Short answer: register each worker's mobile number, publish an attendance number per site or shift, and ask staff to give a missed call when they arrive (and leave). The caller pays nothing, the platform logs which phone called and when, and the CSV export becomes your attendance register for payroll. It works on any phone and needs no app, but it does not prove location.
Who It Suits
Missed call attendance is a good fit where an app is unrealistic:
| Workforce | Why missed calls work |
|---|---|
| Security guards across many sites | Basic phones, rotating shifts |
| Housekeeping and facility staff | No smartphones or data packs |
| Construction and contract labour | Many languages, low literacy |
| Field sales and merchandisers | Start-of-day check-in from the market |
| Delivery and logistics staff | Quick shift start without opening an app |
| Healthcare outreach and NGO field workers | Rural coverage on feature phones |
| Retail store staff across branches | One number per store |
It is a weaker fit for office staff with laptops and badges, where a biometric or HR app is already in place.
How It Works
- Registered mobile = identity. You keep a staff list with each person's mobile number.
- Attendance numbers. You buy one or more missed call numbers and name them, for example "Site Andheri Morning" or "Warehouse Nashik".
- Check-in. The worker dials the number. The call is cut with a busy tone and costs them nothing.
- Record. The platform logs the caller's number (in +91 format), the time, and which attendance number they called.
- Payroll. You export the CSV (or receive each call by webhook) and match numbers to names.
Setup Options
One number per site
Each site gets its own number. The number called tells you which site the worker checked in to, which is useful for contractors billing by site.
One number per shift
"Morning shift: 9XXX..., Night shift: 9YYY..." The number called tells you which shift.
Separate in and out numbers
Two numbers per site: one for arrival, one for departure. You then calculate hours worked from the pair. Alternatively use a single number and treat the first call of the day as "in" and the last as "out"; this is simpler but easier to get wrong if someone calls twice.
| Design | Numbers needed | What you learn | Cost (plus GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| One number for everyone | 1 | Who called and when | ₹499/month |
| One per site | One per site | Who, when, which site | ₹499 per site/month |
| One per site, in and out | Two per site | Who, which site, hours | ₹998 per site/month |
| One per shift | One per shift | Who, when, which shift | ₹499 per shift/month |
These costs assume you work from the dashboard and CSV export, which have no per-call charge.
Getting the Data into Payroll
Option 1: Daily or monthly CSV (no developer)
- Filter the log by number and date range.
- Export CSV. Columns include caller number, time and the number called.
- In a spreadsheet, use a lookup against your staff list (mobile to name and employee ID).
- Pivot by person and date to get days present, or pair first and last calls for hours.
Tip: normalise mobile numbers in your staff list to the same +91 format the export uses, or the lookup will miss.
Option 2: Real-time webhook
If you have an HR or payroll system, send each call.missed event to it by webhook. Your system
matches data.from against the staff list and writes the attendance entry immediately. Each
event costs ₹0.30, or use the ₹1,498/month Unlimited plan per number for large workforces. See the
missed call docs for the payload and signature check.
Option 3: Into a CRM or Sheet
Small teams can send events to Edesy CRM (free plan) or to Google Sheets; see how to send missed call leads to Google Sheets. If you use an HRMS, we can connect it for you, usually within a few days, using our webhook and API.
Cost Example
A security agency with 20 sites and two shifts, using one number per site and working from CSV:
| Item | Monthly |
|---|---|
| 20 numbers x ₹499 | ₹9,980 |
| Per-call charges (CSV only) | ₹0 |
| Total before GST | ₹9,980 |
| With 18% GST | ₹11,776.40 |
Prepaying 12 months costs ₹4,499 per number instead of ₹5,988. A one-time setup fee may apply per number. With 400 guards checking in and out daily over 30 days (about 24,000 calls a month spread across 20 numbers), sending everything by webhook on pay as you go would add about ₹7,200 a month.
Honest Limits
Be clear-eyed about what a missed call does and does not prove.
| Concern | Reality | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Location | No GPS or location proof. The call could come from anywhere. | Spot checks; supervisor confirmation; a GPS app for high-risk roles |
| Proxy attendance | Anyone holding the registered phone can call | Random callbacks; supervisor sign-off |
| Unregistered phones | Calls from unknown numbers appear in the log too | Flag unmatched numbers in your sheet |
| Repeat calls | Every call is a separate event | Use first/last call per day |
| Phone changes | Staff switching SIMs break the match | Update the staff list on joining and SIM change |
| Network outages | No call, no record | Allow a manual entry by supervisor |
| Burst at shift start | Each number caps simultaneous calls | Spread large sites across two numbers |
Missed call attendance is a low-cost, low-friction register, not a fraud-proof system. Many employers use it alongside periodic audits, which is usually enough for distributed, low-tech workforces.
Rolling It Out Smoothly
Run a two-week pilot at one or two sites before going company-wide. Keep the old register in parallel, compare the two daily, and fix mismatches (wrong numbers in the staff list, staff calling from a second SIM) before payroll depends on it. Print the attendance number on ID cards or a sticker at the site entrance so nobody has to remember it.
Privacy and Consent
- Tell staff what is recorded (their number and call time) and why.
- Use the data only for attendance and payroll.
- Limit who can export logs using team roles.
- Keep records for as long as your payroll and labour compliance require, and no longer.
Step-by-Step Setup
- Sign in at missedcall.edesy.in and complete KYC (PAN and business documents).
- Buy numbers per site or shift and name them clearly.
- Build the staff list with normalised mobile numbers.
- Brief staff: "Give a missed call on arrival and before leaving."
- Test with a few workers for a week and compare with your existing register.
- Roll out, and set a weekly export routine for payroll.
More detail is on the employee attendance use case.