Managers can’t spend their days micromanaging every employee to make sure they are managing time efficiently. Unfortunately, most employees aren’t productive during the majority of their workday and instead may spend their work hours on social media, news sites, entertainment sites, and other personal distractions.
How can companies keep time theft at a minimum and boost productivity?
Monitoring software tracks every action during the workday to capture what’s going on in cubicles and behind closed doors. Afraid work hours are being allocated to Facebook instead of clients? Here are five tips for finding the best monitoring software.
1. Know Your Budget
The corporate budget is usually a top priority for many decision-makers. Some software can seem incredibly expensive; packages may vary, and some monitoring companies may tack on charges for extras like additional storage or other services.
Many companies won’t price out services online, but this isn’t about trying to hide costs. Monitoring software services are typically vast, and different companies require different solutions.
This means that packaging prices are not set, because some companies may need more services, others need less. The size of the company also can affect price, and monitoring a vast number of devices and individuals can bump up the cost of services.
All these factors make price-comparing a bit more difficult for decision-makers. To make it easier, and to help assist in obtaining quotes for services, have an estimate as to how many employees/devices will be monitored as well as the types of monitoring services the company needs.
Not sure what you need? Veriato has very knowledgeable customer service reps who can guide you to the best services for your industry. We can also provide quotes for more basic monitoring options and widen the net if the company has more extensive needs.
2. A Free Trial Should be an Expectation
Any company that wants your business also should offer a free trial, so you know the services are right for your office…and your company’s specific needs. This also lets you feel out the software, see how it works, and get a sense of navigating all the features.
No matter how high or low the price tag, you shouldn’t be committed to hard-to-handle features or services that aren’t working or easy to evaluate. Use the free trial period to become acquainted with all the features of the system, and don’t hesitate to request a virtual tour from a service representative from the software company.
Veriato is always happy to take current and potential customers on a tour of our products. A Demo is a great way to try different features in the product that may be useful in the future as the company expands.
3. Know Your Needs
When you’re shopping for software options, price is a significant factor, but the company’s needs are the real driving force behind the final decision.
Decision-makers should discuss what types of services they need from their monitoring software. Some companies only want to track time, and others want the software to help with employee investigations or to detect insider threats.
Veriato offers monitoring products that include time tracking, but we also provide solutions that assist with employee investigations, ransomware protection, and insider threat detection. A company may choose to purchase all of these products if they want comprehensive protection and assistance.
4. Software Should be Customizable
Companies may also not need every feature offered in the product they purchased. Those in the financial sector may require software that tracks key logs, while those in the healthcare industry may need software that flags any download that features information protected by HIPAA.
The software your company chooses should work for you. This means that the software should include options to customize monitoring for specific needs and threats. Some companies are okay with employees accessing social media, and others want to funnel out this content and flag it when it becomes a problem.
The software should allow managers to customize features for optimum protection. Veriato provides users with the option to create customized ‘key phrases’ specific to an industry or the company.
Choose what actions you want to monitor, too. Your company might not want to view network logins, and employees may not have access to chat functions or IM. While these options are available with Veriato, they might not apply to every company. Use the options that fit your needs.
5. Insist on Extensive Support
Even when the software is perfect for the company, sometimes technical glitches happen. Technology is a blessing and a curse, and when that screen freezes up, you don’t always know what to do.
No matter what has gone wrong with your monitoring, someone should be available to assist you. Veriato provides a tech support site that offers assistance and resources all day, every day.
Choosing the right computer monitoring software to protect your company is a significant investment and a major decision. Take some time to review the budget and understand what features your company needs from monitoring services. No matter what software you choose, a free trial should always be offered; this lets you feel out the system and make sure it works for your company.
Monitoring needs differ by industry, and every company has unique needs. For this reason, software should be customizable and should offer extensive support (because, ultimately, technology will suffer glitches). Ready to find out what’s really going on behind closed office doors? Try out Veriato today.
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