One of the most common and most expensive mistakes buyers make is failing to ensure their current time card systems infrastructure will work with the new time card system. While you can quickly weed out any system that does not work with your current operating system, databases, and enterprise applications (e.g., resource planning systems from PeopleSoft or SAP), a superficial analysis of the time card systems requirements is not enough.

Any vendor under serious consideration should be able to demonstrate its compatibility with your company's overall environment. This means that it should be compatible with the data input devices you want to use, your current IT applications, your HR policies, and your payroll service vendor.

If you plan to set rules in your time card system, go through your company handbook and see if the vendor can accommodate your time and attendance-related rules. Similarly, you should ask about compatibility with your payroll service to ensure seamless integration. Find the best time and attendance solution for your business today.

Do not purchase time card systems based on the "upcoming" or "next-generational" pitches from a vendor. Yes, understanding a vendor's future plans can be an important factor in your investment decision, but to use a familiar analogy, remember that you are purchasing a car to drive today, not tomorrow. If they do not fully integrate with your time card systems today, a vendor should offer a clear and workable plan for creating a working system that addresses any conflicts you face, along with a timetable for implementation.

The good news is that you will find most vendors offer time card systems that are compatible with typical industry configurations. Most software vendors support the standard interfaces for data entry systems and payroll services, and are flexible enough to accommodate common business rules. Most also offer encrypted file transmission and other basic software security measures; the vendor should be able to prove the system is secure from tampering both from internal and external parties.

Conduct a full assessment of time card system dealers by comparing different companies side-by-side.