Question 1

Do employees need to install any app to mark attendance on WhatsApp?

Accepted Answer

No. They message your AttendancePay WhatsApp number from the WhatsApp they already have. There is nothing to download, no account to create and no login to remember, which is precisely why adoption is higher than with a dedicated app for blue-collar and contract teams.

Question 2

How do you stop someone marking attendance from home?

Accepted Answer

WhatsApp check-ins carry the employee's shared location, which is validated against the geofence assigned to their site. A punch outside the boundary is flagged for approval or rejected outright, depending on the policy you set. You can also require a selfie for face verification on the same punch.

Question 3

Does WhatsApp attendance feed into payroll automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes. WhatsApp punches are stored in the same attendance timeline as biometric, GPS, face and kiosk punches, so shift rules, late marks, overtime and payable days are calculated identically. Payroll then applies PF, ESI, TDS and Professional Tax without any export or re-entry.

Question 4

Can we use WhatsApp attendance for only part of our workforce?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and most companies do. A typical setup has office staff on biometric or face attendance and field, site or contract staff on WhatsApp. Reporting is consolidated regardless of how each punch was captured.

Question 5

What happens if an employee has no network at the site?

Accepted Answer

The message is delivered by WhatsApp as soon as connectivity returns, and the punch retains the time it was sent rather than the time it arrived. For sites with chronically poor coverage, a tablet kiosk at the entry point is usually the better primary method, with WhatsApp as the fallback.

Question 6

Is WhatsApp attendance secure enough for payroll data?

Accepted Answer

The WhatsApp message carries only the check-in and location. Salary, payslips and personal data never travel over WhatsApp — those stay in the AttendancePay app and web portal behind role-based access control.