Switching guide

Switching time and attendance provider: what actually happens

Your notice period, your terminals, your data, and when not to switch

Switching time and attendance provider mostly comes down to checking three things before you sign anything new: how much notice your current contract needs, whether your clocking terminals will work with different software, and what historical data you can take with you. Get those right and the switch itself is manageable. Get them wrong and you can end up paying two suppliers at once.

If you are moving to Syncro Connect, our cloud time and attendance system, you can log in from day one. Your employee details are imported from a CSV file, and our Leeds team shows you how to set up your shifts and schedules, and the rules and data checks take about two weeks from payment.

We are a supplier ourselves, so read this knowing that. It includes the reasons you might be better off staying where you are.

Last reviewed · Supplying UK businesses from Leeds since 1989

Before you switch

Four things to check first

  1. Your notice period

    Find the notice clause in your current contract. Many run to 90 days or more, and some renew automatically.

  2. Your clocking terminals

    Check whether they only work with your current supplier’s software. Many do.

  3. Your historical data

    Ask your current supplier what you can export, and in what format, while you are still their customer.

  4. Your timing

    Aim to switch at the start of a pay period, and ideally not in the last weeks of your holiday year.

Step one

Your notice period: check it before anything else

Your notice period decides the earliest date you can switch without paying two suppliers at once, so find it before you speak to anyone new, including us. It is usually in the terms and conditions rather than on the order form.

  1. Find the right clauses

    Look for the sections headed term, renewal, notice or termination. Between them they tell you how long you are committed for and how to end it.

  2. Check whether it renews automatically

    Many contracts roll into a new term unless you give notice before a set date. Work out that date and put it in the diary.

  3. Check how notice has to be given

    Some contracts need notice in writing, by email to a named address, or by post. Notice given the wrong way may not count.

  4. Get the end date confirmed

    When you give notice, ask your supplier to confirm the date your service ends. Plan the switch so the new system is running and checked before that date.

For comparison

Syncro Connect’s own terms

Billing Notice to leave
Monthly Rolling contract, 30 days’ notice
Annual 30 days’ notice before your renewal date

Annual billing is our standard, with monthly available. Pricing is £2 per employee per month, or £3 with the Syncro Connect app, excl. VAT.

Step two

Your clocking terminals: will they carry over?

Often not, because many clocking terminals only work with the software they were sold with. Find out early, because replacing terminals is usually the biggest one-off cost of a switch.

How to check

Find the make and model on the label of each terminal. Ask your current supplier whether the terminals are locked to their software, and ask any new supplier whether they support that model. Get both answers in writing.

If you are moving to Syncro Connect

Our clocking terminals are designed to work with our software, so terminals from another supplier will usually need replacing. Ours are RFID, fingerprint and face recognition models from £395 to £995 excl. VAT, including weatherproof units for outdoor use, supplied, installed and supported from Leeds. Door readers are different: ours use the standard Wiegand format and connect to most access control panels. Send us the make and model of what you have and we will tell you honestly what will work. Our clocking hardware page has the full range.

While new terminals go in

Terminals do not have to be in place on day one. Staff can clock in from the Syncro Connect mobile app or a web browser while the hardware is fitted, and some businesses find they need fewer terminals than they had before.

Before the old ones leave site

If your old terminals stored fingerprints or face data, make sure that data is deleted before they go, and ask your old supplier to confirm it in writing. As the employer, you are responsible for that data, not the terminal or the company that sold it.

Step three

Your historical data: what moves, and what stays behind

Employee details move across easily. Years of past clockings usually do not, so export what you need from your old system before your contract ends, because access normally ends with it.

Moves across

Your employee details. For Syncro Connect, we import them from a CSV file, which most time and attendance and HR systems can export.

Set up fresh

Your shifts, schedules and pay rules. Our Leeds team helps you set up your shifts and schedules, and check your rules against how you actually work. Agree each person’s remaining holiday at the switch date so everyone starts with a figure they recognise.

Stays behind

Your past clockings, timesheets and absence history. Export them as reports you can open without the old software, such as CSV or PDF.

Why exporting your history matters

Records that prove you paid at least the minimum wage, including hours worked, must be kept for at least six years. If those hours only exist inside a system you no longer have access to, you may not be able to produce them when asked. Gov.uk sets out what minimum wage records employers must keep.

Before your old contract ends, export:

  • clocking and timesheet history, by employee and pay period
  • overtime and hours summaries that went to payroll
  • absence and sickness history
  • holiday taken and remaining for the current year
  • any edit or audit logs showing who changed what

Once you have your exports, ask your old supplier to delete your data and confirm it in writing.

Step four

Your timing: what a switch to Syncro Connect looks like

You can log in to Syncro Connect from day one, and the setup work takes about two weeks from payment. If you choose to run both systems side by side for a pay period, so you can check the new figures before payroll relies on them, that is the part that needs the most planning.

Work backwards from your go-live date. It should fall at the start of a pay period, ideally not in the last weeks of your holiday year, and before your old contract ends.

  1. Before you start

    Fix your dates

    Check your notice date, choose a go-live date at the start of a pay period, and plan your data exports. Give notice so your old contract runs until after your parallel pay period, not before it.

  2. Day one

    Log in and send us what you have

    You have access to Syncro Connect straight away. Send us your employee details as a CSV file and your current shift patterns or rota.

  3. Weeks one and two

    Setup, rules and data checks

    Import your employees from a spreadsheet, set up your shifts and schedules, and work through your pay rules and data with our Leeds team. If you are using clocking terminals, they are fitted during this stage. Until they are, staff can clock in from the mobile app or a web browser.

  4. Optional, one pay period

    Run both systems side by side, if you choose to

    Staff clock on both systems, and payroll still runs from the old one. At the end of the period, compare total hours, overtime and absence for every employee. Differences are usually down to a rule, such as rounding or unpaid breaks, set up differently in each system. Fix them before you rely on the new figures.

  5. Go live

    Switch payroll to Syncro Connect

    At the start of your chosen pay period, payroll runs from Syncro Connect. Keep the old system available until your exports are complete and checked.

  6. Before the old contract ends

    Close the old system down properly

    Confirm your exports open without the old software, then ask your old supplier to delete your data and confirm it in writing. If old terminals stored fingerprints or face data, make sure that is deleted too.

Still choosing which system to switch to? Our comparison of the best time and attendance software in the UK sets the main options side by side, including when Syncro Connect is not the right fit.

Want to look around before you commit to anything? You can try Syncro Connect free with no card required, or book a demo and we will talk through your dates with you.

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Switching time and attendance provider: FAQs

The questions businesses ask us when they are thinking about a switch. If yours is not here, call the Leeds team on 0113 350 9043.

How long does it take to switch time and attendance provider?
The setup itself is quick; your notice period usually decides the timing. With Syncro Connect you can log in on day one, the setup and rules checks take about two weeks from payment, and you can run both systems side by side for a pay period if you would like to compare the figures. You can try Syncro Connect free with no card required before you commit.
How much notice do I need to give my current supplier?
It depends entirely on your contract, so check the term, renewal and termination clauses before you do anything else. Many time and attendance contracts need 90 days or more and renew automatically if you miss the date. For comparison, Syncro Connect on monthly billing is a rolling contract with 30 days’ notice, and on annual billing it needs 30 days’ notice before your renewal date.
Can I switch in the middle of a contract?
You can start using a new system at any time, but you will usually keep paying your old supplier until the contract ends. That is why most businesses time the switch to their notice date. Some suppliers will agree an early exit if you ask; if yours does, get the agreement in writing.
Will my existing clocking terminals work with Syncro Connect?
Usually not, because our clocking terminals are designed to work with our software and terminals from other suppliers are often locked to theirs. Door readers are different: ours use the standard Wiegand format and connect to most access control panels. Send us the make and model of what you have and we will tell you honestly what will work. Our terminals run from £395 to £995 excl. VAT, and our clocking hardware page has the full range.
Can staff clock in before the new terminals are installed?
Yes. Staff can clock in from the Syncro Connect mobile app or a web browser, so the switch does not have to wait for hardware. The Syncro Connect app is part of the £3 per employee per month plan, excl. VAT.
Can I bring my employee data across?
Yes, your employee details come across from a CSV file, which most time and attendance and HR systems can export. Past clockings, timesheets and absence history stay behind, so export them as reports from your old system before your contract ends. Our Leeds team shows you how to set up your shifts and schedules.
How long do I need to keep my old clocking records?
Records that show you paid at least the minimum wage, including hours worked, must be kept for at least six years. Gov.uk sets out what those records need to show. Other records have their own rules, so check with your payroll or HR adviser before you delete anything.
Should we run both systems at the same time?
It is optional. We run your first payroll export with you either way. If your rules are complex, running both for a pay period is a good way to check: staff clock on both systems while payroll still runs from the old one, and at the end you compare total hours, overtime and absence for every employee before anyone is paid from the new figures.
What if the figures do not match during the parallel run?
That is what the parallel run is for, and small differences are normal. They are usually down to a rule set up differently in each system, such as rounding, unpaid breaks or where one shift ends and the next begins. Do not go live until you understand every difference, and bear in mind the old system is not always the one that was right.
What happens to fingerprint or face data on our old terminals?
It needs deleting before the terminals leave site, and you should ask your old supplier to confirm that in writing. As the employer, you are responsible for that data, not the terminal or the company that sold it.
When is it better not to switch?
When the problem is how your current system is set up rather than the system itself, when you have just missed your notice window, or when it is your busiest time of year. Ask your current supplier to review your setup first; it costs far less than a switch. If you are one of our customers thinking of leaving, that applies to us too, so talk to us first.
Why is a supplier telling me when not to switch?
Because a business that switches for the wrong reason ends up unhappy with whichever system it moves to, including ours. We would rather you switched once, at the right time, and stayed. If Syncro Connect is the right move for you, we will help you plan it around your dates.
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