v20260505.1901

Self-documenting manual

General Settings

General Settings controls many of the company-wide defaults that affect how employees clock in and out, how notifications work, what happens with breaks, and which advanced features are available in Telephone Timesheets.

Select any blue More information icon in the screenshot below to jump directly to that option's explanation.

General Settings dialog example

Some options in this window may be hidden until Telephone Timesheets enables them for your company. If you do not see an option you need, contact support@telephonetimesheets.com.

Option Descriptions

General Settings

Autocreate employees

When enabled, Telephone Timesheets can create a new employee record automatically when an unknown mobile phone number is discovered during check in. This is typically used for self-enrollment workflows.

Enable employee onboarding

Enables the onboarding workflow for new employees in both the Admin Portal and the employee app. If you want this feature turned on for your company, contact support@telephonetimesheets.com.

Use job codes

Allows you to assign numeric codes to jobs and prompts employees to enter a job code when checking in or out.

Allow clock-in to default job

Allows employees to clock in to the default job, shown in the Admin Portal as the Unassigned Job, when a valid job code is not entered.

Allow clock-in to unscheduled jobs

Allows employees to clock in to an unscheduled job. If this is disabled, employees can clock in only to jobs that are already scheduled.

Enable travel tracking

Tracks employee travel using the employee web app and logs travel entries in Time Entries.

The travel tracking setting includes these scope choices:

  • For all employees: applies travel tracking to every employee in the company.
  • Only for selected employees: applies travel tracking only to employees you choose in their individual employee records.

Prompt employees for break type

Prompts employees to choose a break type when they start a break. Current options are Paid Break and Unpaid Break.

This setting includes these scope choices:

  • For all employees: turns on break-type prompts for every employee in the company.
  • Only for selected employees: turns on break-type prompts only for employees you configure individually in their employee records.

Enable IVR and SMS breaks

Allows employees to start and end unpaid breaks either by calling the IVR or by texting the system.

Require break confirmation

Asks employees to confirm that they were given the opportunity to take all allowed breaks for their shift.

Allow employees to access the system using their external ID

This option is available only when all employees already have an External ID. When enabled, employees can use either their External ID or their phone number when accessing the system by phone.

Allow employee schedules to overlap

Allows the creation of overlapping employee schedules when your operation needs them.

Send schedule change notifications to employees

Notifies employees with updated schedule information whenever their schedule changes.

Enable schedule change notification email list in schedule edit dialog

Adds an email notification list to schedule edits so additional recipients can receive schedule change notifications.

Language Options

System Prompt Language Options

Select the languages your employees speak. While the system is identifying a caller, it plays prompts in the selected languages and in the order shown. After the caller has been identified, prompts are played in the language set for that employee.

English Prompts

Includes English in the list of languages played while the system identifies a caller.

Spanish Prompts

Includes Spanish in the list of languages played while the system identifies a caller.

French Prompts

Includes French in the list of languages played while the system identifies a caller.

Chinese Prompts

Includes Chinese in the list of languages played while the system identifies a caller.

Russian Prompts

Includes Russian in the list of languages played while the system identifies a caller.

Up and down arrows

Use the arrows beside each language to control the order in which those languages are played before the caller is identified.

Text / Messaging Options

Retrieve schedule via text message

Allows employees to text the system to receive a listing of their current schedule.

Retrieve timecard via text message

Allows employees to text the system to receive their recent hours worked and timecard details.

Report Options

Employee cost multiplier

Enter a decimal value here to calculate and display the Employee Loaded cost column in job profitability reports. If this field is left blank, the loaded-cost column will not be displayed.

Miscellaneous Options

Supervisor for Autocreated Employees

Select the supervisor who will be assigned automatically to employees when they are autocreated by the system.

Employee Vacation Clock-In Alerts

Enter one or more email addresses to be notified if an employee attempts to clock in while scheduled for time off. An employee is considered to be on vacation when they have been added to the scheduled time-off list.

Internal Options

Default Units

Sets the default distance units used when distance data is required. Use imperial for miles and feet, or metric for kilometers and meters.

Portal Inactivity Automatic Logout Timer

Specifies how long users can be inactive before being logged out of the Admin Portal automatically. Leave blank to disable inactivity logout.

IVR Required Checklist Automatic Checkout Window

When IVR needs to check out a time entry that has a required checklist, this option timestamps the open transaction and redirects completion back to the employee app. If the checklist is completed in time, the IVR timestamp is used for checkout. If not, the system closes the time entry automatically using the IVR timestamp. Set to 0 to disable.

GPS Response Time Timeout Window

Sets the response window for valid GPS responses from the system. This value is used when formatting data in the GPS Start and GPS End columns of the Transactions list.

Automatic No Show Timeout Window

Determines when a scheduled employee will be flagged as a No Show in Time Entries when no notification profile is assigned to the job that would otherwise create the No Show entry. Leave blank to disable.

Computed Schedule Window (number of weeks out)

Sets how many weeks into the future are included in the schedule log. The default is 4 weeks.

Back-to-back auto shift check in

When enabled, if an employee has back-to-back shifts for different jobs, the system checks them out of the first shift and into the next shift automatically.

Fuzzy Match Distance

Sets how many digit changes are allowed when matching a caller against existing employee records.

Require key press to confirm IVR check-in

When enabled, IVR users must press a key to confirm check-in. This helps reduce accidental butt-dial check-ins.

Require key delay

Requires the employee to press a key within the specified interval to complete checkout operations. This helps prevent accidental butt-dial checkouts.

Notification Options

Minimum interval

Sets the smallest interval that can be configured for repeat notifications.

Maximum duration

Sets the longest amount of time the system will continue to send notifications for a time entry.

Max daily hours

Sets the maximum duration an employee can work from midnight to midnight before supervisors are notified about the overage.

Enable notification details

Adds additional schedule details to notifications.

Enable supervisor notifications for no shows when scheduled employee is checked into another shift

Notifies the supervisor for a no show even when the scheduled employee is already checked into another shift.

Enable supervisor SMS notifications based on employee schedule

If a phone number matches both a supervisor and an employee, the system notifies only when the employee is checked in.

Break Options

Break start reminder

Sends a reminder text telling an employee to take a break after the configured amount of time from the start of the shift. Leave blank to disable.

Short break warning

Sets the minimum break length. If an employee tries to end the break before that amount of time has passed, the system warns them that they are ending the break early. Leave blank to disable.

Long break warning

Sends a reminder text when an employee break extends beyond the configured duration. Leave blank to disable.

Time Adjustment Options

Clock in early

Rounds the time entry start time up to the scheduled start if the employee clocks in within this window before the scheduled start.

Clock in late

Rounds the time entry start time down to the scheduled start if the employee clocks in within this window after the scheduled start.

Clock in adjustment note

If a time entry was rounded on clock in by more than this window, the system applies a note to the time entry.

Clock out early

Rounds the time entry end time up to the scheduled end if the employee clocks out within this window before the scheduled end.

Clock out late

Rounds the time entry end time down to the scheduled end if the employee clocks out within this window after the scheduled end.

Clock out adjustment note

If a time entry was rounded on clock out by more than this window, the system applies a note to the time entry.

Clock in/out window

Defines the period before and after a shift starts or ends when clocking in or out is allowed.

Auto-close duration

Automatically clocks an employee out of an open job when they clock into a new one within the configured time window. This simplifies switching between jobs. Leave blank to disable.

Maximum job length

Sets the maximum number of hours used as the window for deciding whether a later call should complete an existing check-in or create a new time entry.

Image dup check window

Sets how many days back the system checks for duplicate time-entry images. If left blank, duplicate-image checking is disabled.

Enable photo QR code validation

Exposes job options that require QR codes and displays validation status icons on time entries.

Overtime Options

Enable overtime protection

Turns on the overtime settings below so Telephone Timesheets can evaluate overtime thresholds for the company.

Day of Week Start

Sets the starting day of the overtime week used for overtime calculations.

Weeks in overtime period

Sets how many weeks are included in an overtime period.

Max hours per week

Sets the maximum duration per week before overtime is triggered.

Max hours per day

Sets the maximum duration per day before overtime is triggered.

Internal Report Options

Split reports on day boundary

Processes reporting results on 24-hour day boundaries. Any time entry that spans multiple days is split into separate chunks for each included date.

Enable IVR incident reports

Enables the IVR prompt for submitting shift reports by phone. Shift reports remain available in the employee web app.

Enable outbound Click-to-Call

Turns on outbound Click-to-Call features in the Admin Portal.

Enable inbound Call Center

Turns on inbound Call Center functionality when it is available for the company.

Internal Text / Messaging Options

Admin portal max SMS length

Sets the maximum length of text messages sent from the Admin Portal Click-to-Call text message feature. Use multiples of 140 when adjusting this value.

Internal Miscellaneous Options

Enable pure mobile

Marks the company as using only mobile phones and no landlines. If this option is hidden for your company and you need it, contact support@telephonetimesheets.com.

Force job codes

Always prompts for a job code regardless of the employee schedule. This setting follows the current Use Job Codes setting and may need Telephone Timesheets support to enable it for your company.

GPS prompt extra

Adds an IVR reminder asking employees to use their GPS-sharing request link.

Use checkpoints (mobile)

When enabled, the IVR asks checked-in employees to press 0 to send a checkpoint link for mobile callers.

Use checkpoints (landline)

When enabled, the IVR prompts checked-in landline callers to press 0 to send a checkpoint GPS link.

Enable multi-day jobs

Allows multi-day jobs to be configured in the Admin Portal.

Enable NCCI codes

Exposes the option to configure NCCI code information for jobs and reports.

Prevent automatic inactivation

Prevents the system from automatically switching employees to inactive status.

Reject inactive employees

Rejects inactive employees from accessing the IVR or the employee web app.

Enable bill/pay rates

Exposes billing-rate and pay-rate functionality in the Admin Portal.

Enable work tax locations

Exposes functionality for configuring work tax locations.

Enable paid holidays

Allows schedules to be tagged as paid holidays in schedule view.

Enable profile photos

Includes employee profile photos on public reports and exposes approval-management tools in the Admin Portal.

Enable admin notes in public shift summary reports

Displays admin notes on the public shift summary report.

Enable QBO job sync

Automatically creates job records from QuickBooks Online data.

Enable QBO organization sync

Automatically creates organization records from QuickBooks Online data.

Related pages: Employee Application, Inbound Call Blocking, and Employee Onboarding.