The Kronos User Spotlight program recognizes the people who use Kronos regularly in their day-to-day jobs. The articles published as part of the program not only introduce you to real Kronos end users but also help you learn about features, resources, and solution strategies you might not have known about before.
Please meet Edwin Smith! Here’s what he had to share about his experience using Workforce Central®.
Meet Edwin

Name: | Edwin Smith |
Company: | Brooks Rehabilitation |
Role: | Kronos System Administrator |
Product: | Workforce Central |
Experience with Kronos: | 12 Years |
Kronos Community Name: | Edwin Smith |
Product Features and Functionality: What Edwin is most excited about
InTouch terminals — Kronos InTouch® terminals are intuitive and more interactive than, but similar in use to, mobile devices. The seven-inch color screen allows employees to interact easily with the system to view their timecards and time-off balances, request time off, and even stream videos. Employees are immediately alerted through the LED indicator if a punch was not received. In addition, we are a diversified, multilingual organization, and the terminals allow employees to select their preferred language. As an administrator, I have the capability to remotely connect to the terminals, even if the employee is in another city, and act as if I am standing right in front of them. No traveling required.
Mobile app — We are becoming more and more of a mobile workforce, and providing our employees with access to the mobile app has been a huge asset for us. Our nursing and therapy staff leverage the capabilities to view their schedules, request open shifts, and perform shift swaps. Our facilities team and sports therapists are always on the go. Having the mobile app allows them to punch in and out throughout the day without having to log in to a computer. More and more people are becoming reliant on their personal devices to stay connected, and the Workforce Central mobile app is helping our employees stay connected with our organization.
Call List/Staffing Assistant — This is by far the favorite feature of our schedulers. No more making phone calls, texting, or emailing several individuals to fill “callouts” or open shifts. Once employees are educated, we use the staffing assistant to fill open shifts and can contact multiple employees at one time. Depending on how many open shifts we have, the first employees to respond are assigned the shift and automatically scheduled.
Tips and Tricks: Advice from Edwin
- Have patience.
- Always use your DEV environment and have an extra device/timeclock for testing. Every time I make changes or need to add a new feature (no matter how easy or difficult I think it is), I test it out in the DEV environment. The great thing with the DEV environment is that you can make a mistake and easily refresh the data to start all over.
- If you do struggle with something, there is always Kronos Customer Success, as well as Kronos Community and Kronos Global Support.
Resources: What Edwin can’t live without
Kronos Global Support (KGS) — I cannot live without KGS. Professional, friendly, knowledgeable, reliable — the list could go on forever. KGS has set the bar for the quality of their customer support. I am amazed by the enthusiasm and commitment to help and educate when I struggle with something. They take the time to not only understand my problems but also help me understand where I went wrong and how to resolve it.
User Events
- KronosWorks — In my 12 years as a Kronos administrator, I had never been able to attend the annual user conference. That changed in the fall of 2019, when I finally attended my first one. What can I say? It was awesome! It was overwhelming at first, but I quickly adapted, and the Kronos staff were more than willing to help me out. I really enjoyed the opportunity to interact with Kronos Global Support one-on-one and Kronos Community Superusers like Matt Sorrell. Props to Matt, the rock star of Kronos Community. Matt often answered my email questions in the past when I wanted to get a quick answer, and it was great to meet him in person. It is truly a spectacle, and every administrator should experience the event at least once. Trust me, you will not be disappointed!
- Kronos Huddles — Something new that I really enjoyed was the recent Kronos Huddle, a user event that covers the latest information and product tips on the three major Kronos platforms: Workforce Ready®, Workforce Central®, and Workforce Dimensions™. In June, I attended the first virtual Kronos Huddle, and it gave me the chance to interact with Kronos experts, network with my peers, and provide feedback to Kronos. I look forward to attending future Kronos Huddles.
Just for Fun: More about Edwin
In my spare time, I am usually doing anything that revolves around my Jeep — rather, removing or adding something to it, camping, hiking, trailblazing, or enjoying the beach.
I also enjoy continuing my education and learning additional skills that revolve around our Workforce Central system to better support my organization. I have started learning SQL and database management through a local college with the plan of taking additional classes on networking, along with Kronos instructor-led classes on integration.
Thank you, Edwin, for sharing your wisdom!
To follow up with Edwin, please feel free to connect with him via private message in the UKG Community.