Accurately tracking employee time is crucial for businesses across industries. With the best employee time tracking software in place, organizations can boost productivity, efficiency and profitability. The top solutions offer a perfect blend of accuracy, ease of use, robust reporting and integration with other business systems.
For busy professionals and business owners, the right time tracking tool can be a game-changer. It eliminates manual errors, streamlines payroll processes, provides valuable insights into productivity and ensures compliance with labor laws. Whether you're managing a small team or overseeing a large workforce, the best employee time tracking software adapts to your unique needs and grows with your business.
However, with the multitude of options available in the market, choosing the ideal time tracking solution can feel overwhelming. For this reason, it is important to research the capabilities of the top tracking platforms so you can make an informed decision. The tool you choose should suit your company's unique workflows and address major pain points. Taking the time upfront to evaluate vendors and features will ensure you select time tracking technology that delivers value across your organization.
This guide will explore the must-have features of the best employee time tracking software, discuss the benefits it can bring to your business and provide tips on how to choose the right solution for your needs. Whether you're new to time tracking or looking to upgrade your current system, this information will help you make a smart, informed decision.
Let's face it – whether you're running a small startup or managing a large corporation, time is money. For businesses across all industries, monitoring employee hours is not just a best practice — it's essential. Think about it: from professional services to retail, manufacturing to tech startups, every company needs to manage their most valuable resource – time.
Before you dive into choosing a time tracking solution, take a moment to list your top time-related pain points. Is it inaccurate billing? Payroll errors? Productivity concerns? Identifying these will help guide your search.
Manual time tracking tends to result in errors that lead to incorrect payroll. This causes headaches for both employees and HR. Imagine the relief you'll feel when time tracking software eliminates mistakes by automatically calculating total hours worked each pay period for each employee. This ensures payroll is fast, accurate and compliant with labor laws.
Look for software that allows employees to review their own time entries before submission. This extra step can catch errors early and save your HR team valuable time.
Time tracking provides visibility into how employees spend their days. You'll be amazed at the insights you can gain. Managers can use individual and team productivity tracking analytics to identify areas of waste and inefficient processes. This allows them to streamline workflows and boost productivity. Employees also tend to improve their efficiency when they know their time is being tracked.
Robust time tracking provides rich data regarding how much time is being allocated to specific projects and tasks. This gives critical insights into how to accurately estimate and budget for future projects. It also helps identify profitable vs. unprofitable projects so you can shift focus accordingly. Whether you're developing software, managing marketing campaigns or overseeing manufacturing processes, detailed task-level tracking allows you to analyze efficiencies to improve resource and schedule planning on projects. Time tracking also aids in identifying recurring issues that impact budgets across multiple projects so corrective actions can be taken.
After implementing time tracking, compare your estimated project times with actual times. You might be surprised at the discrepancies and this information can be gold for future project planning.
If you bill clients for your time – whether you're a consultant, a law firm or a creative agency – you rely on accurate time tracking to bill clients appropriately. Without project-based time tracking, you often end up estimating billable hours, which leads to missed revenue opportunities. Detailed time logs, including hourly logs spent on specific projects, ensure all billable hours are invoiced accurately so no revenue gets left on the table. Tight integration with project management and billing systems allows for seamless translation of granular time logs into accurate invoices. Time tracking streamlines client invoicing which improves cash flow.
Try setting up automated alerts for when projects are nearing their budgeted time. This can help you proactively communicate with clients and avoid unexpected overages.
Auditing employee hours is necessary to comply with labor laws and regulations. Automatic time tracking provides necessary oversight to avoid fines and litigation related to compliance breaches. Managing labor costs is also critical to maintaining profit margins. Time tracking software enables improved labor cost control.
Different industries may have specific compliance requirements. Make sure the time tracking solution you choose can be customized to meet your industry's unique needs.
Given the immense benefits, implementing a reliable time tracking system is a smart investment for organizations of any industry or size. However, selecting the right software for your needs is key to realizing these advantages.
Now that you understand why time tracking is crucial, let's dive into what makes a time tracking solution truly shine. Whether you're a tech startup, a marketing agency or a manufacturing company, these are the features you should be looking for:
Accuracy is the name of the game when it comes to time tracking. After all, what's the point if you can't trust the data? Time tracking software should automate time tracking to eliminate reliance on error-prone manual processes. It should accurately log time worked across the organization down to the minute.
The best time tracking solution is the one your team will actually use. Prioritize user-friendly interfaces and intuitive designs to encourage adoption.
Let's face it – nobody likes dealing with timesheets. But with the right software, it doesn't have to be a headache. Timesheet management often becomes an administrative nightmare with manual or basic time tracking. Managing timesheets should be straightforward and efficient. At a minimum, the software should allow bulk timesheet approval, quick corrections, custom timesheet periods and integration with payroll systems. Robust software automates approval workflows, corrections and adjustments to simplify the process.
Set up automated reminders for employees to submit their timesheets. You'd be surprised how much time this simple step can save your HR team!
Managers should be able to quickly review and approve timesheets for an entire team with just a few clicks. Employees should also be able to correct accidental entries or add missed time on their own without paperwork. Custom timesheet periods are essential for matching your organization's payroll schedule rather than being forced into weekly or bi-weekly timeframes.
If you work with clients in different time zones or have a distributed team, look for software that automatically adjusts for time zone differences. It's a small feature that can save you big headaches.
Data is power and the right time tracking software turns your time data into actionable insights. Robust reporting and analytics around employee time provide actionable insights. Look for features like customizable reports, scheduling analysis, productivity metrics, project tracking and labeling for tracking billable vs non-billable time.
Use your time tracking data to identify your team's most productive hours. Then, schedule important tasks or meetings during these peak times. You might see a significant boost in efficiency!
Time tracking data is most valuable when translated into strategic insights. The software should generate real-time reports and dashboards with visibility into productivity, projects, utilization rates, overtime costs and more.
Customizable reports are key, regardless of your position. You should be able to slice and dice your data to get the exact insights you need.
Managers should be able to drill down into the details and customize reports based on any parameters. When evaluating solutions, ensure there are ample reporting options tailored for each stakeholder from executives to project managers. Prioritize solutions with flexible labeling to classify and filter data like flagging billable vs administrative time. The reporting engine should enable easy extraction of metrics to uncover trends, identify areas for improvement and support data-driven decisions.
Don't just collect data – act on it. Set a recurring calendar reminder to review your time tracking reports and identify at least one area for improvement each month.
When it comes to time tracking, security isn't just a nice-to-have – it's a must-have. After all, you're dealing with sensitive employee data here. The system should enable administrators to control access and permissions at a granular level. Employee privacy settings, data encryption and role-based security protects sensitive data.
If you're in a regulated industry, ensure your time tracking solution complies with applicable rules. Don't assume all software is compliant – ask specifically about these features.
Time tracking data contains sensitive information like employee hours worked, rates of pay, personal breaks and more. Robust security and access controls are critical. Administrators need granular control over who can view and edit data through role-based permissions.
Set up different access levels for your team. For example, team leads might need to see their team's data, while individual employees should only access their own information. This not only enhances security but also respects employee privacy.
Employees also need privacy settings to restrict visibility into certain time segments if desired. Admins should be able to fully configure access rules to match company policies and data stewardship requirements.
Transparency is key. Clearly communicate to your team what data is being collected and how it will be used. This can help alleviate privacy concerns and boost adoption rates.
Your business is growing (or planning to), right? Make sure your time tracking solution can keep up! A common pain point is time tracking solutions that can't keep pace as the business expands. As organizations grow, the software should seamlessly scale to accommodate more employees, locations and timesheet volume.
When evaluating software, ask about the largest customer the vendor currently serves. This can give you an idea of how well the solution scales.
API support and integrations with existing business systems like payroll, billing and ERP extend value. Ensure the software can smoothly handle increased users, timesheet traffic and data storage needs without compromising performance. The architecture should readily support adding locations and divisions as well.
Map out your current software ecosystem. Look for a time tracking solution that integrates with as many of your existing tools as possible. This will save you countless hours of manual data transfer down the line.
Also, look for open API and integration capabilities to connect the time tracking data with other key business systems. For example, two-way sync with payroll or billing systems reduces manual effort. Integration with ERP or accounting systems strengthens data integrity across platforms.
Whether you're a small marketing agency or a large manufacturing firm, integrations can be a game-changer. Imagine having your time tracking data automatically feed into your project management tool, updating project progress in real-time!
One size doesn't fit all when it comes to time tracking. Your business is unique and your time tracking solution should be too. Each company has unique processes, policies and needs. The system should enable tailored configurations like customized fields, tailored workflows and automation for specific business rules without expensive development or consulting fees.
Before you start shopping for solutions, document your current time tracking process. Identify any unique steps or requirements. This will help you quickly assess if a potential solution can be customized to fit your needs.
Seek out platforms that offer low-code configuration tools for admins to set up custom fields, approvals, notifications and business rules without an army of consultants. For example, easily create fields to track details like projects, activities or shift types. Build automated overtime approval rules based on your policies. Configure multi-step approval chains matching your hierarchy.
Use custom fields to track non-time metrics that are important to your business. This can provide valuable context to time data.
Prioritize solutions allowing extensive customization so you can tailor time tracking to your exact needs both now and in the future as those needs evolve.
The goal is to make time tracking fit into your workflow, not the other way around. Don't be afraid to ask for demonstrations of specific customizations during your evaluation process.
In today's world, work doesn't just happen at a desk. Your time tracking solution needs to be as mobile as your team. A mobile app enables employees to track time accurately and conveniently on the go. Managers can also review timesheets and run reports from anywhere via a well-designed mobile experience.
During your software trial, make sure to test the mobile app extensively. Have team members in different roles try it out. A clunky mobile experience can be a major barrier to adoption.
In today's workforce, a mobile-friendly solution is a necessity, not a luxury. Employees should be able to log hours, start timers, submit timesheets and more all from their smartphones. For managers, mobile access to timesheets, reports and analytics is critical for making data-driven decisions on the fly.
Whether you're a construction manager overseeing multiple job sites, a consultant jumping between client meetings or a field team spread across time zones, mobile functionality is key to accurate time tracking.
Ensure native mobile apps are available for both major platforms — Android and iOS. Give preference to vendors who design the mobile experience in tandem with the desktop software, not as an afterthought. Review mobile app ratings and feedback to confirm a seamless user experience across devices.
Look for mobile apps with offline functionality. This ensures your team can track time even when they're in areas with poor internet connectivity. The data can sync once they're back online.
When evaluating your options, developing a prioritized list of must-have, nice to have and optional features will help zero in on the best choice for your organization and use case.
The best time tracking solution is the one that gets used consistently. Prioritize user-friendly interfaces and intuitive designs in both desktop and mobile versions to encourage adoption across your entire team.
Once you have selected the ideal time tracking software for your organization, proper planning and execution is key to a successful rollout. The best time tracking system in the world will fail to deliver value without thoughtful change management and training during implementation. Adopting these best practices helps ensure your time tracking initiative gets off to a strong start and drives maximum user adoption:
While selecting the right software is the first step, thoughtful change management and training are equally important to driving user adoption and value.
ExakTime® by Arcoro offers premier timekeeping solutions tailored to needs across industries. Our automatic time tracking software captures all billable hours at the job site to help optimize invoicing and revenue and robust reporting provides insights into labor costs and productivity to improve project planning and accuracy.
With ExakTime, firms gain an indispensable tool to track, analyze and extract more value out of every hour worked. We become your trusted partner for maximizing profits and intelligence around time management.
Contact ExakTime to learn how our time tracking and team management tools can streamline processes, reduce errors and delays and promote success.
Ready to revolutionize your time tracking? Follow these simple steps to get up and running with ExakTime:
Getting started with ExakTime is that simple! Most of our customers are up and running quickly, experiencing the benefits of accurate, efficient time tracking right away.
At ExakTime, we believe that time is your most valuable asset. That's why we've dedicated ourselves to creating the best employee time tracking software on the market. As an Arcoro product, ExakTime has experience in solving workforce management challenges for businesses.
Our mission? To help you improve processes and remain compliant all while saving you time and money.
ExakTime isn't just another time tracking tool. We offer a comprehensive solution that goes beyond simple clock-ins and clock-outs. Our software is designed to provide you with actionable insights, streamline your payroll processes and help you make data-driven decisions that boost your bottom line.
Here's what sets us apart:
We're more than just a software provider – we're your partner in optimizing your most precious resource: time. Whether you're in construction, healthcare, professional services or any other industry, ExakTime is here to help you track, analyze and extract more value from every hour worked.
Ready to revolutionize your time tracking? Let's talk. Contact ExakTime today and discover how our innovative solutions can streamline your processes, reduce errors and drive your business success.
The best time tracking software employs several methods to ensure accuracy. Many use automatic time capture based on computer activity, which can log time without requiring manual input. For field workers, GPS tracking can be used to verify location and time spent at job sites. Some software sends reminders to start or stop timers, helping employees remember to log their time. Customizable rounding rules can be applied to standardize time entries. Additionally, many systems include a manager approval process, allowing supervisors to review and correct any errors before time is finalized for payroll or billing.
Employee time tracking software is not only suitable for field teams, but it's often considered essential. It helps maintain employee accountability by providing visibility into work patterns regardless of employee location. For businesses working with freelancers or contractors, it ensures accurate billing. Managers can gain insights into and work habits, which is particularly valuable when face-to-face oversight isn't possible. Many time tracking solutions offer features specifically designed for field work, such as automatic time zone adjustments and the ability to categorize time spent on different projects or clients.
Businesses use time tracking software for several important reasons. It helps improve payroll accuracy by ensuring all hours are correctly logged. The software boosts productivity by providing insights into how time is spent. It enhances project management by allowing better resource allocation and deadline setting. Time tracking software also ensures compliance with labor laws by maintaining accurate records. Additionally, it streamlines billing processes, especially for businesses that bill by the hour. Finally, it provides valuable insights into work patterns and efficiency, allowing managers to make data-driven decisions.