Time & Attendance Systems: The Driving Force for Logistics

Logistics is the overall process of managing how resources are acquired, stored, and transported to their final destination for customers across the country and worldwide. With a vast and diverse workforce completing a range of responsibilities in the warehouse and out and about on the roads, courier services can massively benefit from a time and attendance system.

Time and attendance systems can streamline the way in which any business operates, making it more time-efficient and easier to manage. The huge number of employees that are off-site and driving from location to location means that a courier service is one of the biggest beneficiaries of a time and attendance system. Here's how:

Time and attendance systems for logistics

Since the beginning of the first national lockdown in 2020, there has been a drastic surge in the number of people shopping online, meaning the demand for delivery drivers has soured and continues to do so.

To help cope with the rise in demand of online orders and deliveries, a time and attendance system can provide courier services with a smooth and easy method of keeping track of drivers' working hours, along with a fast and reliable system for drivers and other, on-site employees to clock in and out of shifts.

At Tensor, we fully understand that the logistics process and courier services work around the clock to fulfill customer requests and ensure all orders are out for delivery on time. This is why our range of time and attendance systems have the ability to cover all areas of the logistics process. From the initial processes in the warehouse, to the distribution and delivery process, Tensor's time and attendance systems have you covered. Our time and attendance clocking terminals, used with smart cards or key fobs, is the perfect solution for employees having the ability to quickly clock in and out of shifts, giving you an honest and accurate recording of working hours.

Once an employee has clocked in or out of their shift, our time and attendance system automatically adds or removes them from the fire evacuation list. Should the fire alarm be sounded, then a fast, accurate and automatic list of which employees are still on-site is provided to you so you can take immediate action. The full list can be accessed on the Tensor fire roll call app.

Automatic payroll configuration is a huge time-saver for companies that use our time and attendance systems. An employee's working hours are provided from their clocking times, should that be on the clocking terminals or through the Self-Service Module (a web-based application, explained below).

Due to the turnover of staff at a distribution centre often being very high, Tensor also offers biometric time and attendance systems, including facial recognition time and attendance, to reduce the number of smart cards being produced for members of staff. A quick and easy registration of a member of staff's fingerprint or facial features onto the database, provided by our time and attendance software, can ensure that members of staff can clock in or out of shifts, no matter the length of employment.

Time and attendance software

Drivers for logistics companies play a vital role in the overall process and are responsible for completing the final stretch of the customers order. It is important that drivers, like the warehouse operatives, have the ability to clock in and out of shifts, just as easily.

The Self-Service Module (SSM) is a web-based application that is part of Tensor's time and attendance software, WinTA.NET. The SSM allows enrolled employees to clock in or out of shifts, and book themselves on or off the fire evacuation list from any device that can connect to the internet, such as a computer or mobile phone.

Drivers can also use SSM to request new periods of absence, cancel pending absence requests or cancel approved absence requests that have not yet occurred, all while away from the site with an internet connection. Requests can also be made to add missed clockings, amend or delete clockings made in error.

Integratable access control

In addition to a time and attendance system, logistics can also reap the benefits of an access control system. This can prove vital for safety and security measures for both on-site staff and stock that is stored in warehouses. Like time and attendance, an access control system has the ability to be controlled via. smart card, key fob or through biometrics such as fingerprints or facial recognition access control, meaning members of staff can rest assured they feel safe in their place of work.

Tensor's access control software, WinAC.NET, allows you to be in complete control over who has access into specific areas of the building. This allows drivers to be granted access into their own, specific areas, while warehouse operatives can access the canteens, changing rooms and staff rooms by using their smart cards or biometric features.

ANPR for drivers

Site safety must be at the forefront of all thoughts for haulage companies and courier services. At any point throughout the year, even more so during peak periods such as Christmas and Black Friday, there can be hundreds of vans and lorries that pass in and out of the site which must be checked before entering for safety reasons. This is where automatic number plate recognition comes in.

Working in conjunction with Tensor's access control gates and barriers, ANPR can grant access to vehicles that match with the database, or deny access for those that do not. This also means that security guards and doormen are not required.

DHL Inside Track are users of Tensor's access control and CCTV surveillance systems, and when speaking to Tensor about how they feel the systems are benefiting them, have had some great things to say:

"We're quite content about our collaboration with Tensor plc. The company's very approachable, proactive and innovative, and also ready to do everything it can in order to meet the customer's demands."

— Christine Batson, Facilities Manager, DHL Inside Track

To see the full case study, and to read in more detail about the systems they have in place, please click the button below:

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For more information on any of our time and attendance or access control systems, or if you would be interested in seeing a live demo or enquiring for a quote, please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of our sales team today.