New Tempworks customers who need this service get the benefit of skilled technical support analysts who can manage complex conversions.

Our analysts transfer the data from your existing system into the new one and make sure the resulting system gets properly configured for your exact needs. They  customize invoices, paychecks, client reports and more, making them fit your brand and furthering your marketing efforts.

The same goes for existing customers who want the new features TempWorks Enterprise has to offer.

Support analyst Erik Ruggles has been working with one of our customers on this conversion, which will provide them with better search filtering, timecard linking and tax pay.

“Overall”, Erik said, “the entire program will be much faster for our clients.”

“How they use the program has changed very little. The new features will enhance their productivity with as little change to their routine as possible.”

This customer will also be one of the first of Tempworks’ clients to go live on 16r1.

Erik, a Carlton College graduate of computer science who has been with TempWorks for almost nine months, said he has learned a great deal about payroll since he joined the team.

One of his greatest skills is anticipating the customers’ needs before they ask.

“For me, working at TempWorks has been an incredible learning experience,” he said.

-Alisha and Kevin have been promoted to Support Center Supervisors

-Todd and Bracy haved moved into the newly created positions of Technical Account Manager

We’re also excited to announce Kinzy Janssen as co-editor of StaffingTalk.

Check out her first posts here.

As a provider of software to the staffing industry, we know for a fact that our solution saves our customers money. Unfortunately most of the time the savings isn’t something we can prove in a measurable format.

We know that TempWorks’ powerful Enhanced Search feature allows recruiters to quickly find the best candidates or that our integration with Call-Em-All allows recruiters to contact large quantities of candidates instantaneously.

We can surmise that both of these examples lead to faster order fills and therefore the recruiter can fill more orders in a workday, and more orders filled means more dollars billed each week.

Additionally, faster fills means higher customer satisfaction which means a higher likelihood of more orders in the future. But how much is this increased profitability and how do you show it on your financial reports?

You can’t.

TempWorks’ time entry feature allows a processor to enter timecards using just the keyboard. That means quicker entry, and therefore less staff members needed to enter timecards. Or better yet, using TempWorks WebCenter means the employees are entering their own timecard and not your staff.

Again, there is not a line item on an Income Statement for this ROI.

So when the conversation with the CFO turned to her quantifiable cost savings by using DocCenter, I too became excited. During the course of the conversation she listed multiple areas where DocCenter was saving her company money, none of which I had ever really thought about.

One such item was their ability to decrease office space. Because they no longer needed to have file cabinet upon file cabinet in their offices to store the onboarding paperwork they were able to reevaluate the amount of office space they required.

In fact, she is selling the file cabinets. I may not have aced my college accounting class but even I know where the cash from the file cabinet sale should go on the Financial reports.

Another hidden ROI of DocCenter was the savings in offsite storage of all those onboarding documents once they no longer needed to be stored in the office. Her off-site storage savings will be significant, and measurable the longer they use Doc Center.

Getting into the spirit I also thought of the staff productivity of not having to file all those documents, shorter document retrieval time, and the lack of staff time shredding all those documents once their regulatory shelf life was expired.

I knew better than to mention this to her and wisely kept my mouth shut. While all these items are benefits of DocCenter, I wanted to give this CFO her moment of satisfaction with her Income Statement.

“Pete created a site that showcases current AIGA Minnesota Design Show winners using a sortable interface,” says Seth Johnson, principal, Seth Johnson Design and president of AIGA Minnesota.

“The real work, though, is in the elegance of the content management system he created: for each subsequent year, the site can be re-skinned with new Show branding, new winners can be added, and the site will become an archive in perpetuity of Minnesota design talent.”

Klein also won an award for his pro bono work. It’s called the “Unsung Hero” award. He explains what he did for AIGA Minnesota:

“Every year they were making a hundred-plus flat HTML pages using totally non-dynamic code. It couldn’t do much. I replaced that with a template system of my own making, along with an Advanced Programming Interface so you could get the information out of the system.”

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/>More plainly, here’s what Pete’s work allows the users of the site, which by the way receives 10,000 hits/month, to do:

Let’s say you are looking at a Design Show winner in the Interactive category. Maybe you want to see whom the art director or the illustrator or the art director on the project was. You can find that easily, then you can also find all of the other award winning work they have had a hand in as well.

Or let’s say an agency won the award for environmental graphics, but you want to see what other award-winning work they have done. That will be on the site as well, giving them a spot to showcase their work somewhere other than their own company website.

“I’m trying to set high standards for interface and website design,” said Klein in his understated and plainspoken fashion.

“My goal with every project is to achieve the most benefit with the least amount of effort. Of course you have to spend hundreds of hours usually to get to that point!”

Kim Shannon, co-chair of the 2011 AIGA Minnesota Design Show, has this to say about Klein’s work:

“Pete is just a guy who makes magic happen so quietly that you don’t even notice… until you are completely blown away.”

We’ve been saying the same things about Pete since he joined us just a year and a half ago. And we’re proud Pete is getting some well-deserved recognition outside the office as well.

The first DayPay module was recently implemented at Labor Solutions, LLC as part of Enterprise, a full range of front and back office functions developed specifically for the staffing industry. TempWorks Software developed the new module to meet the specific requirements of Labor Solutions, and provided on-site implementation and training.

Day pay is a challenge for any system.

Based in Chicago, IL and with offices in Illinois, Wisconsin and Arkansas, Labor Solutions issues about 1,000 employee checks per week.

Though workers arrive at Labor Solutions seeking job assignments at various times during the day, the firm had no software-based system for tracking and storing important information such as employee identification, work orders, returns or previous employee-client histories. The staff would simply choose from the available pool of in-person workers, write the work orders on paper and supply workers with copies for that work day.

Time to get to work.

Development was based on addressing a number of potential revenue loss points in daily staff dispatching.  Labor Solutions realized that writing work orders on paper is not a viable long-term solution.

An additional challenge for TempWorks involved adapting the new dispatcher module to work with the hand scanner that Labor Solutions needed to use to quickly identify available employees.

In addition to development, the TempWorks implementation team worked tirelessly to migrate nearly a decade of previous employee data, plus detailed tax information into the Enterprise front and back office systems.

Problem solved.

Employees now “punch in” by swiping their hands across the scanner, which identifies them and matches them to their TempWorks ID numbers in the Enterprise system. This works from hand scanners at each dispatching office as well as from those at Labor Solutions client locations.

Labor Solutions staff can easily view all available employees on the module dashboard. Icons signify at-a-glance information such as employee pay-readiness, employee returns and previous employee experience by client.

When the user issues payment, the information in the DayPay module works seamlessly with the Enterprise payroll system for fast, accurate payment. It also connects with electronic invoicing functions such as Timecard Linker, which allows the client to print invoices and their corresponding timecards together for faster verification and payment.

“It’s exciting that we were able to solve the varying needs of our client who, at the time, was completely paper-based,” said David Dourgarian, President of TempWorks Software. “The dispatcher module is a terrific example of our combined core strengths: our knowledge of software development and our knowledge of the staffing industry.”

Mike Nix, CFO at Labor Solutions, says that the impact has been immediate. “For the first time in five years, management can see real-time activity in at each of our labor halls,” said Nix. “I can pull up each office and see who has hand scanned in, what jobs are partially filled and which are fully filled. It’s all right in front of me at any time.”

About TempWorks Software

Founded in 1997, TempWorks Software provides solutions to automate and streamline all facets of a staffing firm’s daily operation. TempWorks Software offers fully integrated front and back-office staffing software, Web portals for customers, employees, applicants and vendor management, and even website design. For more information about TempWorks, please visit http://www.tempworks.com.

It’s no longer just a simple drop of a paper time card through the mail slot.  Today, there’s integrated time clocks, time clock data feeds, web service feeds, online web portal time entry, faxed time cards, paper time cards, electronic document cards, group time cards, time cards spanning multiple pay periods and more.  You name it, and our clients do it.

That flexibility allows them to succeed where their competitors can not.  It also can create hectic moments in payroll.  For example, a payroll processor can get confused organizing so many time card types.  Nevertheless the paychecks need to get out – fast.  To make sure that happens, TempWorks takes pride in providing a first-class team of technology and staffing professionals on our support desk.

Take support specialist Ali Panjwani, for example.   A client called Ali on Monday, stressed about an error she was encountering while trying to push time entries through to payroll.  Ali had the client send him a screen shot, and he quickly identified the problem.  After some further digging he devised a solution, a quick update by him that would save the client hours of work.  Problem solved.

Ali, an Accounting and MIS major at Winona State, said he often deals with similar payroll issues, each one with a slightly different solution.

“I’ve been fascinated by software since high school,” says Ali.  “But working at TempWorks has opened my eyes about the outside world, and now I go back to college with a purpose.”

Last week, Dan was working on a technical issue with the client, whom he spoke to about 10 times over the course of the week.

Every time the man called, he would ask Dan how he was doing, and Dan always replied, “Fantastic!” or “Terrific!”

Eventually, the customer didn’t even have to ask how Dan was doing.

One afternoon toward the end of the week, the customer said, “Hey, Dan, guess how I am today?” So Dan asked, and the customer replied, “I’m now fantastic.”

Since Dan had told the customer he viewed everything with a glass-half-full outlook, the customer began doing the same. He told Dan he had changed his own outlook on life, and became more optimistic. Now THAT’s customer service!

Dan has been a successful optimist for years, which was enhanced when he worked at a large corporation where the employees had to flood customers with kindness at all times, no matter how disgruntled the customer would get with them.

He has brought this tactic to TempWorks, and is proving it is successful here, as well.

“I like to go above and beyond,” Dan said. “Optimism is good for life.”

The client had set up payroll processing to work in WebCenter, but it didn’t translate properly due to the setup.

The employees’ paycheck stubs weren’t showing taxes paid from all states they’d worked in over the past year nor were the stubs showing the year-to-date totals; only the YTD as of the date on the paycheck.

Andrew was given a list of three modifications the client needed, which he resolved all at once. If he had taken each item at a time, Andrew said, it would’ve taken forever to resolve the problem.

With Andrew knocking them all out at once, it only took an hour of actual work. The client was very satisfied with the results, and Andrew in turn said she was great with patience.

“We resolved a bunch of potential problems for the future,” Andrew said.

Customer Background

In 2001, Dan Campbell and Jon Neff launched Hire Dynamics LLC, a premier-skilled staffing and professional recruitment company with a home office in Suwanee, Georgia.

Today, Hire Dynamics is the 5th fastest-growing, privately held staffing company in the U.S. (Staffing Industry Report, September 2006), the 4th fastest-growing company in Atlanta, Georgia (Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2006), and one of the most progressive Inc. 5000 private companies in the U.S. with revenue approaching $50 million.

They were a semi-finalist for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) 2007 Excalibur Awards that recognize Georgia companies that demonstrate exemplary competency in utilizing technology to enhance their business.

Since its launch, the company has grown from seven to over 106 full-time in-house employees.

They have opened 15 new branch locations across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Nevada, and have created three professional recruitment divisions that provide job placement in the Finance and Accounting vertical (Hire Accountability), Call Center management, Sales & Account management and Human Resources (Hire Direct), and Pharmacy and Pharmacy Techs (Hire Dynamics Rx).

Hire Dynamics offers customized staffing solutions in temp placements, contract-to-hire, direct placements, on-site staffing, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)/high volume recruiting. Its expertise lies in Light Industrial, Call Center, and Clerical/high-end Administrative positions.

Situation

Hire Dynamics is striving to streamline its operations and to be efficient in every step of its business process.

Specifically, the company is looking to gain efficiency within its 15 branches by cutting back on the amount of administrative duties that the Staffing Specialists are required to do.

The goal was to automate the application process and free the Staffing Specialists so that they can focus on their primary duties (i.e. recruiting, interviewing and building relationships with their clients).

Hire Dynamics was able to accept and process only paper-based applications. The application package consisted of 15 documents plus the actual application. The process was time-consuming, labor-intensive and inconvenient for applicants.

The application, which took about an hour to complete, required the applicant to enter his/her name, address and signature multiple times. All completed applications had to be manually entered into TempWorks by an Administrative Specialist; this took between 15-20 minutes per application.

Once the applications were entered into the system, they had to be reviewed for accuracy, and certain documents (such as the Form I-9) had to be pulled for manual filing.

In a smaller branch with limited administrative help, the staffing specialists spent a minimum of eight hours a week entering applications.

In the larger branches, they easily spent up to 30 hours a week on application entry and another 1-2 hours on pulling apart applications, filing and making copies of necessary paperwork for the home office.

In addition, the home office staff spent an extra eight hours a week verifying and filing Form I-9s.

Result

Along with its TempWorks ASP solution, Hire Dynamics chose to implement the WebCenter Suite of employee, customer and applicant portal/job board portals, and DocCenter.

After implementing Applicant Portal/DocCenter at 12 offices, Hire Dynamics has been able to streamline and significantly shorten the application intake process.

Now applicants are able to access the application form 24/7 and complete it online from home when it is convenient for them. Currently, the company is receiving approximately 80 percent of applications online.

The applicants find the new online application process more convenient and satisfactory. They appreciate having the flexibility to complete the application at home, and not having to enter their name, address, and social security number 15 times. The online DocCenter populates the fields for them.

The new system resulted in direct savings. The new online application portal has saved Hire Dynamics $11,000 in printing costs and approximately $60,000 a year in administrative support previously required to enter and file the applications.

“The Applicant Portal and DocCenter are a breath of fresh air. They are user-friendly resolutions to our past application process. With a few clicks, all of the necessary information is uploaded into our database securely and available for access at any given time,” said Lindsey Sims, Assistant Staffing Specialist for the Hire Dynamics Alpharetta branch.

DocCenter automated and expedited the data entry and execution process. This technology now loads all the documents into the document section in TempWorks.

The Staffing Specialists can easily attach the ID(s) to the Form I-9s while they are in DocCenter.

Several forms are now automated through DocCenter. Just a few include: W-4s, I-9s, drug screening forms, criminal background consent, substance abuse policy forms, safety documentation, plus many more.

Currently, each branch location provides between 2-4 kiosks equipped with laptop computers to accommodate walk-in job applicants and significantly increase job application volume.

This portability of the new system provides a convenient way to capture quality candidates at job fairs and trade shows.

“At Hire Dynamics, we strongly believe in the “ease of doing business” operational approach. We do everything we can to ensure that our associates and clients have the best and most positive experience with our company at every customer touch point.

The new state-of-the-art Applicant Portal and DocCenter technologies have dramatically improved our front-end capability to service our clients, made it convenient for associates to apply for job openings, and frankly resulted in direct savings for the company.

It was a perfect choice for our company to help maximize ROI of our investments in technology.” – Jon Neff, CFO, Hire Dynamics

Customer Background

Formed in 1987, Selectemp Employment Services is the product of two experienced managers in the wood products industry. Steve Gaughan and Roger Cox knew that manufacturing companies need well-trained, reliable employees that can be hired on a non-permanent basis and that can be obtained for a reasonable cost.

Following a “Jobs that Fit” philosophy, Steve and Roger share a passion for matching people’s skills and abilities to jobs that they will enjoy.

Selectemp’s Staffing Managers spend an extraordinary amount of time in the interview process to get to know the candidates whom they will be placing. In turn, their clients succeed because they receive reliable contract employees that are well-qualified for the assignment. This approach works well for all parties involved – job seekers, employers and Selectemp. This full-circle success is what sets Selectemp apart from its competitors.

Selectemp specializes in the areas of Light Industrial, Production/Assembly, Warehouse, Skilled Labor, Specialty Trades, Technical, Professional and Clerical/Administrative.

Currently, Selectemp operates four offices which staff approximately thirty employees. Many of its key personnel have been with the company for many years, a credit to Steve and Roger’s goal to hire a staff that shares their passion for the business.

To learn more about Selectemp, please visit www.selec-temp.com.

Situation

Not all clients are a good fit to self-host their staffing software solution. While some value the control, many others find the responsibilities, requirements and costs associated with it to be an unnecessary burden.

When Selectemp initially implemented its TempWorks staffing solution, it chose to take on these responsibilities and house the system on its own servers at its main office location. This meant purchasing the necessary server equipment and employing an IT staff that would be responsible for daily maintenance, performance and network connection reliability.

Through the years, Selectemp grew aware that it was not efficiently running its software off of self-hosted servers. The current equipment was aging and nearing its capacity – factors which translated into a near-future need to purchase new servers, plus additional ones to accommodate for growth. And, with the equipment’s condition on a downward slope, network performance was degrading.

Connection to the network had become frustratingly slow. It typically took twenty minutes for a branch office user to login to the system – equaling 100 lost minutes every week for each branch office employee. In some instances, only two branch office users at a time could connect to the system through the network. Both situations drastically reduced productive work-time every day, first thing in the morning. Selectemp’s staff was frustrated by the work flow interruptions that restricted full utilization of the software system.

The IT staff was called upon daily to address connection speed and reliability problems. But, they weren’t the only ones handling the burden. Selectemp’s Vice President of Administration was spending approximately 20-25 percent of her work week dealing with network issues. She took calls every day from branch office staff members who were reporting connection problems, and then burned more time communicating the issues to the IT staff.

Selectemp pegged two main areas that demanded improvement in its current situation: reliability and speed. Specifically, it wanted a guarantee that branch office users would access the system through the network, and it wanted to drastically reduce the time that it took them to login and start working.

“The TempWorks Hosted solution has greatly increased productivity and has virtually eliminated the frustrations endured with our previous, self-hosted model. We feel that TempWorks plays a very important part in our company’s journey of going from being a good company to becoming a great company.” — Roger Cox, CEO, Selectemp

Solution

Selectemp was a perfect candidate for the TempWorks Hosted ASP solution. With this model, Selectemp still utilizes its full-featured staffing software, but without the hardware and maintenance responsibilities.

TempWorks Software assumed the full responsibility of housing the Selectemp database on its servers in its secure, climate-controlled Data Center. A skilled team of system administrators maintain the servers and network connection, and perform daily data back-ups.

The Hosted solution offers Selectemp the flexibility to access its system from any remote location through an internet-enabled PC. Staffing Managers that are on-call can login to the system from home, rather than having to come into the office to deal with urgent needs.

Result

With its transition to the TempWorks Hosted solution, Selectemp eliminated in-house server equipment and storage space. No longer using internal staff to fix maintenance and connectivity issues, it directs 100 percent of its resources to what it does best – staffing.

Technology-related issues are rare and Selectemp feels that they are now using their staffing solution to the best of its ability. Branch office users are able to connect in just a few seconds, rather than the previous twenty minutes. “It probably takes them longer to type in their user login information than it does for the system to come online,” remarks Roger Cox, CEO for Selectemp. Worker satisfaction has improved, along with the enhanced productivity from decreased interruptions.

Selectemp’s VP of Administration gained back the 25 percent of her work week expended on the network connection complaints. She is able to focus all of her valuable time on more important operating tasks.

The original IT staff, used to uphold a self-hosted environment, was released. A new IT team was hired to concentrate on advancing new technology projects at Selectemp, like website development and Voice-Over IP technology.

Relationship building is a top priority at Selectemp that distinguishes it from the other staffing firms in its markets. The boost in internal productivity and efficiency from switching to a hosted solution helps it to deliver higher quality service to its employees and clients.