Time-tracking software is a crucial element when it comes to managing your time, increasing productivity, and sharing your workload among team members. However, finding the right tool poses a serious challenge. There are many programs that can help you with the best time-tracking software, but not all of them might be right for you.
What should I look for in time-tracking software?
One of the most important things to look for in time-tracking software is the ability to break down your hours into more specific tasks.
If you run a small business, you probably know that employee productivity is an important factor in whether or not your company succeeds. Without it, your employees won’t be able to get their work done on time and your customers will suffer. And if you’re looking for ways to improve employee productivity, there are a few different things you can do — including tracking their time!
The best time-tracking tools can be especially helpful for remote workers who tend to work from home or from different places throughout the day. If you want them to get more done, it’s important that they know where they stand so they don’t fall behind or overwork themselves. The best way to do this is by using time-tracking software that gives them a clear picture of what they’re doing each day and how much time they’re spending on each task. Manage your employees’ work hours with GPS tracking for time and attendance.
12 Best Criteria For Evaluating A Time Tracking Software
With thousands of time tracking software available online, how can you find the right one for your business? First, you need to determine what makes a good time-tracking software. The 12 criteria presented here can be used to evaluate a time-tracking software and find the one that fits your requirements.
Real-time tracking
Most time tracking apps let you track in real-time, so you can get a running clock that starts when you start a task and stops when you finish.
The ability to edit time tracked or manually add time blocks
Many apps allow you to edit time logs that are inaccurate, such as if you accidentally forgot to start or stop a timer while taking a break or going on vacation. You may also want to add blocks of time post hoc (after the fact) in case you forget to launch the timer when you start a task. For example, if your phone rings and you jump into a 20-minute consulting call, don’t worry about starting a timer for those hours worked—just log and bill for them later when you get back to your desk.
Reporting features
The best time-tracking apps offer dashboards and reports that let you break down how much time you spend per project, per person, or per client.
The ability to create invoices or export data
Once you put all your time spent on work into an app, you can take action on it. All these apps will automatically create invoices from the time tracking data stored in the app or export that information into PDFs, CSVs, or Google Sheets to share with the right people.
Multiple points of access
There are many great time-tracking tools that make it easy to start a timer. You can initiate one from wherever is most convenient to you, whether that’s your browser or mobile device.
Pricing
Pricing is a very important factor in the evaluation of time-tracking software. Getting the right price for your product or service will help you in attracting more customers to your business. You can do this by setting up your pricing strategy in such a way that it gives customers an idea about how much they are going to spend for using your product or service. This way, you are also able to attract potential customers who want quality at affordable prices.
Reliability
When choosing a time-tracking tool for your business, you should always look at its reliability first. This means that the tool should be able to provide accurate results about how much time each employee spends on his job every day. If it does not offer such accurate results, then it would not be worth using at all because it would only make things worse for you instead of helping.
Time Tracking Flexibility
Time tracking flexibility is crucial for your business because it allows you to track time as you need to, and not how the software dictates. This can be especially important if you’re working with a team of employees and want to track their work across multiple projects.
Ease of Use
You want to choose a time tracker that’s easy to learn and easy to use. A good time tracker should be intuitive and simple enough that even someone who isn’t familiar with computers can get the hang of it within minutes or hours at most, not days or weeks!
Support
It is important to have support if you are using time-tracking software. This is because there will be times when you may need help or assistance. For example, if you want to learn more about the software, you can ask for it from the company’s website. It is also possible to get assistance through email or phone calls. If you have any problems with the system, you can ask for help from the company’s technical team.
Compatibility With Your Devices
You want to be able to track time on all your devices, whether they’re desktop computers, laptops, or mobile phones, so make sure the software you choose is compatible with all three types of devices.
Customizability
You need to consider when evaluating time-tracking software whether or not it’s customizable. If you need to customize the software to work for your specific business, then you’re going to want something that allows for this. Customizability should be one of the first things that come up when evaluating time-tracking software because, without it, you will be unable to use the program properly.
How do I track my time using time-tracking software?
There are a number of ways to track time, but one of the most popular is by using time-tracking software. This can be an app or software that you install on your computer or mobile device.
Time-tracking software can help you get a better understanding of how much time you spend on different projects and tasks. It also allows you to easily see which days are busier than others, so you can plan accordingly.
If you’re using a time-tracking app, it should be easy to track your time. Some apps even have built-in timers so you can start and stop them with a single tap.
If you’re using a hard-copy timesheet, keep a tally of what you’ve done each day at the end of the week. You can write down the total hours in one column, then list the tasks you completed in another column. If you’re working from home, be sure to record your commute time as well.
If you’re using a paper or electronic timesheet, mark down all of your activities as best as possible. Include everything from answering emails to making sales calls to working on projects and more.
How to get started with time-tracking software?
It’s easy to get started with time-tracking software.
In fact, we’ve been using it for years in our own businesses and can help you get started too.
Here’s how:
Decide what you want to track.
Do you need to track employee hours or are you tracking your own time? If it’s the latter, then a simple spreadsheet will suffice. If not, then you’ll need something more robust like a basic time-tracking app or a full-blown employee time-tracking software suite like Hubstaff or TSheets.
Save hours each week with our easy-to-use time tracking. Then, convert desktop, web, mobile, or GPS time tracking data to automated timesheets.
Get your team on board if necessary.
Some employees may have reservations about being tracked or they may not be very good at staying on task when working remotely (even when they’re supposed to be). You’ll need to set clear expectations around what is expected of them (e.g., stay focused) and put measures in place to ensure that they follow through on their responsibilities (e.g., regular check-ins).
Choose the right tool for your needs.
You’ll need to choose what type of tool you’ll use. Time-tracking software is the best option for those who want to track their time on multiple projects at once. It’s also great for people who work from home and want to manage their time more effectively.
How easy it is to use?
There are a lot of different options for time-tracking software, and the options are constantly evolving. The best employee time tracking software will be easy to use, flexible and adaptable, and provide all the features that you need.
The best employee time-tracking software will also be easy to use. You don’t want something that is complicated or confusing to use. Look for something that has an intuitive interface and clear instructions on how to use it. It should also have some training videos or tutorials available in case you need extra help figuring out how everything works.
If you have employees who work remotely, you may want to consider remote employee time-tracking software. Time tracking apps like Hubstaff allow employees to track their own time from their phones or computers at home so they don’t have to come into the office every day to log their hours worked each day. This is especially helpful if your employees work from home full-time or only work with clients outside of normal business hours.
Save hours each week with our easy-to-use time tracking. Then, convert desktop, web, mobile, or GPS time tracking data to automated timesheets.
What features does it have?
Time-tracking apps are a great way to keep track of your time. They can help you increase productivity and get better at managing your time. However, there are many different time-tracking apps available for Android and iOS, so it’s difficult to choose one that’s right for you.
Some of the basic time-tracking features in a good time-tracking app include:
Easy setup
Time-tracking apps should be easy to set up and use. You don’t want to spend hours trying to figure out how to use the app or set up your account before you can track time. Look for an app that offers a simple user interface with instructions for getting started on the first screen.
Automatic updates
When working on multiple projects, it’s important that your time is automatically updated if you switch tasks or work on other projects. Otherwise, it will be hard to keep track of how much time was actually spent on each project or task without manually entering it into each task manager separately.
Easy reporting tools
Time-tracking apps should make reporting easy by providing reports with all of the data required by managers and clients alike. You may also want an online dashboard where you can view detailed reports at any time without having to open multiple programs.
Why should small businesses use time-tracking software?
Time tracking is a great way for small businesses to gain insight into their productivity and efficiency. With the right tools, it can also help them improve their workflow, reduce costs and increase profits.
Time-tracking software helps you keep track of your employees’ time, while some time-tracking apps and time-management tools allow you to track your own work hours. Here are some reasons why small businesses should use time-tracking software:
Tracking employee hours is essential for companies that bill clients for services rendered. Time tracking software makes it easy for you to log your work hours and invoice clients accordingly. You can also use this information to track which employees are working efficiently and which ones aren’t pulling their weight.
Time management tools help teams stay on task management projects more effectively and keep deadlines in mind at all times. This is especially helpful if your team members have different responsibilities or if you’re working on multiple projects at once.
If you’re paying someone else for their services, such as an accountant or marketing consultant, then it’s important that they know exactly how much time they’re spending on each project so they can invoice you accordingly — especially if they have any questions or concerns about payment or billing practices.”
Tips on using time-tracking software
Time tracking is a crucial part of project management tools and business productivity. You can use automatic time tracking to improve your productivity, find out where you’re spending your time and identify areas where you can save time.
Here are some tips on using time-tracking software:
Establish a routine
Set up a regular schedule for tracking your time, whether it’s once a day or once a week. Make sure you have enough time to get everything done before the deadline.
Use the same tool
Use the same tool every time so it becomes second nature. Don’t switch between multiple apps or websites because they’ll all be slightly different and it will be harder to get used to them all at once.
Don’t start too early
It’s tempting to start tracking your time as soon as you start working on a task, but this can lead to over-reporting because you don’t know how long it will take until you’ve finished. Start when you have an idea of how much work is involved in each task, like when planning out tasks or reading through the documentation before starting them so that there aren’t any surprises halfway through when you realize just how much work still needs to be done!
FAQ
What are the challenges could encounter in time-tracking software?
One of the challenges could encounter in time-tracking software is the fact that it’s easy to forget to track your time. This can be especially true if you’re using an app, as it may not be top of mind. Another challenge with time-tracking software is that it can take some time for users to get used to using it. The first few days are usually when people are most likely to forget or not remember how long they spent on a task. The third challenge with time-tracking software is that there are many solutions out there, which means that you have a lot of choices when it comes to selecting the one that works best for your team.
What is the advantage of time-tracking software?
Time-tracking software is the easiest way to keep track of your time. It can help you manage your time more efficiently, increase productivity and reduce stress. Time-tracking software automatically records everything you do on your computer or mobile device. You can then review reports that show how much time you spent working on different projects, how long it takes you to complete tasks, which websites you visit, and how many emails you send per hour.
What is the difference between a timesheet and time-tracking?
Timesheets and time tracking are two different things. A timesheet is a record of all the time that you have worked. It’s either done manually or with the help of software. Time-tracking solutions are when you keep track of your time spent on different tasks, projects, or clients.