Category Archives: support

hms software, support

We’ve upgraded our internal communications to Voice Over IP phones

VOIP Phone, Voice over IP Phone, TimeControl, HMS Software, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter VandersluisYou may have noticed that our caller-ID is suddenly appearing where it hasn’t been obvious for quite some time.  As we continue to embrace hybrid work schedules for almost all the staff, we have decided to migrate our communications platforms from old copper wire to Voice Over IP (VOIP) in a way that is tied into our Internet network and allows staff to respond from their telephone handset on their desk, from their PC or laptop or even from their own phones via Mobile App.  It has been a great move forward for all the HMS staff!

Our headquarters phone number hasn’t changed it is still +1 514-695-8122.

While our Voice Over IP phones are working just great for us at the moment, calling in to get answers for sales questions or technical support when we’re not expecting you may not be your best bet to reach us.  Even if you know (or find out by calling HMS and consulting the automatic directory) what a particular employee’s extension is, you will have no way to know if they have been allocated to take your category of call at that time.  If the call is unexpected, you might find the response time is unnaturally long. That employee might be away or away from communications due to something urgent that they have been assigned to focus on.  The result might be getting a call back a day later or even two instead of within minutes or a couple of hours.  So, here are some recommendations on how to reach us in the most effective way.

If you are calling for Sales, then reaching us via email at info@hms.ca or at TimeControl.com/contact is by far the most effective method.  This allows communications to be sent to the most appropriate salesperson and, if needed, to multiple people in the sales department at once.  Of course, if you are responding to a direct email from one of the HMS staff, then that will go directly to them.  If you’re not sure if a staff person is away or you receive an out of office email and you’re not sure where to direct your questions, then info@hms.ca is your best play.

If you are trying to reach HMS for technical assistance, then by far, the best method is to either fill in a support request at: TimeControl.com/contact/tech-support or send an email to support@hms.ca.  Both of these methods trigger internal triage mechanisms for technical support and have the issue allocated to the most appropriate person to respond including creating an automatic ticket with your contact information and the description of the problem.  Those tickets are then automatically assigned by HMS to the most appropriate and most available technical expert.  Of course calls from the tech staff might be via our VOIP phones or through Microsoft Teams or Zoom depending on the client’s needs and requests.

All of these techniques have served to make us even more available than in the past for both prospective and current clients.

best practices, Did you know, Solutions, successful implementation, support, TimeControl timesheet, timesheet, timesheet software, Tips, Tips and tricks

Check out our Timesheet Best Practices Solution Portal

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Timesheet Best Practices Solution Portal partial Over the last few weeks here at HMS, we’ve been doing some hard work assembling collateral, questions, answers, and other materials about the best ways to use a timesheet. We’re happy to finally reveal our new solutions portal for everything you need to know about timesheet best practices.

HMS Software employees are often asked for advice on the best practices for timesheet use, and many of these questions are not TimeControl-specific. This is why we’ve created a solutions portal with materials that will help you use timesheeting to its full potential.

We realize that timesheet usage is multi-faceted, so we divided up our efforts. Some timesheet usage recommendations are appropriate to the organization, and others are more focused on the individual. With this in mind, we divided the best practice information based on the end-user’s perspective and their information needs. You’ll notice that the solutions are categorized for use by the organization or the individual. This will make it easier so that you can quickly and easily find the recommended best practices you need.

One of the key new sections included in the best practices portal is the Timesheet Best Practices Q & A page. Ever wondered just how much time is too much to spend on entering your timesheet? Do you question just how much detail is productive in a timesheet? Or, perhaps you’re wondering if it makes sense to track the start and stop times of the day along with the durations for each task. We turned these types of timesheet questions we most often receive over to our technical staff. Their answers to these questions, and their timesheet expertise on these topics and more, are now available and ready to be shared with you.

There are many links, materials and collateral referenced by the Best Practices Solution Portal including white papers on how to increase resource capacity through better timesheet practices, guidance for executives on how a timesheet system can benefit the organization, videos of how to be effective with your timesheet system and even a blank timesheet process template for creating your own timesheet process.

Check out our new Timesheet Best Practices solution portal today! You’ll undoubtedly discover something some new information that can help you to get the most out of your timesheet.

To access the Timesheet Best Practices, visit timecontrol.com/solutions/bestpractices.

ie8, support, timecontrol, timesheet software

Did you know… about IE8 (Internet Explorer 8)?

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If it’s springtime it must be a new release of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and, as each version is released, the developers at HMS must scramble to make sure the browser is fully supported by TimeControl.

TimeControl’s version 4 and 5 families have depended on Internet Explorer as our only supported browser. This will change in the near future in response to many requests by long time clients and prospective clients alike but for now, making sure that IE works properly with TimeControl is critical.

With the release of IE8 you may experience a phenomenom of new windows like message or alert windows appearing behind the regular window of TimeControl. This is clearly very annoying. However, if you have already got IE8, you do not have to roll back to make TimeControl work properly. TimeControl version 5.1.1 fully supports IE8 and will put the rights windows in their proper place. To get access to the latest TimeControl you must have a current support and maintenance contract.

Go to http://www.timecontrol.com/ for more information or contact info@hmssoftware.ca with any questions.