This article will overview how the Trackforce Valiant 2020.08 release (10.23.20) has made it easier to manage the data transferred between the Smartforce and GuardTek platforms.
In SmartForce, the integration flags must be turned on at the Business Unit and Customer levels.
Overview of the Integration and Both Platforms
- Smartforce is always your system of record for employee data, customer and scheduling information.
- Smartforce sends employee, customer, location, and schedule data to GuardTek when enabled.
- When enabled, GuardTek and m-Post send real-time punches to Smartforce.
- Employees can view their schedules from within the m-Post application.
- Settings in Smartforce can be enabled to control which Business Units and/or Customers get sent to GuardTek.
- You can set a new customer "default" setting for the integration. In other words, you can default all new customers to automatically send data (or not) to GuardTek as they are built.
- Customer or schedule-related data is sent from Smartforce to GuardTek once the integration is enabled at the Business Unit level.
- When creating customers, an integration on/off flag has been added to the creation screen. You can now toggle this on or off when adding new ones.
- When using quick create to create a customer, the integration will be on or off depending on the default setting for your customers.
Managing the Data Sent Between Both Platforms
How the Integration Works
The integration must be turned on at three different levels to work correctly.
- Database Level – Managed by your implementation team at the start of implementation.
- Customer Level – Managed by you and your implementation team.
- Business Unit Level – Managed by your implementation team to "activate" the integration.
Database Level
When we enable the integration at the database level, all active employees in the database are automatically sent to GuardTek. Your implementation team does this. Usernames will be auto-generated in GuardTek.
Customer Level
This is where you can control which customers get sent to GuardTek. If a customer is enabled, all locations and schedules under it can be sent to GuardTek. This data only gets sent when the Business Unit level is turned on.
Business Unit Level
The Business Unit level is the circuit breaker switch for the integration. You can turn on individual customers, but schedule-related data is sent to GuardTek once the Business Unit is turned on. Your implementation team will be able to enable this when it's ready.
How the Data Between Both Systems is Managed
When beginning your implementation for the Smartforce and GuardTek platforms, your TLM team will first work with you to understand how you want to use each platform. This will include determining which customers you want on both platforms. We generally recommend integrating all customers and schedules into both platforms for consistency and ease of use.
During the implementation process, your TLM team will assist you with setting Business Unit default settings that will apply to all your Customers when you create them.
This setting (and other customer/location/position defaults) can be found right in the TLM Menu:
1. Hover over the TLM module and click Business Unit in the Schedule Maintenance section
2. Right Click on the Business Unit
3. In the drop-down menu, hover over Default Values, then hover over Customers click Main.
4. Here, you can click Integration and turn the defaults ON/OFF for all new customers you create in this Business Unit.
NOTE: When creating customers using our quick create options, the integration will be on or off depending on the default setting for the Business Unit. If you create the customer using any other method, the integration flag is included as an option at the bottom of the form near the save button. Depending on the divisional default setting, the button will be pre-checked on or off.
You can change the integration status of any customer at any time by going directly into the customer record and choosing the Integration tab on the left-hand side of the menu. You can edit and change the integration status by checking the flag on or off.
You should take the time to ensure that both your default integration settings and individual customer on/off flags are correct before the next step in the process. Please remember that turning customers on or off won't send ANY schedule data to GuardTek until your TLM Team turns the entire Business Unit integration flag on.
Turning on the Integration
Once you have confirmed that each of your customers is set up correctly, your TLM team will turn on the integration for the Business Units you would like turned on.
Doing this will send all Customer, Location, and associated schedule data to GuardTek.
Once this is complete, you can begin using both the GuardTek and m-Post applications, and employees can start using the m-Post application to punch in and out of their shifts. This punch data is immediately sent to Smartforce to confirm employees are in and out on the schedule.
Please remember that once the integration is turned on, any customers you deactivate or turn off the integration flag will still exist in GuardTek. If you'd like to remove them from GuardTek, you will need to delete them there.
Additional Information
Geofencing
The m-Post application allows for using a geofence to ensure your employees are on-site when they punch in or out of their shift.
Late Arrival Notifications
The Smartforce platform allows your TLM Team to set notifications to be sent when an employee shows up late to their post. We generally recommend a 10-15 minute late notification alert.
Punch Rules
The Smartforce platform allows you to set punch-related rules for an entire Business Unit or at each Location. These rules include:
Allow Range
This time range will prevent a punch from confirming an employee onto the schedule if they are outside the given range.
Grace Period
This time range will allow employees to be clocked in "on time" if they punch in or out within the given range. In other words, if your grace period is set to 5 minutes and an employee punches in at 7:55 for an 8:00 shift, the punch will be registered at 8:00.
Rounding Rules
Your TLM Team can set Business Unit rounding rules that will apply to all punches that come in from m-Post. We generally recommend a 15-minute rounding rule to be applied.