For shift-based businesses, time is money. Literally. Every second an employee spends clocking in or out isn’t just overhead. It’s a data point that feeds payroll, compliance, scheduling, and ultimately, your bottom line.
When outdated time and attendance systems interrupt that rhythm — with laggy devices, missing punches, or cumbersome approval processes — they become invisible drains on your resources and a source of stress for your team.
The solution is simple: better time and attendance software.
The hidden costs of legacy time and attendance systems
Imagine this: It’s Monday morning, and your entire team is ready to clock in. But the kiosk is down. Again. A line forms, frustrations rise, and your floor manager is already behind. No one’s sure who successfully clocked in. A few employees punch twice. Two more forget altogether. By the time payroll rolls around, the errors have multiplied.
These aren’t just annoyances. They’re expensive inefficiencies. Every glitch, delay, or manual fix adds up.
If your team still uses legacy time clocks or manual punch methods, you’ve probably seen these problems firsthand:
Long clock-in lines during shift changes as employees wait for a single device to recognise their ID or fingerprint.
“Was my punch recorded?” anxiety that leads to numerous timesheet corrections.
Manual error correction that eats up managers’ time and still leads to payroll disputes.
Multiple “fix my punch” requests coming via text, sticky notes, or hallway conversations — some of which never get addressed.
These pain points don’t just frustrate your staff. They create ripple effects across operations:
Wasted labour hours correcting preventable mistakes
Inaccurate payroll that risks overpayment or underpayment
Compliance violation possibilities (see Deputy’s compliance hub)
Timelost from customer-facing or revenue-driving work
Dissatisfied employees who eventually leave for a smoother experience elsewhere
Before Newvine Employment Group switched to Deputy to manage scheduling, their HR team was spending hours each week chasing down punch corrections. With Deputy’s time and attendance software, they cut this down to just minutes per week, freeing up valuable time for hiring and onboarding.
“It has saved approximately 10 hours a week.”
– New Vine Employment Group
How small clock-in frictions drain big resources
You might think a few seconds lost here and there doesn’t matter. But consider this:
If you have 100 employees who each lose just 2 minutes daily to clock-in inefficiencies, that’s 16+ hours lost per week.
Multiply that by an average hourly wage of $20, and you’re looking at $17,000+ in wasted money annually just for one minor inefficiency.
And the costs don’t stop there:
Payroll errors can cost around 1–8% of total payroll, according to the American Payroll Association.
Compliance mistakes (such as missed meal breaks or incorrect time tracking) can lead to fines or even lawsuits.
Whenever a manager is interrupted to fix a punch or correct a timesheet, their focus shifts away from sales, staffing, or customer experience.
The Avenue Church faced this challenge across its growing multi-site operations. After switching to Deputy, they gained real-time oversight and instant scheduling adjustments across locations. They’ve reduced the time spent scheduling childcare workers by 6 hours a month.
What time and attendance software should look like
When clocking in takes seconds, not minutes, everyone wins. Your employees start their shifts on time and stress-free. Your managers get accurate, real-time data they can act on immediately. And your business reclaims hours of lost productivity.
Technology should empower your team — not frustrate them. So, how do you choose time and attendance software for your business?
Let’s break down the must-have time and attendance software features that actually drive ROI:
Real-time visibility: Team members can see exactly when they clocked in/out, reducing disputes and building trust. Managers can monitor attendance trends and address issues proactively.
Mobile-first access: With Deputy’s employee time clock, staff can clock in from a kiosk, tablet, or their own phone — saving you from costly hardware investments and bottlenecks.
Fewer errors, less admin work: Smart automations flag missed punches, alert managers in real-time, and reduce payroll adjustments.
Labour compliance monitoring: Deputy watches for possible compliance errors round-the-clock with automatic break tracking, overtime alerts, and audit-ready records.
Leave and PTO management: Team members can request time off directly through the app, and managers can approve leave and view availability in one place — no spreadsheets or back-and-forth emails required.
Seamless integrations: Time and attendance data flows directly into payroll, HR, and scheduling tools, reducing duplicate entries and improving accuracy across systems.
Happier employees = lower turnover: A smooth experience signals that your business respects worker time. That boosts retention and reduces rehiring and training costs.
These software innovations can save businesses time, money, and stress. When Krav Maga Seattle adopted Deputy, their time tracking headaches disappeared. “It took the burden off our staff and created more transparency,” they shared. The result? 75% less time spent on schedules and payroll. More time focused on students, not spreadsheets.
What Deputy customers say about the ROI
The benefits of using time and attendance software to manage this side of your business aren’t just seen in the streamlined processes. They’re about ROI, too.
Let’s put some more numbers behind the impact:
Trek Bicycle saw a 30% increase in overall productivity and performance, and saved time using Deputy’s integrated time, attendance, and scheduling tools.
Titan Global cut last-minute shift changes from 2–3 hours to just a few seconds. It also reduced time spent scheduling by 80%, from 4–5 hours a month to mere minutes.
Truffle Burger is now saving 10–15 hours per week on scheduling and time tracking. Plus, the integration with Deputy HR has streamlined the human resources department as well.
Juice Press has adopted Deputy’s smart employee scheduling and, with optimised scheduling, saves $200,000 per year in front-of-house labour costs.
Mercy Urgent Care has reduced its scheduling admin by 75% per month, and reduced its turnover by 50%.
These results aren’t outliers. They’re consistent across industries, from hospitality and healthcare to retail and education. Whether you manage a team of 20 or 2,000, the right time and attendance software frees you to focus on what matters most: delivering excellent service, hitting your growth goals, and supporting your people.
Want to find out how much Deputy could save your company? Check out our free ROI calculator.
Make the switch to user-friendly time and attendance software
If your current time and attendance system is clunky, confusing, or causing daily inefficiencies, it’s time to upgrade. Deputy’s modern platform is built for ease, without sacrificing accuracy, compliance, or control.
Intuitive for staff
Powerful for managers
Scalable for multi-location operations
You’ve already seen the hidden costs of outdated systems and the clear advantages of switching to something better. Imagine what your business could do with 10+ extra hours each week, error-free payroll, and a happier, more engaged team that actually trusts the system.
See how much time and payroll error reduction you could gain — request a live Deputy demo today.
