Struggling with Tracking Marketing Team Attendance? How Do You Manage On-Site and Remote Staff?

I need urgent help. Please help me with how I can mark the attendance of marketing people. How can I tackle this problem whether they are on-site or not? Is there any format for their attendance?

First, tell me how many people are working and what kinds of jobs they are doing. If more than 50 people are working, then form a team with a team leader who is responsible for their attendance. The team leader should send the daily attendance of each individual to the HR Department within one hour of starting work via email in the Excel format provided by the HR Department. Additionally, the team leader should send the Weekly Sales Report to the HR Department along with the project coordinator.

Therefore, all individuals should work diligently, arrive at their workplaces on time, and avoid being absent due to meeting targets.

Regards,

Thank you for your helpful suggestion, sir. I am working in a small firm where there are only 15 to 20 employees in the marketing department. Some employees are permanently stationed in Rudrapur, and they consistently engage in attendance fraud.

Steps to Address Attendance Fraud

Now, what steps should be taken to address this issue?

I used to work as the Head of HR in the Marketing division for a large MNC. Marking attendance for marketing people was something we found to be complicated, especially in large cities, as the marketing person would often claim they were on a sales call. So, we came up with a different approach.

Permanent Journey Plan (PJP) Approach

All marketing people followed something known as the PJP, meaning Permanent Journey Plan. Employees were not allowed to come to the office. Instead, they worked out a route plan at the beginning of each month, specifying which dealer they would be visiting at what time and on which date. We eliminated their office space and replaced it with lockers and a couple of round tables.

The employees would come to the office every Saturday morning to make their claims and check their orders with the logistics department. Orders were placed through Blackberry, and any communications received were placed in the lockers assigned to the respective staff. Sales officers were connected via BBM to their bosses and the commercial team.

Surprise Visits and Accountability

We conducted surprise visits to the market occasionally, reaching the store at the specified time and date without prior notice to the salesperson, and we often found the employee with the dealer. Similarly, when traveling from the headquarters to other parts of India, we would visit the store directly based on their PJP without informing the salesperson in advance. Failure to be present would lead to disciplinary action.

Benefits of the PJP System

This system resulted in cost savings as planned calls to dealers increased, leading to more sales. Dealers knew when our sales representatives would visit, optimizing their business interactions. It also reduced office space utilization, saving on rentals, and facilitated manpower planning based on call volumes.

We utilized GIS software developed by InfoTech Enterprises, Hyderabad, to create the PJP. This method proved to be the most effective way to manage attendance and manpower in the marketing department, tailored specifically to the needs of marketing professionals.

Applying HR processes designed for manufacturing or office-based employees to marketing professionals may not yield the same productivity due to the unique nature of their work.

Regards.

This is a good suggestion. Further, I would suggest:

1. You may ask for their weekly plan of visits in advance and also request a copy of the weekly report from them or their supervisors to check if they are visiting as per the plan.
2. For any unspecified dates, mark their absenteeism and ask for clarification.
3. Make it a strict rule that they should inform you of their leaves in any case.
4. If this problem is severe, inform them that any non-information from their side will make them liable for no pay (although you may not act on it, but initially threaten them).

In my earlier organization, marketing people used to be in the office every Monday to settle their travel claims, have discussions with the boss, or check the order status. They also used to discuss with HR for any discrepancies in their attendance.

Being in HR, you should assertively tell them that it's a matter of discipline and they have to adhere to it. Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Vaishalee Parkhi

Well, generally, in manual terms, it is difficult to track them because they can tell that we're on the sales call.

Long-Term Solution for Tracking

The long-term solution is to use technology, i.e., map a GPS system with their official mobile number, which can be tracked via the internet. This will allow tracking of their position and their in and out times from their residence or office.

Sach, your setup is small, and to add to it, it's a new setup. It's critical to have the team bond together with the organization and not feel like they have a video camera behind them.

Understanding the Importance of Team Bonding

An organization we serviced asked the Director how critical it was for him to know what his Sales/Marketing team is doing. We emphasized that the end result in objective terms (revenue) is what matters. The emphasis was purely based on sales, inquiries, collections, etc., and never on attendance.

Deciding on Attendance Tracking Systems

You may have to decide to what extent you want to implement these kinds of attendance tracking systems for the sales force; otherwise, the focus would shift from giving attendance at work to performance.

Therefore, it is recommended to keep it to weekly reviews by the supervisor and create a mechanism for an objective review directly linked to numbers/sales.

Hi Everybody, this subject has been discussed threadbare a number of times in many organizations. Yes, it is very difficult to monitor the attendance of marketing staff. A number of very good suggestions have been offered; some of them can be easily implemented, while some can be difficult.

The Big Picture: Attendance or Productivity?

Let us look at the big picture. What are you looking for: attendance or productivity? Why are we so tied down by attendance registers instead of looking for results? This is, of course, my personal view, and many may not agree with it.

Solution for Marketing Staff Attendance

Let us look for a solution to the attendance of marketing staff. As pointed out in posts above, marketing staff are required to publish their marketing plans. Does this plan also include a target? So, if a marketing plan has been submitted for visits to, say, 30 places for a week, does the person also add the target that he will achieve by these visits? If targets are mentioned and if the target is met, then the problem of attendance is solved.

It should be the responsibility of the Team Leader or Manager to provide the attendance of all sales staff reporting to them. This will reduce the burden on HR from devising ways to check and cross-check what the salespersons are doing. HR must get an attendance report of salespersons, and the best person to do so is the person who closely monitors their work.

Regards,
Ronald

Attendance Management for Sales & Marketing Staff

Marking the attendance of the Sales & Marketing Staff is as important as that of the Office Staff. Various tools are available. A standard Activity Plan & Standard Report format has to be prepared for this purpose, which should include:

• The designated Area.
• Standard List of Customers/Dealers. (For Pharma - List of Doctors & Chemists).
• Target for the day.
• Achievement for the day.
• VERY IMPORTANT: COMMENTS ON THE DAY'S WORK - This should include a critical analysis of the success or failure to achieve the target for the day.

An Action Plan has to be prepared by the Manager at least a week before the start of the month, in consultation with the marketing officer.

Purpose of the Report Format

THIS REPORT FORMAT SERVES THE PURPOSE OF MARKING ATTENDANCE AND MONITORING THE ACTIVITIES.

Regards,
C.S. Pundlik, Pune

Dear friend,

Your query appears simple, but providing a meaningful suggestion depends on what you want from us.

Let me put it like this: You are an HR person, and your major problem is how to mark the attendance of marketing personnel on duty at various sites. You wish to ascertain whether they are really present at the site or not. There is no need for any specific format as it alone cannot give you the desired results.

I presume you have a few persons deputed for marketing your products or services, and they are not situated at a fixed site/place; in other words, they are on the move and scattered. Their attendance information is not reliable, and there is no one responsible for monitoring their movements. Am I correct?

Tracking marketing people is troublesome not only for you but for many others, and implementing a foolproof system itself will complicate things. This is because if you are only concerned about their presence at a given site, it might result in a drop in marketing performance, which could easily be used as an excuse to restrict their movements. A simple technique could solve your problem: ask all those concerned to give missed calls from a landline of the customers they are supposed to interact with on a daily basis at a given time. You can cross-check this by calling them back on the same landline phone, preferably on a random basis. By doing so, you may encounter ego clashes within the marketing team. Perhaps you should consult your marketing head for a workable solution rather than inventing methods on your own and facing implementation issues. After all, marketing is the backbone of any organization, and nominal marketing efforts are not conducive to growth in a competitive field. Typically, marketing setups advocate performance-based controls rather than time office-based controls.

Regards.

We also have a sales team of 15 members, and we use a combination of weekly reports and mobile tracking. Firstly, providing them with specific targets keeps the marketing team always aware of their sales. Secondly, instruct them to send you weekly reports via email, specifying their visits to dealers with the time and date so that you can always call the dealers to verify the same. Thirdly, you can use the Android application Life 360 to track your marketing team through their 3G-enabled mobile phones. Lastly, evaluating the performance periodically with a points-based system and rewarding the best performer with incentives motivates them.

Warm Regards,
Harish

Geo Attendance System for Marketing and Sales Employees

Marking the attendance of marketing and sales employees is always a challenging and complex task to accomplish as they travel to various locations on a daily basis. Having observed this problem for a long time, we have come up with a solution. The Geo Attendance System is very helpful in marking attendance without any hassle, and it is easy for employees to use the mobile app. This app captures the employee's location, allowing them to mark their attendance. Additionally, the app helps employees stay connected with managers and manage task assignments.

Benefits of Using a Mobile/Geo Attendance App

• Employee time and attendance tracking with just a touch on the mobile app.

• Automated Payroll: Integrated payroll with the attendance system allows you to save money by maintaining accurate pay.

• Flexible Work Arrangement: Easy clock-in and clock-out for flexible work hours.

• Easy Task Assignment and Approval System: Managers can assign tasks to employees, and employees can get approval from managers. Managers can view team requests and work history.

• Report Generation: Generate various reports instantly with just a click.

• Stay Connected: Communicate and exchange information with your managers/peers in real-time.

• Hassle-Free GPS Tracking System for remote employees.

• Improved Productivity: Increase employee productivity by a minimum of 40%.

Mobile attendance is a really handy tool for marketing and sales employees. We have the GetSpot mobile app, which is a time and attendance management software. For more information, contact below.

Regards, Anand

Mobile GPS- Attendance System

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