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Primary time entry screen
Click for larger image
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Service Overview
The TimeDirect® time and expense tracking service has been engineered
to provide administrators and staff with simple to use, yet powerful features through a
Web-based interface with little or no learning curve.
Instructions are given on most every screen for the processes
of entering and approving time entries and expenses, running reports, and system
administration.
The system is available 24 hours a day and updated in real time
from wherever in the world Internet/Web access is available.
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No application software is installed at your
office. Generally, we will have your application set up in one business day.
For each TimeDirect® customer company, a private database
and website URL is activated on our servers. Through this unique web address,
you will set up password protected access for each member of your staff. The first 30 days are free for your
evaluation. Many data analysis reports are available, and information can be selected
and downloaded in delimited text format for use in other software packages, such as
a payroll, billing, or an advanced reporting system.
Below are in-depth feature descriptions of TimeDirect®. Of course, the best way to
evaluate the service is to set up an account.
Desktop Requirements Top
A dial-up or broadband connection through an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
is required for access to the Internet/Web for each computer using
TimeDirect®.
Supported web browsers: Netscape 4.07 or better, MS Internet Explorer 4.0 or better.
Cookies, Javascript, and 40 or 128 bit data encryption must be enabled.
We have had good results running all functions of the system
over a 14.4 bps speed modem connection, however, we recommend
using at least 28.8 bps for best results. Broadband access is preferred.
Your computer should have at least a Pentium III class processor with 256mb of RAM.
To keep track of individual user sessions, TimeDirect®
uses Web browser "cookie" data.
Generally speaking, the on-line demo is a full working version
of TimeDirect®, and running it should be a good
indication of what your success will be from a technical standpoint.
User Types
Top
Maintained by the system administrator at your company and assigned through a userid and password,
there are 5 types of system authority that can be granted to users in any combination:
- Submit Time and Expense data
- Approve Time and Expenses
- System Administration (only one administrator per company)
- Administrative Reporting
- Expense Report Processing
Time and Expense Entry
- this authority is granted to a individuals who
do project work and enter their time and expenses into the
system for tracking purposes. Examples are:
sales people, consultants, temporary help, general employees, etc.
Features at a glance:
- create time entries and expense reports unique by date, project, customer
- save time entries and expense reports as "drafts", or as "final"
- delete time entries and expense reports
- view all time and expense history / jump to edit mode
- enter memos by task and expense
- employee personal time and expense reports by week, project, customer, and task
- change your system password
- email alerts to approver when time and expenses are finalized
Time and Expense Approver - an approver is responsible for reviewing submitted
time and expense entries and "approving" them on special pages
set up for that purpose.
Features at a glance:
- list and approve all finalized time and expense entries
- locate outstanding time entries
- group approval without review
- approval reversal
- approve / reject with email comments to employee
- detail reports for a date range by week, person, project, department,
customer, task, and expenses
- send broadcast email to employees
System Administrator - the administrator has control over creating user accounts,
granting authority, adding projects, customers, departments,
tasks and expenses to the database, and the downloading of time and expense information.
An administrator can also have authority to enter and approve
time and expenses. The administrator is responsible for maintaining
TimeDirect account information. One system administrator is
allowed per company.
Features at a glance:
- control employee, project, customer, department, task and expense databases
- create user accounts, grant user rights, change passwords. eMails can be automatically
sent to new or existing users regarding their password and system logon URL.
- assign employee approvers
- locate outstanding time entries
- download data for external uses
- send broadcast email to employees
- control account and billing information
Administrative Reporter -
This right can be granted to anyone who has full reporting responsibility
on employee time and expense information. Also, this right can be individually granted to
an employee who needs only reporting rights, and is not responsible for
any other time accounting activity.
Features at a glance:
- run detail reports for a date range by
person, project, task, department, customer, and expense
Expense Report Processor -
This authority enables an individual to mark expense reports as "Paid".
An employee submitting expense reports can then track and manage their expenses
more easily.
Features at a glance:
- mark expense reports as "Paid"
- expense report approval reversal
An individual may be given any combination of these authorities. A user of the
system may be made "inactive" to disallow login, but the tracking
of their time history will continue.
Projects Top
A user must select a project when creating time and expense entries.
Project details are entered into the system by an administrator.
Basic information like project name, start and end dates can be tracked.
Examples of projects might be:
"Temporary receptionist help", "Payroll system development",
or "Training and other education." A project with the name of "None" may be entered
if tracking of time and expenses at the project level is not required.
Projects can then be broken down into "tasks" that further define how time
was spent. Task examples may be: Keypunching, system design, program development,
sales calls, support services, troubleshooting, etc.
A project may be made "inactive" to prevent use on future time entries, but the tracking
of its history will continue.
Tasks can be tagged as "billable" or "non-billable". This is helpful for tracking
activities that occur during the course of a project - such as vacations, holidays,
and illnesses, but for which time is not billed.
Customers Top
A customer must be selected by a user when creating time and expense entries.
Customer data is entered into the system by the administrator. Basic customer
information may be stored in TimeDirect®, such as company name
and contact information. The customer entity may also be used to designate hours
charged back to various areas of your company. A customer with the name of "None" may be entered
if tracking of time and expenses at the customer level is not required.
A customer may be made "inactive" to prevent use on future time and expense entries,
but the tracking of its history will continue.
Departments Top
Each user of TimeDirect® is assigned into a department.
Department details are entered into the system by an administrator.
A department with the name of "None" may be entered
if tracking of time and expenses at the department level is not required.
Tasks Top
A task is the level at which time is entered on a
time entry in TimeDirect®.
A list of valid tasks is created and maintained by a system administrator.
A task may be designated as billable or non-billable for reporting and downloading purposes.
A task may be made "inactive" to prevent use on future time entries,
but the tracking of its history continues.
Expenses / Expense Categories Top
An expense is the level at which expense items are entered on an
expense report in TimeDirect®. Each expense
is assigned an expense category for reporting purposes.
An example of an expense category might be "travel", containing the
expenses "airfare", "hotel", and "auto rental".
A list of valid expenses and expense categories is created and
maintained by a system administrator.
An expense and expense category may be made "inactive" to prevent use on
future expense reports, but the tracking of its history continues.
Time and Expense Entry Top
Time and expense entries are uniquely defined by a project, customer, and
week starting date. Within TimeDirect®, week starting
dates are Mondays.
This structure provides the basis for a unique and powerful feature of
TimeDirect® - the ability to approve portions of an employee's work week.
This is particularly useful when an employee performs work or reports
expenses for different customers and/or projects in the same week that require separate
approval and tracking - perhaps for billing or accounting purposes.
The status of a time or expense entry may be
"Draft", "Final", "Approved", or "Rejected", while expenses can also be "Paid".
A person who selects to enter time and expense information will be
presented with a selection screen for a project, customer, and a week starting date.
If a time or expense entry already exists, it will be displayed using a table based
spreadsheet with the current information already in place. If not, one will be created.
Time and expenses in "Draft", or "Rejected" status may be updated, while those in
in "Final" or "Approved" status can only be viewed.
When an individual has completed a time or expense entry, it may be
saved in "Final" status.
When this occurs, an email message is sent to the designated approver alerting
him/her that a time or expense entry is awaiting approval.
Time and Expense Approval Top
A person who is authorized may select a list of all time or expense entries
that have been saved in "Final" status for personnel for whom
he/she is designated as the approver. At that point, after reviewing the data,
he/she may choose to "Approve" or "Reject" the Time or Expense entry.
If approved, the information is tagged as "approved" and can no longer be updated.
If "rejected", it can be revised by the person by whom it was created.
Either way, an email message is sent to the time or expense creator with a
description of the action, and a detailed message supplied by the approver.
Also, a report showing outstanding and unsubmitted time is available.
System Administration Top
A System Administrator has complete control over system access and the
setup of your TimeDirect® application.
Typical functions include:
- Adding and maintaining user login accounts and authority -
setting up rights, assigning approvers, deactivating accounts, modifying personnel details
- Adding and maintaining projects, customers, departments, tasks, and expenses in the database
- Analyzing and extracting data through downloads
- Changing company information, contact information, and billing method
Reports/Downloads Top
The time and expense data that can be viewed on a report depends on the level of
authority of the individual requesting it. Someone with time and expense entry
rights only can report on the time and expenses they have submitted. An approver
can report on the time and expenses for people for whom they are the assigned approver.
A system administrator may report on all time and expense data in the database.
Reports can be created in several levels of detail, depending on your needs -
by week, person, project, customer, department, task, expense, and expense category.
System Administrators may download data in a variety of different
summarization levels for use outside the TimeDirect® service.
Support Top
We provide a priority support eMail link on each page of your
TimeDirect® service application. You may also call
our office toll free at 866-828-2870 during regular business hours, 9am - 5pm EST. US.
Support issues are handled promptly, generally within a few hours.
The best way to review the service is to run the
live demo
and experience TimeDirect® in all of the above roles.
TimeDirect® was designed with flexibility and simplicity
in mind. If you have questions not covered in this documentation or
in the on-line demo, please let us know, and we will evaluate your
situation for a solution. Your satisfaction with the TimeDirect®
service is guaranteed. Go to pricing/signup
for a complete rundown.
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