Advanced (formerly Mitrefinch) Time and Attendance System Review

Advanced’s impressive solution can revolutionise the way a business operates… but is it right for you?

Wasted time in the workplace costs British businesses around £80 billion annually. Add to this the £144 billion our private sector companies are losing every year through fraud, and it starts to paint a pretty bleak picture.

Whether it’s absences, latenesses, or employees punching out early, it all eats into your bottom line. And, as your business grows, it can become increasingly tough to spot the little things – say, an employee adding a few extra minutes to a timesheet – before they become big things, such as a corrosive culture of ‘buddy punching’.

So what’s the solution? And where does Advanced’s time and attendance system come in?

Let’s take a look.

What does Advanced do?

Advanced (formerly Mitrefinch) offers a suite of workforce management software tools, helping you to streamline your business’ operations and drive productivity in the workplace. As well as software for payroll and HR management, Advanced’s access control allows you to rest easy, knowing that your premises are protected. 

Basically, Advanced does a lot.

What we’re mainly interested in, though, is Advanced’s time and attendance system. Comprising both hardware (a machine to record when your employees arrive and leave the building) and software (to manage hours, shift patterns, absences, and sick pay), it’s a simpler way of keeping costs low, and productivity high. Advanced’s offering in this area, for its plentiful solutions, make it one of the best clocking-in systems around as well as one of the best time and attendance software in the market.

Time and attendance systems are an excellent investment for any business grappling with the complexities of staff and timesheet management. They can also help stamp out buddy punching, while allowing you to reward your most hard-working, punctual employees.

But is Advanced’s time and attendance system right for your business? Or would you be better served by another provider, such as Bodet or Safescan? 

Let’s take a look.

What are Advanced’s features and benefits?

✔ Biometrics to barcodes

Whether it’s for securing your premises or keeping track of staff arrivals and exits, Advanced’s hardware is powered by top class technology. Advanced’s RFID (radio-frequency identification) terminals offer no-frills, proximity clocking-in, while its biometric devices (pictured) allow your employees to punch in with just a fingerprint.

Advanced doesn’t offer facial recognition terminals just yet, but we reckon it’s just a matter of time – so watch this space!

✔ Simpler software

Of course, clocking in is about more than just the devices. Behind all good hardware, you’ll find even better software.

Take Advanced’s, for example. Its drag-and-drop absence planning functionality makes it easier to organise your rota, while its colour-coded calendar display (pictured) livens up a dull chore with a splash of vibrancy.

✔ Employee self-service

And it’s not just you that stands to benefit from Advanced’s slick, savvy software – your employees will, too.

Your staff will be able to access an online self-service portal, within which they can manage their own time off, and view the latest version of the rota. As well as empowering your team to take their schedule into their own hands, this also saves you time and resources – not to mention the hassle of handling ad hoc holiday requests, too.

✔ Real-time reporting

Advanced’s powerful backend software provides all the info you need to understand your workforce. You can analyse absence trends and productivity output from your phone, and generate Bradford Factor reports at the touch of a button.

✔ GDPR compliant

Understanding the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is difficult enough – let alone complying with it! Fortunately, then, Advanced can help with just that. By centralising and deleting your records as necessary, Advanced ensures you stay fully GDPR compliant.

Better still, Advanced’s impressive software provides alerts if it looks like any of your employees may be on track to exceed their legal working hours limit. This helps you steer clear of any fines and penalties, and avoid putting too much pressure on your hardest workers (poor, overworked Bob).

Advanced’s dashboard helps you stay compliant, in more ways than one

✔ Fully flexible

It’s easy to see why time and attendance software goes hand in hand with payroll. Data from your clocking-in device goes straight to your computer, where you can use it to inform your payroll records. This reduces human error, and helps verify the hours you’re paying your staff for.

Advanced makes all this even simpler. As well as a complete time and attendance system, Advanced also offers its own payroll solution – allowing you to manage both attendance and pay from a single, intuitive application. 

If you’re happy with your current payroll provider, though, you’re under no obligation to switch. Advanced’s versatile time and attendance software promises to integrate with your existing payroll solution, slotting seamlessly into your existing processes.

How much does Advanced cost?

Like most of the big time and attendance system suppliers, Advanced offers bespoke pricing. What you’ll pay will depend on the size of your business and premises, the amount of staff you employ, and the unique demands of your industry. 

Your total bill will also depend on which of Advanced’s added services you’ll require. Sure, a time and attendance system is vital, but will you also want to safeguard your premises with an access control system? Or would you prefer to wrap up your HR, payroll, and workforce management needs under the convenience of a sole supplier?

Your costs will also be defined by whether you choose to buy or lease the clocking-in terminals. You’ll also be eligible for a monthly rental fee for the software (Advanced ’s system is SaaS, or Software-as-a-Service, and can only be leased), and potentially any further costs for machine rental or maintenance.

The bottom line, then, is that Advanced doesn’t provide rates openly on its website.

It’s frustrating, sure – but that’s where we come in handy. Answer a few quick questions (it takes less than a minute, we promise) and you’ll receive tailored quotes from leading time and attendance system suppliers… Advanced included.

We’ll take into account your workforce’s size, your industry, and how soon you’re looking to get your system installed. We’ll also ask for your postcode, so we can match you only with the best suppliers in your neck of the woods.

Is Advanced right for my business?

“I need a clocking-in device for a building site”

Situating a clocking-in device in a workplace that’s exposed to the elements can be tough. This is especially true on construction sites – where builders are regularly clocking in and out for lunch breaks with dirty hands – or in greasy environments, such as kitchens.

It’s for these purposes that Advanced ’s MF8/960 fingerprint clocking-in device (pictured) utilises multi-spectral imaging technology. Advanced ’s terminals read the unique biometric data from beneath the skin’s surface, mitigating the effects of damp conditions – such as in a spa or rainy outdoor area – and of any dirt that’s accumulated on your employees’ hands.

“I want to manage my staff remotely. Can I do that?”

Absolutely. Advanced’s time and attendance system software offers cloud-based deployment, which allows you to view and edit information in real-time. This includes keeping tabs on live clock-ins, and viewing any changes to the rota as they unfold.

“I’m looking for an on-premise time and attendance system”

And fair enough, too – on-premise deployment is still one of the best ways to retain ultimate control over your system. As well as gaining customisability and more control over your data security (not to mention unfettered flexibility), you’ll have Advanced ’s team of specialists on hand to walk you through setup, and assist with maintenance. 

Get in touch with Advanced to discuss its on-premise time and attendance system, or what a hybrid solution could do for your business.

Or, if you’re ready to receive bespoke time and attendance quotes for your business, click one of the buttons below.

What do Advanced’s customer reviews say?

By and large, Advanced picks up pretty positive reviews across the board. It boasts a decent rating of 3.9/5 on Trustpilot, plus solid scores on review aggregators such as Software Advice (4.04/5) and Featured Customers (4.7/5).

So what’s Advanced doing well? Most things, it seems – but where it really excels is in its customer service:

“Support is generally spot on. The guys on there really go out of their way to solve your query/problem and help you as much as they can to provide a solution. Response times are generally very good too.”

• Stuart, Advanced (formerly Mitrefinch) customer

“I recently contacted Mitrefinch’s [now called Advanced]  support team via email, to help me make some system amendments. I got a response almost instantly, and a resolution to my query within the hour. The instructions I received were really easy to follow, and I was able to make the amendments without any issue.”

• Paula, Advanced (formerly Mitrefinch) customer

“We have always found Mitrefinch [now called Advanced] support to be very helpful and quick to respond to any issues. And the support portal is extremely useful when keeping track of open and closed tickets. Fully recommend this system.”

• Liam, Advanced (formerly Mitrefinch) customer

Negative feedback about Advanced is in short supply. Some of those that did review Advanced in a less favourable light focussed more on the product itself, rather than the customer service:

“Mitrefinch [now called Advanced] as a system is fantastic, and has significantly reduced our admin time. However, the system is not fully customisable, as was stated in our initial meeting. That said, the customer support that I have received from Mitrefinch has been efficient and pragmatic, and they have managed to solve the majority of my queries.”

• Michaela, Advanced (formerly Mitrefinch) customer

Others were more ambivalent…

“If I could have given three and a half stars, I would. Initially, we had a lot of teething issues with the system and support, and it’s taken the better part of two years to get the system to where we want it to be. That said, the self-service holiday booking system has really streamlined our processes and saved staff time.

“Our manual timesheets have now been eradicated thanks to the ‘clocks’, and Mitrefinch’s (now called Advanced) system is easy to use and navigate. We also have [Advanced’s payroll solution] Flexipay, which works well. Overall I wouldn’t say it’s been a great experience, but it certainly hasn’t been a bad one. [Advanced ’s] implementers are extremely good at their job, and very knowledgeable too.”

• Keiran, Advanced (formerly Mitrefinch) customer

By now, you’ve probably formed your own opinion of Advanced. Read on to hear ours.

Expert verdict

The right time and attendance system has the power to drastically reduce the time you spend on admin. It’ll also remove most opportunities for fraud and improve punctuality, while empowering your staff to take calendar management into their own hands. It’s fair to say, then, that choosing a supplier is quite an important decision.

And we believe that choosing Advanced is the right one. 

Advanced isn’t only a time and attendance system – it can be your HR, payroll, and access control solution, too, should you need it to be. The full package, so to speak – complete with all the components you need to cut your workload in half, and free up time to grow your business.

Oh, and Advanced’s products are all backed up by prompt, personable customer service.

Sure, it’s not the most customisable solution out there. And annoyingly, it doesn’t advertise rates openly – so we can’t tell you exactly what you can expect to pay.

That’s why it’s key to shop around a bit before you make a selection. Answer a couple of quick questions about your business, and the type of time and attendance system you’re interested in. We’ll match you with one or more leading time and attendance system suppliers, who’ll provide you with quotes tailored to the size of your business and workforce.