What Is A GPS?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) offers an essential fourth dimension in addition to longitude, latitude, and altitude—time. Each GPS satellite has several atomic clocks that give the GPS signals accurate time information.
GPS receivers break down these signals, which sync each receiver to the atomic clocks. It lets people know the exact time to within 100 billionths of a second without having to buy and run an atomic clock.
A GPS Clocking System: What Is It?
The GPS time clock is a system that works with a group of 24 satellites in orbit. It gives a service for timing that is very accurate and precise. The system uses an atomic clock to make international atomic time standards easy to get at a low cost.
With GPS tracking, you can tell where all of your employees are. You can find out if someone is stuck in traffic or going off the route they were supposed to take. It also means you can tell your clients where your employees or goods are.
What Makes A GPS Time Clock Different From A GPS Tracker?
GPS time tracking and GPS tracking are frequently used interchangeably, even though they may refer to the same thing.
With GPS time tracking, you can keep track of where employees clock in and out. An app for GPS time clocks can help you with this.
Contrarily, GPS tracking refers to documenting every location of a worker. Periodic recording of the employee’s whereabouts could occur as they clock in or after they clock out.
How Does The GPS Time Clock Work?
The best position of the user’s device is found and reported through GPS tracking, commonly referred to as geofence tracking. And it’s the main thing a GPS time clock does.
Although it’s commonly referred to as GPS tracking, it doesn’t always use the GPS location; hence, geofence tracking is a better term.
A device can use geofence in one of two ways:
– Location by GPS
– Location of WiFi
– The IP address of the device or
– The cell tower triangulation.
The device tells you which of these four options is the most accurate.
You don’t need to be connected to the internet to get the geographic coordinates for a GPS location. On the other hand, having an internet connection improves the location data because it gives you more options for location data. But there are times when it can’t find the location of the device.
Geofencing works best when the device can reach by the signals to figure out where it is. Users should avoid places like basements where signals have difficulty getting to the device.
What’s Good About Using A GPS Time Clock App?
1. Tracking Time Accurately
Most of the time, employees don’t lie about their hours or expenses. People often forget how many hours they worked, especially when they have to write their hours by hand.
The paper timesheets are prone to mistakes, are often wrong, and are based on guesses. In the long run, these mistakes cost your company a lot of money, so you should consider using time-tracking software with GPS.
These GPS-accurate timesheets tool can be helpful by streamlining time-related processes through project management software and reducing time and cost mistakes. Because of this, you’ll pay your employees relatively per their degree of productivity and the number of hours they work for you.
2. Paperwork Reduction
You must optimize your work processes and automate low-level tasks for your business to be more productive.
Paper timesheets are not only wrong, but they also take a long time to process. Because data entry and processing are both manual processes, you and your staff need to save time that could be spent on more crucial duties.
From time monitoring to processing timesheets and calculating costs, a GPS time clock app automates the entire process. It logs the hours worked by your staff and creates timesheets automatically based on the entries.
The software begins tracking time and generating records as soon as your staff uses their mobile device to clock in or out.
3. Stopping Time-stealing And Buddy-punching
Keeping track of where everyone is when they should be working can be particularly difficult when managing a group of field workers. Because of this, some employees may use this situation and submit false information on paper timesheets.
By allowing you to monitor your employees’ locations and see where they are when clocking in or out, GPS clocking puts an end to these dishonest practices. By doing so, you’ll develop and uphold your staff members’ accountability and guarantee that they consistently report to work in the proper location.
Additionally, even if employees neglect to clock out, they will still be reminded, guaranteeing that their labor costs are precise.
4. Gaining Knowledge About The Availability, Productivity, And Scheduling Of Your Staff
The key to your employees’ productivity is knowing how they spend their time and work.
Even though short breaks and occasional pauses between tasks are fine, you should ensure your employees don’t take advantage of your break policies. This tool can help you hold everyone on your team accountable by encouraging transparency. As a result, you’ll pay your workers fairly and stop them from taking advantage of their jobs.
A comprehensive picture of the workforce that is accessible is another crucial factor in good personnel management.
5. Facilitating The Management Of Payroll
Similarly, managing payroll takes a lot of time and work, not to mention the possibility of errors. Payroll and invoicing are taken care of via a GPS time clock app. For instance, some GPS app streamlines the process by integrating with some of the most well-liked accounting and payroll systems.
It indicates that the software will automatically create your employees’ payroll timesheets after you enter their hourly rates. Additionally, the GPS clock app keeps track of employees’ lunch breaks, sick days, and vacations, allowing you to account for all relevant information and produce accurate payroll.
It’s important to note that hourly workers are non-exempt when discussing this topic. Put another way; they are qualified for overtime pay under federal and state regulations.
If your hourly workers work more than 40 hours a week without getting their overtime pay, they could sue you for breaking the FLSA rules. You should use GPS-enabled time clock software and ensure that all your employees are paid equitably for this and other reasons.
6. Keeping Your Finances On Track
It might be challenging to control your spending if you are still determining how many hours your field staff will clock.
With a GPS time clock, you’ll be able to minimize excessive overtime and keep your expenses under control. Advantageously, you can identify questionable behavior without having to wait for invoices. The app will notify you when an employee reaches a set number of hours.
By doing so, you can avoid incurring additional project costs and maintain your budget.
7. Providing Evidence To Your Clients
Being on time and following a schedule is very important in some fields.
By respecting your client’s time, you’ll show professionalism, which is essential for the success of your business.
You can guarantee that your staff members always arrive on time for an appointment using a GPS time clock app. Additionally, solutions like Timeero capture your staff’s precise time and coordinates, so you have documentation of their whereabouts in case of a client dispute. Electronic Visit Verification relies on this technology as its foundation (EVV).
In the same way, it’s much easier to charge your clients when you give them accurate and legal work hours records, including GPS tags.
Top 7 Best GPS Clock Apps in 2023
1. Buddy Punch: GPS Time Tracking
It is a cloud-based time clock that automatically fills in payroll reports. Your employees will find it easy to clock in and out, and you will find it simple to see and export their time. Employees can use a browser on Google, iOS, and Android apps to clock in.
You can see who’s working on the job site and where they are using GPS. You can also limit where they can punch. It works with QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, and SurePayroll, and we can also export to Excel.
It has advanced features like PTO Accrual Tracking, Punch Rounding, Job Codes, QR Codes, Automatic Breaks, and SSO.
Pricing
Simplify employee scheduling, time tracking, & payroll. Easily track employee time, no matter where they are working.
2. Hubstaff: Job Site Geofence Time Tracking Software
You may learn more about the workloads of your staff members and independent contractors by combining the features of time tracking and employee monitoring software.
Hubstaff is a time-tracking app that works with more than 30 other apps to help your business run better. You can watch work happen in real-time with screenshots, URL and app tracking, automatic payroll and billing, scheduling, GPS and location monitoring, and timesheets.
Pricing
Save hours each week with our easy-to-use time tracking. Then, convert desktop, web, mobile, or GPS time tracking data to automated timesheets.
3. Connecteam
Connecteam is GPS location tracking software that is easy to use and has built-in GPS tracking features.
It allows you to send and share content with your team and provides various communication options to help you get things done faster.
Their GPS solution enables you to monitor and control employee work hours on projects or when they are on the move. You can also get location stamps on the map, which is part of their service.
Without requiring a credit card, Connecteam offers a 14-day trial that allows you access to all of its features. They also have a free version that up to 50 people can use.
Pricing
Pay only for what you need, when you need it • All in one app. 14-day free trialNo credit card needed.
4. Timesheet Mobile
Timesheet Mobile lets you get rid of paper timesheets, set up jobs for employees, give them tasks, and manage their schedules efficiently. This system for keeping track of employees will help you and your team stay on top of the daily schedule and ensure all tasks are completed correctly and on time.
Features:
-Geofence time tracking: This easy-to-use timesheet app notifies managers immediately when an employee is not at work. Geofence technology in Punch Prompt reminds employees to punch in and out and keeps timesheet mistakes from happening.
-Scheduling with the ability to drag and drop
-Timesheet reports
-Team messaging
-Integrations with Xero, Sage, ADP, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, and QuickBooks Desktop
Pricing
The cost of your Plan will depend on the number of your employees who punch by Timesheet Mobile’s calculator.
5. Timeero
Timeero has features that make it useful for employees who work outside the office or are always on the go. This GPS time tracker software is easy to use and keeps track of time. Timeero makes it easy to eliminate all the paperwork and automate timesheet management.
With one touch, your employees can clock in and out and then return to work. Timeero is a good option for small businesses that need to know quickly where and how their teams work. The tool meets all of the wage rules the Department of Labor sets.
Pricing
6. eBillity
eBillity Time Tracker was made for teams to make it easier to keep track of employee time and manage resources. The creation of valuable solutions that reduce labor costs, boost productivity, and automate administrative activities has been the exclusive focus since the company’s start.
As the owner or manager of a business, you need to know which employees are the most productive and which clients and projects bring in the most money (or cost you the most). Your time is valuable to you, so eBillity wants to eliminate repetitive and manual tasks so you can get your weekends back.
Pricing
7. Clockify
Clockify is the only time tracker and timesheet for teams that is entirely free.
Businesses of all sizes, digital agencies, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions can track productivity and billable labor hours across projects with the help of Clockify. The platform lets managers set the length of time for each project, keep track of employees’ hourly rates, see what’s going on right now, and see how much time each task takes.
Clockify also lets administrators create, share, and export reports in PDF, Excel, and CSV formats that can change to fit their needs.
FAQ
What Is A GPS Clock Time?
When an employee clocks in, their location is tracked by a GPS time clock. The GPS time tracker can also make it so that employees can only clock in and out from certain places. It keeps employees from stealing time and saves money.
Many GPS time trackers also keep track of mileage to facilitate compensation and stop mileage fraud. Knowing where your employees are, you can keep them safe and ensure they are working when they say they are.
How Well Does A Time Clock App With GPS Work?
Smartphones and other mobile time-tracking devices with GPS technology use radio signals from satellites in space or Global Satellite Navigation Systems to figure out where someone is (GNSS).
Dual-frequency GPS is a newer technology used by newer mobile devices and tech companies like the iPhone 14 Pro, Xiaomi, and Huawei. It can be accurate within a few centimeters or a couple of inches.
How Does Geofencing Work In A GPS Time Clock App?
There was a time when only GPS software used geofencing. But now, it’s easy to find apps that track time using geofencing.
In short, a geofence is a digital map that sets up an invisible fence. It bounds by the virtual area where your employees are supposed to work.
When an employee steps inside the geofence, the app’s time clock will automatically keep track of the time spent in the zone. The time clock stops keeping track of when the employee leaves the location.
VIII. Conclusion
Whether this is your first time using software or if you have used it before, it is clear that many GPS time clock apps are worth looking at.
By using GPS clocking software, you can keep track of all of your employees in a very precise manner. It can be a helpful tool to ensure that they stick to the plan and resolve disagreements regarding mileage and pay.
Try out some of the free trials this GPS time clock software offers. You don’t have to pay anything to try out the accessible parts of these apps. Then you’ll better understand which GPS time clock will work best for your business.
