Think you know everything your Chronotek system can do? From employee management to advanced tracking features, we've got answers to your most common questions and some you haven't thought to ask yet.

How do I add a new employee?

You can either use Quick Add through the Workforce Dashboard or add them manually through List Maintenance.

Can I restrict what jobs employees see in their mobile app?

Yes, you can limit which jobs employees see by selecting specific zones in their mobile access settings.

What's the difference between an employee and a supervisor?

A basic employee can only clock in and out. Supervisors can access the voice mail system, receive alerts, clock in employees, and have management menus on the supervisor’s mobile app.

How do I add a new job?

See our step-by-step guide to adding jobs.

Can I prevent employees from clocking in when they're not at the job site?

Yes, you can link job site phones and block unauthorized phones. You can also use GPS tracking with our mobile app to verify employee clock-in/out locations.

What happens if I need to remove a job?

You can inactivate a job to prevent clock-ins while preserving all historical data. Our system guide has more information about jobs.

What are zones used for?

Zones group employees and jobs to direct alerts, limit job access, and manage supervisory functions.

Do I need to set up zones?

Yes - zones are essential for directing alerts and organizing your workforce. Most companies set up as many zones as they have supervisors.

What are all the ways employees can clock in and out?

Employees can clock in/out through:

Read more about the 5 ways your employees can clock in.

What if an employee forgets to clock out?

The system has an Auto Safeguard feature that automatically closes time cards after a set number of hours (the default setting is 16 hours). These time cards will have '0' hours (incomplete) and be denoted with an A in the Alarms column on the Edit Time Card screen. Reports will show (A) Missed Clock-Out—no time assigned. These time cards must be edited.

Can I ask employees questions when they clock in?

Yes, Custom Prompts can ask employees questions and capture valuable information during clock-in and out calls about things like breaks taken, tips received, or inventory counts.

Why is my employee having trouble clocking in with the mobile app?

Many things could be happening to your employee. Check out our mobile app troubleshooting guide.

Can I prevent employees from calling from their cell phones to clock in?

Yes, you can easily block employee cell phones.

What's the fastest way to clock in/out multiple employees at once?

Use the Supervisor Clock to start or close time cards for multiple employees simultaneously. The function is available on the admin site and the supervisor’s mobile app.

How accurate is the GPS tracking?

GPS accuracy depends on several factors, including the employee's device and the weather. Read how to get the best GPS tracks.

What does "Located NOT at job" mean?

This means the employee's GPS location at clock in/out was outside the job site's defined geofence.

Why isn't GPS tracking working for some employees?

This usually means location services are disabled, battery saver mode is on, or the employee denied location access when prompted by their phone.

Why should I create schedules?

You'll get alerts when employees don't show up (these alerts go to the job zone supervisor), see if jobs are adequately staffed, track labor costs against budgets, and monitor overtime. Plus, if you want to use our Budget Manager feature, schedules help predict where your budgets are heading.

How do I create schedules?

Use our Schedule Manager feature to create schedules to get no-show alerts.

How do I schedule a job when I have a lot of employee turnover?

When creating the shift, use "Any Employee" instead of selecting a specific person. When an "Any Employee" doesn't clock in, the alert will say "Any Employee did not clock in" instead of a specific name. This way, you can keep your schedules running even as employees change.

How do I monitor my schedules?

You can use Daily Schedule to review each morning, Schedule Viewer for visual status checks, or Weekly Schedule reports for different views by job or employee.

How does travel time tracking work?

The system can automatically create travel time cards when employees move between jobs. See our complete guide to Travel Manager.

Do I have to approve travel time?

Yes, travel time must be approved before it appears in reports or affects payroll.

Why won't my report load?

For extended date ranges with many employees, try zone filtering to show limited data to help the report load faster.

How do I change how employee names appear in reports?

Use the "View" dropdown in List Maintenance > Employees to switch between "First, Last" and "Last, First" format. Read more.

Which report should I use for payroll?

It depends on your payroll needs. For basic hours, use Time Cards or Time Card Summary. For complex calculations like semi-monthly overtime, use the Payroll Snapshot.

Can I track employee history beyond time cards?

Yes, the ACA: FT Status - Monthly report shows comprehensive employee history, including total hours, hire dates, and work patterns.

Is there a way to communicate with employees through the system?

Yes, for employees who call to clock in, supervisors can send voice messages to individuals or groups, and employees can respond. Employees who clock in via the mobile app can communicate with their supervisors through in-app messaging.

Can employees respond to supervisor messages?

Yes, employees can reply, delete, or save messages before proceeding to clock in/out, and can also create voice messages for their zone supervisor.

How do basic employees leave messages when calling to clock in?

Employees replace the first digit of their Employee Code with a special voicemail digit (7, 8, or 9, depending on their code) when calling in. Their message automatically goes to their zone supervisor.

Can I prevent employees from replying to my in-app messages?

Yes, use Announcement Mode by turning on the green horn icon. This makes it a one-way message that employees can't respond to.

Can I send in-app messages from my desktop?

Yes, look for the envelope icon at the top right. The messaging feature works the same way as the mobile app.

Why can't I send messages from my desktop?

You need mobile access for your user account to send messages, even from the desktop.

How do employees receive messages in the app?

They get push notifications when messages are sent (if they have notifications enabled). Messages can be marked as "Required to Read" before they can clock in or out by activating the green flag at the bottom left of the message box.

What do I do if I see a red "A" next to a time card?

A red “A” indicates a missed clock-out that needs to be fixed before payroll.

Can I edit time cards from the mobile app?

Yes, mobile administrators can edit time cards from the mobile app.

What happens if an employee clocks in at the wrong job?

Admins and supervisors can edit time cards to correct the job code after the employee clocks out.

Why can’t I edit a time card?

Time cards can’t be edited while employees are on the clock. You must wait until they clock out.

Can multiple people receive the same alerts?

Yes, you can set up multiple alert destinations by separating email addresses with semicolons.

How do I temporarily turn off all alerts?

You can disable all alerts company-wide in Company Setup - useful for holidays or business closures.

What type of alerts can the system send?

The system has two types of alerts. Get text/email alerts when employees are late to scheduled shifts or at every check-in and check-out.

How do I prepare for payroll?

Follow the steps in our System Guide to prepare your time cards for payroll.

Do you have integrations with payroll companies?

Chronotek Classic integrates with QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online and has several export formats for payroll companies.

How do I handle semi-monthly overtime calculations?

Use the Payroll Snapshot feature - regular reports don't calculate overtime for semi-monthly periods.

What are activity codes used for?

Activity Codes are an optional feature used at clock-in to give further definition to an employee's time card. The activity reports what is done at the job site (floor work, windows, snow plow, etc.). Your list of Activity Codes is universal and can be applied to any job. Activity Codes aren't tied to a specific job.

Do employees need to enter activity codes every time?

No, you can mark codes as "Admin Use Only" to use them internally without requiring employee input. There are many powerful ways to use Activity Codes internally.

Why doesn’t my new admin’s view look like mine?

If you’re trying to assign the admin access level to someone whose view looks different than yours, check out this article on how to correct it.

What's the difference between the Administrator and Manager access levels?

An Administrator can access all screens, while a Manager can access everything except the My Account menu items.

Can I create custom access levels?

Yes, you can create custom access levels and choose exactly which screens and functions each level can access.

What's the difference between Admin Access Level and Mobile Access Level?

Admin Access Level controls what users can see on the admin website, while Mobile Access Level controls what they can do in the app.

Can I access my Chronotek Classic account while traveling overseas?

We serve customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. We block international IP addresses to protect our customer accounts from overseas security threats.

To stay connected while traveling, we recommend using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access your account securely. A VPN allows you to connect to a U.S. server, ensuring safe access without triggering location-based blocks. You can set up a VPN in 3 easy steps.

Do you have any advanced-level ideas on how to get the most out of the system?

Check out the following articles for features and ideas that will help you optimize the system:

What's the best way to get customer support?

We provide live support during business hours, Monday-Friday 8am-6pm EST, in the following ways:

We provide 24/7/365 support in the following ways:

Check out the article How to Get Answers When You Need Them.

I don't really understand how to use the online chat. Can you help me?

Absolutely! The chat system will become your best friend when you learn how to use it. The first thing to know is that the AI bot will almost always try to help you immediately with information gathered from our custom answers, Help Center articles, and things it has learned from previous live chats. Please read the bot's reply, which often provides the correct answer to your question, and you don't have to wait on the support team.

Secondly, after reading the AI bot's answer, it will ask, "Was that helpful?" Please reply by clicking the “That helped” or “Get more help” buttons. "That helped" will tell the bot to close the chat, while "Get more help" alerts the support team that you need live help.

Important: If you need additional assistance, please click the help button; otherwise, the chat will automatically close after a few minutes without our support team being notified.

How long does it take for your support team to reply to chats during business hours?

Our reply time is within 30 minutes, but it is usually faster.

What happens if I call support and have to leave a voice message?

We return voice messages within an hour during business hours and the next business morning if after hours. However, we monitor voice mail, so please state if your call is urgent, and someone will do their best to return your call immediately. Urgent needs include system outages preventing employee clock-ins, payroll prep, and loss of access to your web-based account.

The same response time applies to emails sent to the support team.

For help on other topics, check out our Help Center. Be sure to bookmark it!

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