Clocking in and out on WhatsApp

Employees without the Timed app, or whose app isn't working, can clock in and out from WhatsApp. It is off until you switch it on for your company.

How it works for the employee

1. They send CLOCK IN (or CLOCK OUT) to your company's Timed WhatsApp number. "Clock-in", "sign in" and "check out please" work too.
2. Timed replies with a link. It works once and expires after 10 minutes.
3. They open the link at work, with location switched on. The page reads the phone's GPS and takes a selfie.
4. Timed clocks them in and confirms on WhatsApp, for example "Clocked in at Sandton at 07:02."

WhatsApp's own "share location" pin can be dropped anywhere, so Timed never uses it. The link page reads the phone's actual location instead.

The same checks as the app

• Location: the reading must be within about 100 m accuracy. Timed then checks it against the radius of the employee's own sites, using your GPS validation setting, the same way the app does. The clock-in is recorded at the nearest of their sites.
• Selfie: the photo goes through your normal facial validation settings.
• Already clocked in? Sending CLOCK IN again tells them when they clocked in and reminds them to send CLOCK OUT. CLOCK OUT when they aren't clocked in tells them so.
• Limits: an employee can ask for up to 6 links an hour.

Clock-ins from WhatsApp show in reports and the attendance views like any other clock-in, with a comment saying they came from a WhatsApp link.

Switching it on

Open Settings → Tenant Settings. Under Clock rules, tick Employees can clock in and out on WhatsApp and save.

Before you do:

• The employee's cell number in Timed must match the WhatsApp number they message from, and they must be Active.
• Each of their sites needs a map location (latitude and longitude) and a radius. Without one, Timed can't check where they are and the link refuses to clock them in.
• Your company's WhatsApp integration must be set up.

Once it's on, CLOCK IN and CLOCK OUT appear in the menu employees get when they send HELP.

Troubleshooting

What they see	What to do
No reply to CLOCK IN	Check the setting is on, their cell number matches their WhatsApp number, and they're Active.
"This link has expired or was already used"	Send CLOCK IN again for a new link.
"Your phone could only place you within … m"	Move outside or near a window, wait a few seconds, and try again.
"None of your sites has a map location set up yet"	Add a map location to their site, or link them to a site that has one.
Clock-in flagged as outside the site	They were outside the site's radius. Check the site's location and radius, or review the validation failure.