To help you use and maintain your ExakTime system, we have created a list of best practices to ensure the successful adoption and use of ExakTime Connect, ExakTime Mobile, and SyncLinx/AccountLinx for you and your employees. 

We also offer a list of items to periodically review/complete to keep your ExakTime system running smoothly.

Bookmark this page so you can refer to it in the future!

ExakTime Connect

• Maintain your Entity Lists - Keep your lists of Employees, Locations, and Cost Codes up to date by deactivating them when they are no longer needed.
  • For example, if the work for a Location is complete, it's best to deactivate it to ensure Employees no longer use it when clocking in or for Admins when editing time cards.
  • A deactivated entity such as a location or cost code will be unavailable for ExakTime Mobile (when clocking in) or ExakTime Connect time cards (when making edits). Be sure to deactivate when it should no longer be used in the field or the office. 
  • Deactivating an entity doesn't delete the entity so it can be used for reporting, historical tracking, or be reactivated for more work in the future.
• Do NOT Rename Existing Entities - If you have an existing entity, such as an employee or location, that has been in use and that you no longer need, the name should not be updated into another entity. Generally, a new entity should be created instead.
  
  • For example, if you have completed work at "Location A", you should not update the name to "Location Z" as all the time attributed to "Location A" will not be associated with "Location Z". "Location A" should be deactivated and "Location Z" should be created as a new location. 
• Enter a Mobile Phone and Email for Employees - When adding Employees, add a Mobile Phone and Email for added-value features like Schedules or Alerts and Notifications.
• Use Location Viewsets to Limit Available Cost Codes for the Location - Location viewsets allow you to specify which cost codes can be used with a given location. This can help for locations where only certain cost codes should be used, such as for prevailing wage locations. 
• Use Pay Period Closing to Finalize a Pay Period - Use “Pay Period Closing” when you have passed or completed the pay period to ensure time is secure and finalized after you have finished.
  • Time cards in a closed pay period cannot be modified. Any time punches made from the field such as ExakTime Mobile or JobClocks are placed into the "Quarantined Time" page and will not go to the respective time cards until the cause of quarantined is removed, such as by reopening a pay period.
• Use Time Card Approval to Confirm Time Cards for the Pay Period - Use Time Card Approval so your employees can approve their time cards and/or so your supervisors can approve the time cards of their employees from ExakTime Connect or ExakTime Mobile.
  
  • Any time punches made from the field such as ExakTime Mobile or JobClocks are placed into the "Quarantined Time" page and will not go to the respective time cards until the cause of quarantined is removed, such as by unapproving a time card. 
  • If a time card has been approved and the time card is edited by a user with sufficient permission, all lower-level approvals will be removed for the employee and/or supervisor to reapprove.

ExakTime Mobile

• Press "GO" when changing Locations/Cost Codes - When employees are clocking in, they should only hit "Go" throughout the day unless ending work or for lunch. Employees do not have to clock out to change their location or cost code, they can simply press "Go" and select their new location and/or cost code. Their new punch will create a new time record for their time card.
• Sync ExakTime Mobile for Consistent Data with ExakTime Connect - Syncing is crucial for ExakTime Mobile to keep its data, such as locations and cost code lists, consistent with ExakTime Connect. Syncing can be done automatically while ExakTime Mobile is open, but can also be done manually when using ExakTime Mobile.
  • If an employee receives any error when trying to sync, have them note the error and refer to our resources that may help.

SyncLinx & AccountLinx

• Have Admin Rights to Install/Update SyncLinx/AccountLinx - Installing/updating SyncLinx/AccountLinx may require admin rights. Keep this in mind when you are in a time crunch to export time or when going through implementation.
  • If you are going through Implementation, ensure you have admin rights on your computer to install the software or invite your IT to the Installation meeting for a smooth call.
• Update All Copies of SyncLinx/AccountLinx to the Same Version - If you update SyncLinx/AccountLinx on one workstation, update it on all other workstations that have SyncLinx/AccountLinx (if applicable) as well to ensure that everyone is on the same version.
  • Recent versions of SyncLinx/AccountLinx will check if there are any available updates. If any other copy of SyncLinx/AccountLinx has been updated for your company, SyncLinx/AccountLinx will prompt and update to the latest version as well to ensure all copies are on the same version. 
• Double-check Mappings Before Exporting - Double-check your mappings before exporting your data to ensure any new data since your last export has been mapped and avoid any export errors when data is not mapped.
• Use Employee Categories to Separate Employees - If you have a large number of employees and only need to export certain employees, you can organize the employee list based on their category so you can quickly select the necessary employees.
• Do Not Use SyncLinx if You Are Using Core HR - If you are also using our Core HR module, do not import Employees via SyncLinx into ExakTime. As Core HR is the "source of truth", it is best to import/enter your employees into Core HR first so it can propagate the data to ExakTime automatically.