Dynamic Table Feature included on Forms

We are very proud to announce a wonderful new feature that gives our application an edge over the competition, we call it Dynamic Table on Forms.

Our Dynamic Table feature now enables a field worker to access additional information when completing a custom form/survey on a mobile device.

This new feature was created to allow field workers access to extra database information that can be loaded into the Timecard system’s form, directly as a CSV File.

To explain better how it works, take a look at the following table: 

The employee would select the "Order ID", then the application would fill out the rest of the fields automatically. This is particularly useful if you have a set of inventory items with predefined values or parameters and you don't need your staff to enter everything manually all the time. The dynamic table can provide information such as available products in the warehouse with codes and descriptions, a List of Work Orders with customer names, address, phone numbers, etc.

In this example, selecting any of the Order IDs would also grab the information for Name, Price, Quantity and Total, and show them as their own custom fields in any of the Custom Field Reports.  

This was designed not only to show the information back to the workers but also to use it as a selection and show this in our reports information.

Setting it up is very easy, just follow the usual Custom Field steps and select the Field Type called "Dynamic Table". Here is where you can click on "Browse" and upload the CSV file. Click on "Read Table" and then you can save the new field.

We made sure to make this into a convenient way to show and retrieve important information that is key for your business, we hope you take full advantage of this great feature that is included in our Timecard GPS package.

--Econz Team

Timecard Supervisor Timesheet Approval

Today we are glad to inform you that we have included a host of new enhancements to our Timecard Supervisor Application, which will enable Team Leaders to not only monitor their staff, but also approve Timesheets without the need to go to the Web Portal, all directly from the mobile app!

Let's go over each of them:

Review Employee Activity

Just by swiping from right to left on the screen, supervisors will be able to see the list of employees that have been assigned to them, as well as the last job, task, cost code or activity that was selected with Timecard GPS, along with the date and time for that specific entry.

Inspect Employee Location and Movement with Breadcrumb Trails

Starting from the Employee Task screen described previously, swipe again from right to left and you will be taken to the map screen, where you will see the employees' breadcrumb trails using Google Maps functionality.

Approve Timesheets:

Supervisors will now be able to perform an expedited timesheet approval right from the mobile app! This includes reviewing timesheets, approving and/or rejecting them and making edits if required. We will cover this specific functionality in a future step-by-step post.

The Timecard supervisor comes with all the features included in our Timecard GPS application plus the aforementioned Supervisor features, which means that a supervisor can collect punches, gather job pertaining data using Custom Fields and Forms while at the same time being able to monitor staff workers from the same application all through their mobile device.

Let us know in case you have any questions or comments.

--Econz Team

Timecard GPS: Clock-Green Thumbs Up

Hello everyone,

On this blog post we have a very nice and seemingly simple update but with many important implications: the Clock-Out Green Thumbs Up!

As per the latest versions for both Android and iOS updated this 2019, when you clock out with the mobile application, you will now get the following message after a few seconds:

What this means is that the application has sent all the required data to the server and at this point you are able to close the app properly.

Please note that failing to do so and force closing the app quickly after clocking out could result in your last punches and GPS data not being sent to the server until the next day, which of course, would result in delayed info on your timesheets.

There is another even more important implication and it's when there is an automated payroll system integration present and the payroll system needs all punches to be recorded at midnight (or similar) on the day in question. Just by waiting to see the Green Thumbs Up will ensure that everything goes smoothly for both employees and employers.

Let us know if you have any questions or comments.

--Econz Team

Timecard GPS New Feature: Enhanced Forms View

We have implemented a new feature that will enable you to enhance the way you currently view Forms and Custom Fields.

At the moment, the default option is the Classic view, which is good if you prefer a more compact screen, here is what it looks like:

To change this, tap on the Gear icon, and select Settings, once in the screen with four yellow icons, tap on the Menu again and select "Extras".

You will see the following screen:

Notice the "Enhanced Forms View", make sure to set it to "ON" and tap "SAVE" at the bottom.

Next time you want to access your Custom Fields or Forms, they will look like this:

They will have an attractive layout that will also give you a hint as to what type of data it can capture.

We hope you like this new feature, designed to give you more control of what the application can look like, let us know if you have any questions or comments!

--Econz Team

Timecard GPS: Uploading Tasks with Default GeoFences

Our system has the power feature that allows you to use smart fences for each specific task. You can use it to enable Entering/Leaving Area rules or even enabling Clock-In Lock using a default smart fence.

The great thing about adding a rule to the default smart fence is that you can use the same one for each task and the application will automatically recognize the address and apply the rules to it.

We have just made a change that will make your life even easier, now you don't need to enable the default smart fence to each task individually, if you have a long list of jobs with addresses and need to add some rules, you can apply the default fence right from the CSV file!

Here is how you do it, first go to the Administration tab and select "Maintain Task/Customer List:

Then click on the checkbox to the left of the team (or teams) you are going to upload tasks to:

Open the dropdown menu and select the option "Load tasks/customers from Comma Delimited File to selected teams".

You will be taken to the upload screen, notice how all of the steps are pretty much the same way we have been doing it for a while, but the example image shows what has changed: (notice columns N and O):

The External ID can be used for internal purposes, in case you have additional codes attached to your tasks or need it for an integration, but the last column "Smart Fence" is where you can define if you want to use the default fence by using the word "default", or if you won't use any smart fence rules, leave it at "none".

Keep in mind that you will need to have created at least a default rule so you can take advantage of this feature. If you aren't sure that you have one, go the Administration tab and select "Rules, Action and Fences", select the "Manage SmartFences" options and the Default rule will be the first one on the list, click on Edit to view its contents:

This example has a "Clock in Lock" rule created:

If there are no rules, make sure to add one so you can add it as a default rule to all the tasks within your CSV file.

Let us know if you have any questions in the comments section!

--Econz Team

Timecard GPS: Clock In and Clock Out Reminders

For those companies that want to enable a reminder so their employees don't forget to clock in or out, we have come up with a very easy solution.

To enable this feature go to the Administration tab and select the option "Manage Clock In/Out By Times" in the Staff section.

Once inside, tick the checkbox to Enable Clock In/Out By Times and set your times for Clock In and Clock Out. Here is an example:

Employees on this company are supposed to clock in by 9 AM and clock out by 5 PM, so if someone hasn't clocked in by 9, they will get a message like this:

And if it's already 5 PM and they haven't clocked out, they will see this:

Nice and simple, right? Let us know your thoughts in the comments sections or if you need more information.

--Econz Team

Timecard GPS: Taking Multiple Pictures

A few months ago we added a highly requested feature to capture images from the app and tie them to the tasks, projects or activities the employees are working on.

We have made an improvement to this feature in which you are now able to capture multiple photos for the same job.

Once clocked in, open the Menu (dotted icon on the top right) and select "Add Task Info".

There will be an option called "Photo Capture".

When you select "Photo Capture", the app will launch the Camera app to allow you to take a picture. When you are happy with the results, tap on Submit and then type the Picture Description. Select Submit again.

The Photo Capture field will now list the newly taken picture. To add a new one, tap on "Add". Take the new picture, the process is the same as with the first photo.

Repeat the process until you have taken all the photos you need, they will all be listed in the Photo Capture custom field. All the listed pictures will be attached to the task you are currently clocked in to. If you are going to work on another project and need to take more pictures, make sure you have changed the task.

For questions or comments, make sure to use the comments section below.

--Econz Team

Timecard GPS: Daily Mileage Report

Hi everyone!

Here is a heads up for those of you that need to do payroll and at the same time calculate travel and gas costs.

We already have a Mileage Report, but that one is focused on total miles traveled per task. If you need to have information to calculate payroll with the sum of worked hours per day, just like on the Timecard Detail Report, but at the same time need to calculate gasoline costs or monitor travel distance, then the Daily Mileage Report is for you.

To access it, go to the Reports tab and then to the GPS Location Reports section:

From then on, it's pretty straightforward. Make sure to select the appropriate teams or the user that you wish to focus on (or leave unfiltered to view the whole company), select your Start and End dates and click on Generate Report or Produce as CSV file if you prefer to download it to your computer as a spreadsheet.

With this report, you will have the clock in and clock out times, total hours and traveled distance all conveniently shown in one line per day.

We hope you get the best out of this report, make sure to let us know your thoughts or questions in the comments section below.

--Econz Team

Timecard GPS: New Administrator Settings (August 23, 2017 Update)

We have made a couple of changes to provide Managers and Administrators more control over what functionality they want to enable for their staff, specifically:

• Timesheet Signoff
• Task Search on Device
• Tracking During Breaks
• Clock-in Photo
• Editing Events through the mobile app

To enable or disable these features, please go to the Administration tab and select "Preferences" on the Basic section.

Scroll to the bottom of the settings and you will find the following options:

Make sure to enable or disable these features according to your company's needs and only if you need them!

Here is a brief description of each feature (click on the links to read the full article):

• Timesheet Signoff: give employees the ability to sign and approve their hours and have a Manager approve or decline, edit and resubmit these timesheets for re-approval.
• Task Search on Device: enable a search functionality within the Tasks List, so employees can punch in to tasks that have been uploaded to teams they don't belong to.
• Track During Breaks: when it's active, the app will continue to track the GPS location of the staff. If disabled, they won't be tracked during breaks.
• Clock In Photo: if checked, employees must take a picture to be able to clock in for the day.
• Event Edit on Phone: allow field workers to edit their punches.

If you need help understanding these features or you would like us to enable them for you, or if you just have some questions, please feel free to contact our support team here.

-- Econz Team

Timecard GPS Supervisor App

The Timecard Supervisor Application is the newest addition to our Econz lineup. This version will enable field employees to have features that were previously only available to web users, such as viewing company users' timesheet and GPS location activity.

To be able to use these features, a special type of user needs to be created. On the web portal, go to the Field Workers tab and click on Add New on the top left of the screen.

Make sure to follow these settings below. The Device ID is the user's phone number and the Name is of course, the employee's name. Device Type must be "TimeCard" and User Type has to be "Field Worker Administrator". Use the time zone according to your location and and set the password to something secure of your choosing.

Let's check out the new functionality the Timecard Supervisor app has! It can pretty much do everything the Full Version of Timecard GPS does, you will be greeted with the familiar home screen:

Here is where the good stuff begins. Swipe from the right border of the screen to the left and you will see the map. If you do the same while in the map view, you will be able to see the Employee List. This is the equivalent of the Home Lists screen on the web portal.

You will have three filters that can aid you to view a specific individual's last activity and location. The first one is the Status filter, which you can use to filter users according to their current clock in status.

Then, you will see the Time filter, useful to focus on a specific date or one of the other options shown below:

Finally, the user filter can be used to focus on just one person at a time. You can even type the name of the employee you are looking for and tap on Filter, if you want to do a search instead of looking for names in the list.

Below is what it will look like when you do a search with a name. You can tap on the Send button to send messages to employees through the application.

Entering a name in the User filter, will of course allow you to focus on that person's last location, for example, here  is Juanita's last location:

We hope you can get the best out of the newly added functionality of the Timecard Supervisor app. If you had any questions, feel free to contact our support team or leave us a comment in the comments section.

--Econz Team

Timecard GPS: Editing User Events

This blog post will cover one of our newest and most important features: Inserting Events from the Web Portal.

This is a powerful tool for companies that need to edit and add punches in case someone in the staff forgot to clock in to a task or a break.

To access this feature, go to the Administration tab and click on "Edit User Events" in the "Basic" section.

Once inside you can use the Team, User and Date filters to find what you need to edit.

In this example, we already have a user that needs some edits done. We are going to cover the four available options:

1. Changing a task
2. Adding a Clock-in and out
3. Inserting a task
4. Inserting a break

1. To edit a task, click in the following icon:

The next step is easy, just select the Task...

...and Subtask (if applicable)...

 and then pick your reason for the change before clicking on "Save Changes":

After this, you will see the change reflected immediately:

2. The next thing you can do is insert a Clock in/out event. Keep in mind this has to be done in a time frame where there are no punches.

Click on the button shown above (the one with the small watch) and you will be taken to the following screen:

Here you can select a task and a subtask, just like you did in the previous section:

Also, you need to select the Start and End times along with the reason for the change:

Once you are ready, Save it, then the new punches will be added to the system:

3. Let's say this employee worked on something else during this day, so you need to insert a task in between. The Insert Task Start/End button is your best friend here:

After clicking this button, the next screen will look very familiar, that's because it's the same process that we just did:

Select the appropriate Task, Subtask with its Start and End Times and the reason for the change, and finally click on "Add". Your inserted Task will be added:

4. Of course, we can't forget about breaks or lunches, we need to add a break in between, so the button with the Pause icon is the one that you are looking for:

This one is also very similar to the previous steps we did, the difference is that instead of a Task, you need to select a Break Type (this will vary depending on your setup).

We have chosen a 15 Minute Break and entered the time accordingly. Click on Add and the break will be added to the timesheet:

Finally, let's take a look at how the punches will look like on one of the reports:

As you can see, everything looks perfect!

Let us know if you have any questions.

--Econz Team