Top Benefits of an Employee Time Tracking App

Day-to-day management takes a lot of time and it can be challenging for managers and business owners to keep up with their employees and projects all at the same time. This is where employee time tracking apps come in handy. A time tracking software is more than a simple assessment of employees’ entry and departure time.

This software helps you become more efficient, organized, and saves you time and money. It provides unique features with multiple benefits to your organization. In this article, we introduce the concept of employee time tracking software, explain its uses and detail its many benefits.

What is an employee time tracking app?

A time tracking app, time clock app or time tracking software is a tool used by managers and employees that allows them to record working hours spent on tasks or projects. In general, it is used to calculate time spent on assigned tasks and to automate payroll or client invoicing. It’s especially helpful  for those who employ freelancers and hourly workers.

But there’s more to it than that. Many organizations use employee time tracking apps to measure team performance and on-the-job productivity. It helps them get a better oversight of a project’s progress and individual tasks. Employees can use it to improve work practices and make the most out of every minute of their working hours.

Why use an employee time tracking app?

Time tracking apps establish accountability amongst teams and managers because they keep employers informed on important metrics like the number of hours spent on individual tasks, which employees completed certain tasks, when the project was completed, and how much time was put into it.

Advantages of using an employee time tracking app

1.  Accurate billing and payroll

Let’s start with the obvious. Time tracking apps capture everything you do while you work. So instead of figuring out how to calculate working hours, this software does it automatically for you. The software records billable hours so it’s easier for you to invoice clients. You can’t rely on yourself or your team members to provide a close estimate of time spent on a specific task or project. A rough estimate isn’t the same as an exact number of hours and minutes. By tracking your employees’ working hours, you make sure your workers get paid fairly.

2. Improved employee productivity

By tracking your employees’ time, you monitor their work hours and work progress in real time. The employees themselves can track their own time and get to see how productive they actually are. They can see the whole picture of their working process, when they are more focused, when they lack productivity, how much time they spend on each task or if they are running behind. They can learn how to better manage their time and be more productive.

3. Enhance project management

In order to create a successful project management strategy, you will need to build a plan around factors like client demands, team capacity, scope of work and deadlines. If you know how many hours are put into each project, you can easily make adjustments to work schedules. Based on your team capacity, you can reallocate hours, shift deadlines and prioritize future projects. An employee time tracking app is an essential tool to improve project management.

4. Evaluate team workflow

Time tracking apps clock the beginning and end of employees’ workday. They also monitor everything that happens in between working hours from meetings to project tasks and client feedback sessions. So they allow you to analyze the team’s workflow and easily find gaps if there are any, like for example when your employees finish a one-hour task in three hours. This way, you look for what slowed them down and provide solutions or resources that will prevent a delay like this from happening again.

5.  Track “invisible tasks”

Besides working projects, there are also tasks that seemingly take seconds to complete but we spend a good amount of time on them. We’re talking about “invisible tasks” that often go unreported like client call times and responding to emails. Time tracking apps capture everything that happens in a workday. They help employees quantify these tasks and consider them when preparing a workweek plan.

6. Communicate progress

Besides tracking time, this software allows employees and managers to communicate work progress better. Employees can share status updates of projects they are working on with their managers. The ability to keep up with the progress of a project can give you a glimpse into your project’s budget. It also helps you stay on track and deliver projects on time.

7. Enhance customer satisfaction

When you’re on time with your projects, you gain your clients’ trust. An employee time tracking app will help you perform well and build a trustworthy relationship with your client. You will be able to keep the client updated by sending him accurate information about the project progress and estimated time. You will also be able to make sure your team completes projects on time and under budget.

8. Increase accountability

A major component of team success is making sure that every member on your team feels valued and receives recognition for their work. Tracking your employees’ time helps establish accountability amongst working teams because managers know which employees completed certain tasks and who is more productive. Hard work should be recognized, so you can let your employees know that you appreciate their hard work and dedication. This feedback can easily increase their level of productivity.

9. More transparency

Employee time tracking software makes sure that full transparency is provided to team members about the jobs being completed, who works on what task and how long a project is taking to be done. This way, employees can feel that their work is not going unnoticed.

Need help organizing your workflow? 

What are the essential features of an employee time tracking app?

Besides tracking your employee’s time, this software has various uses that can help you achieve your company goals. Here are the essential features of an employee time tracking software:

 

• Timecards and billing

 

Timecards, or employees’ attendance reports centralize information related to billable hours including holidays, time-off and more. This way, clients can be invoiced transparently and accurately. Also, as a manager, you get to pay your employees accurately and reward them for their hard work.

 

• Project management

 

Generally, a project management system requires time tracking features. Which is why employee time tracking software includes essential project management features. Team leaders can set deadlines, assign tasks to employees, and track the progress of projects. Time tracking software can help you predict the time and cost of a project accurately and help you keep up with your weekly goals and monthly responsibilities.

 

• Online invoicing

 

This feature allows you to bill clients precisely. With the automated time trackers, the unbilled project hours are easily transformed into invoices. With the timesheet feature already available, the process of online invoicing is made easier without having to worry about mismatches. This way, you avoid conflicts with your employees or clients.

 

• Tracking invisible tasks

 

You get to determine how much time is spent on invisible tasks such as phone calls, clients and team meetings, email responses, travel within the premises, etc. These tasks can seem irrelevant, but they can easily take up a huge chunk of your time. Tracking them allows you to factor them into your project estimations.

 

• Customizable reporting

 

You can create in-depth and customized reports that suit your industry and your specific business. You are able to convert data into visual reports like charts and graphs so you can analyze the overall performance of your team and the organization. This helps you take informed decisions that will ensure the growth of the organization.

 

• Notifications

 

The notification feature makes sure that team members stay on track with their projects by creating alerts. For example, an employee can get a reminder about the approaching delivery date of a project and task deadlines. This allows employees to perform well and stick to their schedule. These notifications can be automatically sent to employees via emails or directly to their phone.

Best employee time tracking app

Mobile-Punch is the most popular time tracking app in Canada because of its user-friendly interface. Our app is very simple to install and use and it’s available in both French and English for both Android and iOS devices. Our mobile app allows employees to punch in their arrival and departure times using their cell phones or tablets. Our time tracking system automatically calculates the employees’ working hours and it even has an offline mode to make sure that no information gets lost when employees or managers don’t have access to the internet.

It also has a geolocation feature that confirms the job site location (GPS location) when employees punch in and punch out. Owners can easily manage their workforce by changing schedules, creating shift plans, adding tasks and assigning employees to projects. The employees instantly receive the project’s information. They also have access to the assigned project file to consult, send or download the details of the tasks they are supposed to be working on.

Mobile-Punch helps you optimize your time so that you can meet your business objectives. We make it easy for you to access your data anywhere, anytime and from any device (laptop, tablet, desktop computer or any mobile phone).

Get a demo