniently from our website if and whenever you want at no additional charge.
• It means you'll receive our monthly information filled 'Tips & Tricks Newsletter' with helpful hints and ideas on using Virtual TimeClock in real world business situations. 
• Most importantly,  it means getting answers when you need them from our expert technical support team.

Angie
Technical Support Team
Redcort Software, Inc.

Are Your Time Cards Slowing Down?

I recently worked with a customer who was having an issue with their time clock. They’ve been using the Virtual TimeClock Network Edition for about 4 months to keep track of time spent on different projects. They have about 50 employees changing activities numerous times throughout the day. The customer noticed it was taking longer and longer for them to run activity reports. After poking around for a couple of minutes we discovered they had never closed a payroll period. His response is one I hear often, “I didn’t know I was supposed to.” We brought his payroll period current and his reports are lightning fast again.

Most businesses follow the following steps to prepare employee hours for payroll processing and start a new payroll period:

1. Review employee timecards 
2. Edit employee hours 
3. Process payroll 
4. Close payroll period

If you’ve never closed a payroll period, you’ll want to verify your payroll settings first. Go to the Configure control panel and choose Payroll Period. Set your payroll frequency (how often you get paid) and the current period start date.

Jeff
Technical Support Team
Redcort Software, Inc.

Out of Time Clock Licenses?

Virtual TimeClock Network Edition licensing is based on the total number of computer connections using the time clock. Once a time clock client connects to the time clock server, it will register itself and use a license. That license still remains in use if the time clock gets turned off or even removed from that computer. If you get an out of license message when connecting to your Virtual TimeClock Server, asking these simple questions first may help you solve the issue on your own.

• Has Virtual TimeClock been installed on any new computers?
• Have you moved any computers?

If you get a new computer or move your time clock to a different computer, you'll need to remove the registration of the old time clock client from the Virtual TimeClock Server Manager. To remove the old computer registration:

1. Launch the Virtual TimeClock Server Manager.
2. Click the Licenses toolbar button.
3. On the right hand side you'll see a list of registered computers. Select the name of the old computer and click Remove Client. 

If the name of the registered computers doesn't help you pick the right one, then you can delete all of the registered clients that have a red status indicator showing they're currently disconnected. It's also not uncommon for your IT support to inadvertently use client licenses when they're remotely installing or maintaining your time and attendance system.

Angie

Technical Support Team

Redcort Software, Inc.

Reopening Closed Payroll Periods

If a payroll period is closed early, any new time clock entries for the closed period are recorded but not totaled when employee timecards are printed. Which is great because employees can still use the time clock to record their time. So you'll still see all the punch times, but they won't be reflected in the report totals. All you have to do is reopen the payroll period and run your employee timecards again. Then everything will be right as rain.

You also can’t add or edit past timecard entries until the payroll period is reopened. All you have to do is reopen the payroll period, make your edits, and then close the period again. Most of the time, it's just the prior payroll period that needs to be reopened. If you need to reopen a payroll period that goes back a few months, give us a call so we can discuss how that may impact your time clock software.

To reopen a closed payroll period, go to the Tools menu and choose Payroll Period. In the Current Period section, enter the start date of the payroll period you want to reopen. Change the start date back when you're all done.

Jeff
Technical Support Team
Redcort Software, Inc.

Employee Time Card Signatures

For those of you that print out your employee timecards and have employees sign off on them, you've probably noticed the text on top of the employee signature line. The default text says "I certify that these hours are a true and accurate record of all time worked during the pay period." Although most businesses find this wording sufficient, others would like to add their own agreements. I've had businesses add phrases like "I have taken all my mandatory daily rest and meal breaks during this pay period" or timecard reminders like "Overtime is calculated after 40 actual hours per week have been worked. Paid leave time is not included in computing hours worked for overtime calculation." It's easy to customize your time clock software timecard signature lines.

Go to the Reports menu and choose Report Writer. Select the Timecard Detail report from the list of reports on the left because this is the default employee timecard. Click the Options tab and then the Signature Text button.

Customize the signature line text to suit your business needs and save.

Jeff
Technical Support Team
Redcort Software, Inc.

Understanding Time Clock Security

The key to time clock security is enabling password protection. Once password protection is turned on, you can adjust the security settings to suit your own needs. For example, you can prevent timecards from being modified or deleted. You can also decide what features you want time clock software users to be able to access, view or modify.

This can be done a lot easier than you think. The first step is to set up the time clock administrator. Go to the Lists menu and choose Users.  Select the name of the employee that will be your time clock administrator and click the Access tab.  Enter a password, check the User is an administrator of this program box, and save your changes. Next you'll want to set passwords for all your users by selecting each user name from the list on the left and entering a password. After all users have been assigned a password, it's time to enable password protection.

Click the Security Settings button in the Access panel. This will take you directly to the Security control panel. Check the Enable Password Protection box, enter your new administrator password, and save.

Now that security is turned on, you can use an often over looked feature: putting your time clock in Administrative Mode.

Putting your time clock in Administrative Mode will give you access to all program functions with only one password entry. From the Tools menu, choose Enter Administrative Mode and enter your password. To reactivate password protection, go to the Tools menu and choose Exit Administrative Mode, or just quit your time clock. Security will automatically turn on when the program starts up again.

Angie
Technical Support Team
Redcort Software, Inc.