TimePilot Tips

Q. Will TimePilot run on my computer if I upgrade to Windows 8?

A. Yes. As Microsoft developers, we had early access to Windows 8 and have already completed testing our software in it. Windows 8 is expected to go on sale in late October.

Q. I have several department heads. Is there any way to have multiple administrators in the TimePilot software?

A. Yes. You can install TimePilot Central on as many computers as you like on your local area network.They would all share one TimePilot database and use the same administrator login. (Coming soon: an Enterprise Edition of the TimePilot software, which will allow you to set up logins for your supervisors and allow them to see only the employees you designate.) Assuming you have TimePilot Central already installed on one computer, here's how to install TimePilot Central on additional computers:

  1. Place your TimePilot CD in the additional computer's CD drive.
  2. When the software's opening screen appears, click "Install TimePilot Software."
  3. Click "TimePilot Installation Menu" (Not the Wizard.)
  4. Click "TimePilot Management Software." TimePilot Central will install.
  5. The first time you run TimePilot Central, you'll be asked if you want to create a new database or open an existing one. You want to open the existing TimePilot database—the same one you set up when you installed the TimePilot software on your first computer. The database's name may appear in the large box in the center of the screen; if so, click on it to highlight it and click "Open." If it doesn't appear in the large box, click the "Open an Existing TimePilot Database" button at the bottom of the screen, browse to the existing database and click "Open."
    Don't know where the existing database is located? Here's how to find it: Start TimePilot Central on your first computer. The "Login Information" screen will appear, and location of the database will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Now you can log in to TimePilot Central on the additional computer as well. Note: It's good practice to keep simultaneous access of the database to a minimum.

Q. How can I print out a report with an employee's actual clock in and out times—no rounding, just the raw times?

A. There are several ways to do this:

  • In TimePilot Central, click the "Reports" menu, then  "Transactions Reports." Four choices will appear: Choose the bottom one, "Transaction Report (Comparison)." This will give you each employee's raw times as well as their times with any rules (rounding, snap-to, etc.) applied. Click the "Next" button at the top of the screen to scroll through your employees. You can then print the report by clicking the appropriate button on the left side of the screen.
  • In TimePilot Central, click the "Reports" menu, then "Transactions Reports." Four choices will appear: Choose any of the first three. When the report appears, you'll see some dropdown boxes at the very top of the screen. One will be labeled "Trans. with Rules Applied." Click the arrow next to the box and choose "Trans. Without Rules Applied." The display will change to show each employee's raw times without any rules (rounding, snap-to, etc.) applied. You can then print the report by clicking the appropriate button on the left side of the screen.
 

No saving?: Daylight saving time is supposed to reduce energy use, but two economists did a study on data gathered from Indiana which suggests it actually does the opposite. Studies from the 1970s found that daylight saving time saved energy, but data from three years in the mid-2000s indicates that daylight saving time actually caused a 1 percent overall increase in residential electricity use. The main culprit was increased air conditioning.

Source

Tick, tick, tick: Animals from shrews to humans to blue whales have lifespans with just about equal number of heartbeats—about one and a half billion.

Source


Welcome!
TimePilot newsletter No. 18

Whether you're a current or future TimePilot customer, we're glad to see you.

Every month we'll offer news about TimePilot products, tips on how to use them more efficiently, some of the "cool stuff" our employees have come across and a special deal available only to those who receive this newsletter!

In this issue:

  • TimePilot Tips: Windows 8, multiple administrators, reports with raw data.
  • Lead Story: Combining TimePilot Systems.
  • Cool Stuff: Khan Academy.
  • The Deal: 20% off TimePilot Tap clocks.

Combining
TimePilot Systems

Many of our first-time customers aren’t aware that you can add other TimePilot products to your current TimePilot system. All of our TimePilot timeclocks are designed to be used together, in any combination.

The key is that all of the clocks have unique names and they send the data they collect to the same TimePilot database. Each clock-in and clock-out is identified not only by the name of the employee, but also the name of the clock they used. This allows supervisors to see not only when their employees clock in, but where, as well. Your employees’ iButtons can be used on all of our systems except the TimePilot iPhone App.

Here are some examples of multiple-clock systems:

Example 1

The challenge: You have a TimePilot Vetro time and attendance system that’s mounted in your office and is cabled to your network. That’s fine for your office employees, but it means that the people who work in the back shop have to come up to the office to clock in and out. You’d like to have a clock in the shop so they can clock in and out where they work, but your network doesn’t extend to the shop.

The solution: Add another Vetro system. Because Vetro can be used with or without a network, it’s a perfect choice. Mount the Vetro in the shop, plug it into a power source, add your employees, set the time and you’re in business. The clock in the shop will collect and hold clock-ins and clock-outs in its memory until you download them to the included USB drive. Then take the USB drive to the computer you use with the office’s Vetro timeclock and upload the data into the TimePilot software. All the data will be saved to the same database as the office clock, so everything will be in one place and employees can clock in at either clock. And you’ll be able to see in TimePilot Central when and where they clocked in and out.

The cost: Just $349.

Example 2

The challenge: You have a TimePilot Extreme system mounted at a worksite. Occasionally one or two members of your crew do small jobs at different locations, and you’d like to track their time when they’re off-site.

The solution: Add a TimePilot Tap clock. The workers can carry the small, light (5 ounces!), battery-powered Tap with them and use it to clock in when they start the job and clock out when they’re finished. When it’s time to collect their clock-ins and clock-outs, just attach the included USB cable to the Tap and the data uploads automatically to the computer running the TimePilot software. The workers’ clock-ins and clock-outs will appear in the same TimePilot database as your Extreme system, and you can use TimePilot Central to see all of the data.

The cost: Just $139. Want more? We offer volume discounts: three Tap clocks for $399 (save $18) or five for $649 (save $46). Hint: For a limited time, our newsletter subscribers can get Tap clocks at 20% off. See the special deal below!

Example 3

The challenge: You have TimePilot Vetro in your office; you’d like to expand the system so that it includes a clock on an outside loading dock. You also have employees who are on the road all day and don’t want them to drive to the office just to clock in.

The solution: Add TimePilot Extreme and either TimePilot Tap or the TimePilot iPhone App. The weatherproof, rugged, battery-powered TimePilot Extreme is designed to be mounted outdoors. You collect your clock-ins and clock-outs with the included USB drive and upload them to the TimePilot software. If your employees on the road use iPhones, they can use the TimePilot iPhone App and a free service called Dropbox to clock in and out on their phone and send the data to your headquarters. If they don’t have iPhones, they can toss a battery-powered TimePilot Tap clock in their briefcase or toolbox and clock in and out with it. When they get back to the office, the data can be downloaded from the clock to the TimePilot software. All the data from Extreme, the iPhone App and the Tapgoes into the same database and is identified both by employee and by the clock they used.

The cost: $649 for Extreme; $139 for each Tap clock or $3.99 for each TimePilot iPhone App. Hint: For a limited time, our newsletter subscribers can get Tap clocks at 20% off. See the special deal below!

For more information or to have us put together a custom combination of clocks that will be a perfect solution to your challenge, give our sales department a call at 630-879-6400 or e-mail us at Sales@TimePilot.com.



This month’s special offer
to TimePilot newsletter readers:

 

TimePilot Tap Clocks
20% off

1 Tap clock: $111.20
(Reg. price: $139)

3-Pack of Tap clocks: $319.12
(Reg. price: $399)

5-Pack of Tap clocks $519.12
(Reg. price: $649)

Note: Discount does not include Tap Starter Kit. (If you currently use TimePilot Vetro, Extreme, Tap or TimePilot PC, or if you purchase a Tap Starter Kit at the regular price, you qualify for this offer.)

To learn more about the deal, click here, visit www.TimePilot.com/newsletter/newsletter4.htm or call us at 1-630-879-6400, extension 103.

Every once in a while, our employees come across “cool stuff.”
This is where they share their finds.

Khan Academy

School has been in session for about a month, and right around now some kids have started falling behind in their math or science classes. As a parent, you want to help, but it's been a long time since you were in school and helping is difficult. Khan Academy to the rescue!

Khan Academy is a completely free online "school" with thousands of short videos explaining everything from basic addition and subtraction and telling time to calculus, statistics, biology, chemistry, physics, history and economics. Other videos take apart a digital camera to see what's inside and even feature NBA star LeBron James asking and answering science questions.

Each video runs about 10 minutes and does a wonderful job explaining its topic. It's a perfect way for a student to have a concept explained in a different way to help them understand it, or for an adult to "fill in the gaps." One staffer here at TimePilot is planning to watch the calculus videos—he passed calculus in college, but understood very little of it.

Visit Khan Academy at http://www.khanacademy.org.