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WhatsApp – Factorial One: Manage time tracking, ask questions, send files and automate tasks

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Table of Contents

Overview 1. Time tracking through WhatsApp 2. Factorial One through WhatsApp Availability and requirements How to use 1. Connect WhatsApp to Factorial 2. Check your clock card 3. Clock in and out 4. Register and manage breaks 5. Check today's timesheet 6. Manage your work location 7. Ask Factorial One questions 8. Send files to Factorial One 9. Configure your daily briefing 10. Create automated tasks 11. Manage your settings Roles and Responsibilities Troubleshooting and FAQ Troubleshooting FAQ

WhatsApp – Factorial One allows employees to access Factorial directly from a WhatsApp conversation. You can manage your working time, clock in and out, register breaks, check your timesheet and work location, ask Factorial One questions, share files and receive personalised daily briefings.

Each employee can connect their own WhatsApp account without requiring an administrator to install or configure the integration for the company.

 

Overview

WhatsApp – Factorial One connects Factorial with WhatsApp, allowing employees to interact with Factorial through a personal conversation.

Factorial WhatsApp number: +34 604 565 298

 

The integration provides two groups of functionalities:

1. Time tracking through WhatsApp

Employees can manage their working time directly from WhatsApp, without needing to open the Factorial platform.

Available functionalities include:

  • Clock card: Check your current clocking status, time worked today, expected working time and remaining time.
  • Clock in and out: Register your start and end times, including clocking at an earlier time when supported.
    • For example, clock in 09:00 or clock out 18:00.
  • Breaks: Start and finish breaks, including breaks with specific names.
  • Today's timesheet: Check your recorded working time for the current day.
  • Work location: Register or check your work location, such as office, home or a business trip.

2. Factorial One through WhatsApp

With Factorial One, you can access additional functionalities through natural-language conversations.

  • Ask questions: Ask about time off, your team or company information in any language.
  • Clock using natural language: Write messages such as "Clock me in" or "Start my lunch break". One requests confirmation before recording the action.
  • Send files: Share photos, PDFs, Office documents and other supported file formats.
  • Daily briefing: Receive a personalised summary at the time you choose.
  • Automated tasks: Schedule recurring tasks with a preview before saving them.

Supported file formats

You can send files such as PNG, JPEG, WebP, HEIC, PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, CSV and TXT, as well as similar supported formats.

The maximum file size is 50 MB per message. When you send several photos together, they are treated as one question.

Unsupported content

Factorial One cannot read voice notes, videos or stickers. If you send one of these, you'll receive a notification explaining that you should send a written message instead.

 

Availability and requirements

The integration is free of charge. However, certain functionalities require Factorial One.

Functionality Without Factorial One With Factorial One
Clock in and out using commands Yes Yes
Register breaks Yes Yes
Manage work location Yes Yes
Check today's timesheet Yes Yes
Check clock card information Yes Yes
Clock in using natural language No Yes
Ask questions about your company No Yes
Send files and ask questions about them No Yes
Receive daily briefings No Yes
Schedule automated tasks No Yes

When and why should you use it?

Use WhatsApp – Factorial One when you want to manage your working time and access company information quickly, without switching between applications.

It is particularly useful for:

  • Employees who need to clock in and out or register breaks while on the move
  • Teams that need to check their working time and work location
  • Employees who want quick answers about time off or company information
  • People who need to share receipts, contracts or other documents
  • Employees who want to receive a daily overview of their work
  • People who want to automate recurring tasks
 

 

How to use

1. Connect WhatsApp to Factorial

Each employee connects their own account. No company-wide installation or administrator configuration is required.

  1. Open WhatsApp on your mobile phone
  2. Start a conversation with +34 604 565 298, or open the Factorial WhatsApp link 
  3. Send the initial message
  4. Confirm your preferred language and time zone
    • The time zone is initially suggested based on your phone number's country prefix
  5. Sign in to Factorial using your own employee account
  6. Once connected, you can start using the available functionalities.

If you have Factorial One, your first daily briefing follows the sign-in process.

 

2. Check your clock card

You can use WhatsApp to check your current working time information.

  1. Open your WhatsApp conversation with Factorial
  2. Write clock
  3. Check the information provided, including:
    • Your current clocking status
    • Time worked today
    • Expected working time
    • Time remaining

This helps you understand your working day without opening the Factorial platform.

3. Clock in and out

You can register your working time using predefined commands.

  1. Open your WhatsApp conversation with Factorial
  2. Write clock to access the clocking options
  3. Follow the available options to clock in or out
  4. Check the confirmation of your registration
  5. You can also register a specific time using commands such as:
    • clock in 09:00
    • clock out 18:00

These commands with a specific time are currently available in English only.

Using Factorial One: You can also write natural-language messages such as "Clock me in" or "I'm done for the day". One will ask you to confirm the action before recording it.

 

4. Register and manage breaks

You can register breaks directly through WhatsApp.

  1. Open your conversation with Factorial
  2. Write break to start a break
  3. Follow the available options to select a break, including a named break where applicable
  4. When you return, write resume to resume your working time
  5. Check the confirmation.

With Factorial One, you can also describe the break naturally, for example, "Start my lunch break". One will request confirmation before recording it.

 

5. Check today's timesheet

To review your recorded working time:

  1. Open your WhatsApp conversation with Factorial
  2. Write timesheet
  3. Review the information about your working time for the current day.

6. Manage your work location

You can use WhatsApp to register or check your work location.

  1. Open your WhatsApp conversation with Factorial
  2. Write location
  3. Follow the available options to select your location, such as:
    • Office
    • Home
    • Business trip
  4. Check the confirmation.

7. Ask Factorial One questions

With Factorial One, you can ask questions about your company directly through WhatsApp.

  1. Open your WhatsApp conversation with Factorial
  2. Write your question naturally
  3. Ask about topics such as time off, your team or company information
  4. One will process your request and provide an answer
  5. One responds in the language you use when writing your message

8. Send files to Factorial One

You can share documents and images and ask One questions about their content.

  1. Open your WhatsApp conversation with Factorial
  2. Attach the file you want to share
  3. Make sure the file uses a supported format and is no larger than 50 MB per message
  4. Write a question or request about the attachment
  5. One will process the file and respond
    • Supported formats include PNG, JPEG, WebP, HEIC, PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, CSV and TXT
  6. If you send several photos together, One receives them as a single question

9. Configure your daily briefing

Factorial One can send you a personalised daily briefing through WhatsApp.

  1. Connect your WhatsApp account to Factorial
  2. Complete the sign-in process
  3. Configure the information you want to receive in your daily briefing
  4. Choose the time when you want to receive it
  5. Save your preferences
  6. The briefing can include information such as:
    • Who is absent
    • What is waiting for you
    • Your clocking information
  7. Your briefing is sent once a day at the time you select.

10. Create automated tasks

Factorial One allows you to schedule recurring tasks through WhatsApp.

  1. Open your WhatsApp conversation with Factorial
  2. Ask One to perform the task you want to automate
  3. Specify the frequency:
    • Every day
    • Monday to Friday
    • Once a week
  4. Review the preview provided by One
  5. Confirm and save the task

You can create up to three automated tasks per person. The daily briefing is also included in the limit of six scheduled messages per person per day.

 

11. Manage your settings

You can use WhatsApp commands to manage your integration preferences.

  1. Write settings to change your language or time zone
  2. Write sign out to disconnect your Factorial account from WhatsApp
  3. Write help to access the available help information.

You can also use the main commands in your selected language.

 

 

Roles and Responsibilities

The setup and use of WhatsApp – Factorial One involve the following responsibilities:

Role Responsibility
Client / HR team Share the Factorial WhatsApp number with employees. No administrator installation is required.
Employee Start the WhatsApp conversation, confirm the language and time zone, and sign in using their own Factorial account. Employees manage their own interaction with One.
Partner No partner setup is required. WhatsApp (Meta) is the messaging channel.
Factorial Builds and manages the integration through Factorial Code – Integrations and provides support through the Support portal.

 

Tips and best practices

  • Save the Factorial number: Keep +34 604 565 298 in your WhatsApp contacts so you can easily find the conversation.
  • Use the correct commands: Write clock, timesheet, break, resume, location or help to access the main time-tracking functionalities.
  • Include the time when needed: You can specify an earlier clocking time using commands such as clock in 09:00. Remember that commands containing a specific time are currently available in English only.
  • Confirm natural-language clocking: When One asks you to confirm a clocking action, check the details before replying "Yes".
  • Send supported files: Check that your attachment is in a supported format and does not exceed 50 MB per message.
  • Write instead of sending voice notes: One cannot process voice notes, videos or stickers.
  • Check your time zone: Make sure your time zone is correct so that your daily briefing and automated tasks are scheduled appropriately.
  • Review automated tasks: Check the preview before saving a task. Remember that you can create up to three automated tasks per person.
  • Keep WhatsApp active: WhatsApp has a 24-hour messaging window. Interact with Factorial regularly to avoid delays in receiving scheduled messages.
 

 

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
I can't clock in using WhatsApp. Check whether your company requires QR-code or workplace clocking. These actions must be completed through Factorial.
My daily briefing or automated task hasn't arrived. Check whether the 24-hour WhatsApp messaging window has expired. The message may be delivered when you next contact Factorial.
My daily briefing has stopped arriving. After seven consecutive missed deliveries, the briefing is paused. Resume it when needed.
One doesn't understand my message. Send a written message instead of a voice note, video or sticker.

FAQ

  1. Does an admin need to install it?
    No. Each employee writes to the Factorial WhatsApp number and signs in with their own Factorial account. HR only needs to share the number.
     
  2. What do employees get without Factorial One?
    Clocking in and out, breaks, work location and today's timesheet. Questions, files, natural-language clocking, daily briefings and automated tasks require Factorial One.
     
  3. Which languages are supported?
    English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese. Employees select their preferred language when connecting and can change it using settings. One responds in the language they write in.
     
  4. How does clocking by writing work?
    With Factorial One, employees can write messages such as "Clock me in" or "Start my lunch break". One requests confirmation before recording the action. Without Factorial One, employees use clock and the available buttons.
     
  5. My company requires a QR code or a workplace to clock in. Does it work?
    No. These actions cannot be completed through WhatsApp. Employees receive a message asking them to use the QR code or clock in directly through Factorial.
     
  6. Why didn't my briefing or task arrive?
    WhatsApp only allows messages to be sent within 24 hours of the employee's last interaction. If this window has expired, the message waits until the employee's next message that day. After seven consecutive missed deliveries, the daily briefing is paused and can be resumed.
     
  7. Can employees send voice notes?
    No. Voice notes, videos and stickers aren't supported. Employees receive a notification asking them to write a message instead.
     
  8. How many automated tasks can someone have?
    Up to three automated tasks per person and six scheduled messages per day in total, including the daily briefing. Each task is previewed before saving.
     
  9. How do employees sign out or change their language or time zone?
    Employees can write sign out to disconnect their account or settings to change their language or time zone.
     
  10. Which permissions does it use?
    The integration uses Factorial OAuth with each employee's own account and the following permissions: employees, time_tracking, one:read and one:write.
 
 

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