How the Best Time Tracking Software Can Keep Your Company On Track

When it comes to effective time management, everyone wins. The company is able to free up what is arguably its most precious resource (i.e., time) in order to deliver a product or service to a customer or client, thus improving its reputation in the business community, which usually translates to increased profits. And since employees usually trade in their time and skills for pay, the best time tracking software enables them to schedule and track their tasks effectively so that they can achieve a healthy work-life balance and still stay on top of things.

Also, the numerous savings that the best time tracking software can provide a company also trickle down to clients. At the very least, these very savings can enable a company or a business to either lower the cost of their goods or services or to maintain their pricing, thus increasing profits.

But how exactly does time tracking work? Well, for starters, there is the obvious task of keeping track of how employees use company time. It certainly is helpful for companies to determine if their workers use their time wisely to accomplish their assigned tasks. Inefficiencies can diminish the effectiveness of a company’s business processes and can affect a company’s bottom line.

However, there’s more to good timekeeping than simply looking over how your employees spend their time. Good timekeeping processes also involve having a clear view of how long it takes to complete a task or project or to produce or deliver a product to a customer on average. Done correctly, timekeeping should also be able to tell you, at a glance, which projects or tasks take up the most time. All in all, having a good timekeeping system in place should be able to give a business owner or company head the information that he or she would need to generate ideas for improving things and to make some of the most crucial ideas.

The Qualities of the Best Time Tracking Software

This then raises the question about how one can find the best time tracking software and which qualities you must look for when choosing one for your company. There are many kinds of time tracking software being offered on the market out there, but the best ones usually have majority of the following features:

1. A simple and user-friendly interface

Company workers and employees usually come from a variety of fields and disciplines, but they must all be able to use the time tracking software equally well with little to no training at all. The interface of a great time tracking software should be straightforward and minimalist to reduce confusion, and should preferably be integrated with existing systems that are widely used throughout the company. This then brings us to the next feature, which is:

2. Compatibility with the existing work interfaces and/or applications used by the company

Better yet, it should be possibly for the time tracking software to simply be added on to an existing productivity program, such as Microsoft Outlook. This way, the need to learn yet another program is eliminated and timekeeping becomes an organic part of the business process since the time tracking software simply works with the Outlook calendar to generate a conclusive time sheet. Some of the best time tracking software even allow for employees and managers alike to do all of their timekeeping activities directly from Microsoft Outlook, allowing them to hit two birds with one stone while working, so to speak.
Good compatibility with the existing systems and programs is also a must for the best time tracking software since this allows for the easy import and export of pertinent data between programs, further streamlining business processes and improving efficiency in the company on the whole.

3. The presence of innovative, time-saving features that enhance existing ones

The best time tracking software, such as TimeSheet Reporter, makes it possible to track time based on your Outlook calendar appointments, and also makes it possible to have time tracking fields pre-filled for you, generate comprehensive reports and much more. This makes life so much easier for everybody, both staff and management alike.