From time to time we’re asked how many modules TimeControl has and what modules are required for a particular requirement. It’s not a strange question because so many timesheets on the market sell in exactly this manner.

The short answer to this question is very simple. There are no extra modules to but in TimeControl.

We know that there are publishers who sell you the timesheet for time and attendance and then say “Oh, you also need to do vacation approvals, that requires our add-on Vacation Approval Module” and others who say “Oh, you need a link to a project management tool? There’s a module you can purchase for each link you want to use.” And yet others who say “Oh you want to create your own custom reports. Of course you can with our add-on report designer module.”

The industry calls it “up-selling” and we don’t like it any more than you do.

So, we decided a long time ago to include everything in TimeControl that you’ll need. There are two editions of TimeControl, one designed for industrial situations like heavy construction or mining or EPC projects and the the other for everyone else.

Inside each TimeControl is the timesheet of course, the links to the many project management tools and versions we support, the report designer, the vacation approvals, our Matrix Approvals, the Accruals functionality that HR needs, the import and export modules to link to ERP and other corporate systems and even the mobile interface. Once you pay for your TimeControl license, there’s not much else we can sell you unless you’d like some implementation assistance (not everyone takes that and not everyone needs it) or ongoing maintenance and support contracts. If you’ve decided on subscribing to our TimeControlOnline timesheet in the cloud, you’ll be paying your subscription service each year and that’s about it.

We have even structured upgrades to be something you never buy. If you have TimeControl or TimeControl Industrial now, the only way to get a new version is to simply keep your maintenance contract current. We’ll make the new version

We believe this makes our relationship with our clients easier to establish and easier to make richer over time. But, there is one specific issue that can arise from this all-in-one thinking. Because we’re not constantly calling our clients trying to sell them on the next module or version, some new clients can put time into deciding why they wanted TimeControl in the first place and then never revisit what TimeControl could be doing for them to accommodate other business requirements.

For example, a few years ago, we got a lead from a company interested in TimeControl because it had a link to Microsoft Project. The company was already a client so we asked the caller if he knew about our timesheet. He looked at his own weekly timesheet and, sure enough, it was already TimeControl! “But my TimeControl doesn’t have a link to Microsoft Project. Did we not buy that module?” the caller asked us. “It was hidden during the original deployment because your firm was focused on time and billing when you rolled the system out,” we answered.

The feature was easily turned back on by the TimeControl Administrator and the caller didn’t have to go purchase another timesheet or another module. He already had everything he needed and shortly thereafter he was linking TimeControl to his project files.

So we make a point of talking about TimeControl features in the blog and in email blasts that include our current client because we never know when someone will suddenly realize they already own the solution to a business requirement they’re already looking for.

To look at different business-use-case scenarios of how you can use TimeControl, go to the Use Case gallery at: www.timecontrol.com/use-cases.

To catch up with the main TimeControl features, go to the Features area of the website at: www.timecontrol.com/features.

Of course you can always just contact us at info@hms.ca and one of our account managers or technical staff will help you find out how TimeControl can be configured for your particular business challenge.