User Identity & Asure Central: Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

This article answers the most common questions about the User Identity feature in PayClock Online and the new Asure Central access. For background, see the New Feature article and the related step-by-step guides.

General Questions

When this rolls out, will current users and employees lose their usernames?

No. Existing customers keep the same logins and nothing changes for them. A record only updates when an employee’s access or email address is changed — at that point a verification email is sent, and once the link is approved the record becomes a User Identity. After conversion, the record uses the email address (no longer the username). The transition is not silent — the verification email alerts the user.

If someone is on the old login model and later gets associated with another account, does it auto-convert?

No. Until the future forced changeover, a record does not convert on its own. A record only becomes a User Identity when its email address is validated on an account. To link an unconverted account to a User Identity, update its email address to match the other account’s email and approve the verification. The record then converts, and the company appears in the My Accounts drop-down. The same email cannot be active on two accounts unless both are converted this way.

Does this affect a PCO-only customer who is not on Asure Central?

No. The change only affects customers who want to use the same email address across multiple databases. A User Identity can exist with no Asure connection at all. A record only becomes part of Asure Central when it is an Asure-integrated, mapped employee. Customers who do not use Asure see no functional difference beyond the User Identity capability.

Email Address Questions

What does “changing the email” actually mean, and why allow customers to do it themselves?

It means physically changing the user's email address — for example, from a work address to a personal one. Many PayClock Online customers do not have a company email domain, so employees use personal email addresses. If someone loses access to that mailbox, they need to be able to update it.

Does the user receive another validation email after they change their email?

Yes. A confirmation email is sent to the user’s inbox, and a notification is also sent to the account administrator.

Is the email-change notification sent to every administrator?

Only the primary administrator — the top-level person in charge of the system — receives the notification. Supervisors and secondary admins are not notified. This is intentional, to keep notification volume low so the alerts remain meaningful.

An employee uses an email, leaves the company, and is hired elsewhere. Can the same email be reused?

If the previous employee record is not terminated, both records will appear in the user’s list of accounts; managing that is up to the customer. Once the previous employee is terminated, they lose the identity for that company. If the old account is still unconverted, the same email can be added to a new account (because the email is not present in that account) and will be allowed. This does not convert the old record unless that user's email or access is changed.

• Making a user inactive still lets them log into their other active accounts. Logging into the inactive account returns an access-revoked message.
• Deleting the user removes that company from the drop-down list entirely.

PayClock Agent, QuickBooks Desktop, and FR Clocks

How does the PayClock Agent work across different accounts with different QuickBooks files?

The PayClock Agent is installed locally where the QuickBooks file is located, so nothing about that changes — but secondary accounts cannot be linked to a single Agent. One Agent serves one account. A separate account at another location requires its own Agent install. Multiple company files within the same PayClock Online company are fine; different online accounts on one Agent are not, because personnel and payroll data syncs are specific to the company.

Running the Agent on VPNs or virtual machines to work around this is not a supported configuration.

How do I log into the PayClock Agent or Setup Assistant as a User Identity?

Use the email address in place of the Username. If the email is tied to multiple databases, also enter the Company ID and password so the migration targets the correct account. If those are left blank, the Agent migrates to the default database or the first available account in the list — which can lead to accidentally migrating over an existing account.

How does QuickBooks Desktop or an FR clock authenticate now?

There is no longer a Username for a User Identity, so use the email address in place of the Username. Everything else is the same: continue to use the Company ID for the Company ID, and the password for the password.

Asure Central Questions

With Asure Central, do employees have to log into PayClock Online first and grant access?

No. Linking is handled on the back end, so employees do not have to log in and authorize anything. The one required action is on the customer side: the PayClock administrator must run an Employee Sync in PayClock Online at least once so the PayClock tile appears in Asure Central. After that, new hires link automatically whenever a sync runs.

When will support arrive for non-employee payroll users in Asure Central?

No firm date is set, but this is the next project after the current release finishes. Supporting non-employee payroll users (for example, supervisors and administrators) is expected to be the most-requested follow-up, so it is the top priority.

Mobile App and Android Clock Questions

How are the auto-installers on Android clocks changing?

For now, if an email is tied to more than one database, set those clocks up the existing way — in PayClock Online go to Clocks and add the serial number directly. Do not use the login option on the clock. Within a few weeks, an update will let the clock login present an account-selection screen at login, similar to the web login experience.

If a user has access to multiple accounts, can they choose which account to log into from the mobile app?

No. At this time, the mobile app logs the user directly into their default account and does not provide an account-selection screen during login. Support for selecting and switching between multiple accounts in the mobile app is planned in a future update. Until then, users can only access their default account through the app.