TeamMost of the time, tracking software gets basic things done. However, you may want to get one that makes tracking time easier and beneficial to your business. Suppose your organization is searching for a time tracking solution that can assist in monitoring how much time employees spend in carrying out different tasks. In that case, you will be happy to hear that various solutions in the market can match your needs. However, you have to dedicate your time to search for the appropriate one for the services. Some of the major factors that you will look for when shopping for a time tracking tool are;
- Employee oversight
- Project management functionality
- Price
- Customization
We will now go through some of the factors you need to look out for in a time tracking software. Happy hunting!
Customization
Most time tracking tools are solely based on tracking time. However, others can let you key in additional data for an organization or an individual that may emphasize production and not duration only. The customization feature is significant for companies that measure distance traveled, items produced, and hours worked. For example, the sheet time tracking software can come up with various customizable fields that can be added as questions and answers for every clock-out.
If you run a construction agency, you can use prompts such as ‘how many miles did you drive?’ Was there any incident? If the staff does not respond to such questions, then they will be unable to clock out. Therefore, if your business is more inclined to monitor productivity more than person-hours, you need to go for a customizable time tracking software. Do not forget to inquire from the vendor about the various types of customization they offer and whether it can be factored into a report.
Integrations 
For a time tracking tool to be more effective, you have to be able to integrate the ecosystem of the software, which may include
- Email marketing
- Customer service management
- Human resource
- Management tools
The time tracking software should allow you to turn these products into a complete solution that feeds data from one device to the other without intervening manually. It is especially effective when processing payments, invoicing, project staffing, and basically, any other activity that has a combination of time worked with data. Therefore before making any purchase get it right from the vendor whether the time tracking tool can be linked up with a third party application.
In case you are torn between choosing two vendors, this quality should be the deal-breaker. Noteworthy, most time tracking software comes with an open program interface that allows you to build integrations with other API applications. However, if you run a small enterprise and lack the technical know-how to make this integration, it is better if the integrations are built organically by the vendor.
Interface
The last thing you want is to purchase software that will give you a hard time using it. That said, you need to opt for a time tracking tool that comes with an organized interface and has essential functions so that you and your employees can use it with much ease. Also, ensure that the software is easy to install and gives you a variety of personalized settings options. Choosing software that has organized software will help you manage your work without much effort and learning.
Flexibility
Organizations may look similar from the outside. However, there are a lot of variations in the central processes. Workflow variations depend on employees, business location, and company rules. Therefore choosing a tracking tool that can accommodate flexibility is important for any business entity. Flexibility for a business could mean collecting specific data for around the time when a business needs to gather pay rates, job codes, and any other routine activities.
You will need the flexibility to cover essential areas such as capturing the time clocked by employees on paid leave automatically included on their time-sheets. As well as support for various employees categories such as subcontractor exempt employees. A time tracking tool that can fit into a modern workplace system is paramount for several institutions. It must also accommodate any shift that the business takes.
Bottom Line
The business model is changing. Companies that can streamline their processes to adapt to growth are likely to emerge successfully. Therefore companies need to invest in a time tracking software that can be easily navigated and gives an all-inclusive experience which includes the ability to track employee attendance, full visibility of distribution of resources, and review costs according to the time spent. In a nutshell, the time tracking software should be able to track anything that your business needs to track.
