Time Tracking Apps: The 3 Best Apps on the Market

Once you’re a small-business proprietor in search of the very best time monitoring apps, you need to be sure to select the fitting one out of the gate.

How do you determine which one is best for you? I’ve spent years interacting with dozens and need to say that the under three are my favourite. I’ve reviewed every of those time monitoring apps that can assist you make the fitting determination for what you are promoting.

Editor’s Word: QuickBooks Time is the Ledger’s favourite time monitoring app and one in all our all-time prime small-business apps.

QuickBooks Time got here onto the scene and took the time monitoring market by storm fairly just a few years in the past. It simply blew the doorways off of all the pieces else on the market. It made time monitoring “attractive,” and completed this by bringing a cellular app and the power wanted to make it so.

QuickBooks Time integrates fantastically with QuickBooks Desktop and Xero. And it’s the one time monitoring app embedded inside QuickBooks On-line.

There is a wonderful cellular app in addition to a browser (desktop) app — making it an excellent possibility for companies that want time monitoring apps for a cellular workforce.

When you join your QuickBooks software program, you’ll be able to evaluation your choices and there’s one actually necessary one you almost certainly need to make sure is checked off — ”Import Distributors as Workers.” Until you understand for positive that you’ll by no means want to trace time for a vendor, similar to a subcontractor, this must be checked off. Additionally, and this isn’t essentially apparent, even with that possibility checked off, the distributors will solely are available if in case you have their profile stuffed out in QuickBooks On-line with a bodily and an e-mail handle.

After that, all the pieces in establishing QuickBooks Time is actually easy. The interface is clear. It’s totally different. Within the browser app, you’re given bins that open up and could be moved round your display screen. Somewhat than taking you thru screens, you’re given a dashboard from which to work with and you may open and shut issues as you want them.

Clocking out and in and switching duties is as straightforward as the faucet of a button on each the cellular and browser apps on this time monitoring app. In the event you clock in on the internet app after which log into the cellular app, it is going to decide up your clocked in time and present you the working time. Then you’ll be able to clock out from both place, whether or not on-line or offline.

GPS location monitoring offers you a terrific view into who’s working and the place they really are.

Organising QuickBooks Time is pretty easy, however as with every strong software, you’ll need to spend a while going by all the pieces to make certain it’s all arrange the way in which you want it. When you’ve got particular payroll wants, similar to extra time guidelines, you’ll need to spend a while on this. The most effective factor to do is undergo all the arrange space on the left and study your choices so you may get essentially the most out of QuickBooks Time. Additionally QuickBooks Time has superb buyer help, and once you join, somebody will attain out to you to be sure to have what you want. Make the most of this, don’t blow it off. Extra on that under.

QuickBooks Time has a terrific scheduling space, however you received’t discover it within the navigation initially. It’s an add-on that it’s important to choose in for. In the event you went by all the arrange space as prescribed above, then you definately’ve already seen it. Select to “set up it” and in a click on you’ll have entry.

Upon getting scheduling turned on, it is rather straightforward to make use of. You’ll discover it beneath “Handle” within the left navigation. QuickBooks Time venture/job-based or shift-based scheduling could be managed from each the browser and the cellular app. Within the cellular app, you’ll be able to view and edit the complete schedule, in addition to add and assign one thing to anybody.

QuickBooks Time has world-class help with a strong data base, and when you select this time monitoring app, it is best to use it liberally. There’s chat help. I used to be capable of get assistance on a Sunday. Most corporations have the chat on the decrease proper nook of your display screen. QuickBooks Time has it on the left, so look there otherwise you would possibly miss it.

In order for you a terrific product that’s been round for a bit, with a stable firm behind it, then QuickBooks Time is for you.

ClockShark got here onto my radar on July 3, 2016. Cliff Mitchell, co-Founder and CEO, replied to an e-mail I’d despatched out about gaining independence by “letting go” and letting others take a number of the day by day duties and to do’s off our plates.

Quickly I found that he had a time monitoring app and it was even within the Intuit Apps Market for apps that combine with QuickBooks On-line. I assumed I had my wants met in that division, however as an app addict, I’ve discovered to at all times hold an open thoughts and carry on prime of what’s on the market.

ClockShark integrates fantastically with QuickBooks On-line, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero. The net interface is good and clear, and the cellular app may be very straightforward to make use of. Every part you could entry is neatly organized in navigation throughout the highest.

When you’re linked to your accounting software program, you’ll be able to map and herald your record parts. ClockShark makes this straightforward to do. One factor to notice is you can add parts from both facet (ClockShark or QuickBooks On-line) after which map them to allow them to be synced.

ClockShark syncs up about each hour. There isn’t any “sync now” possibility. I examined a reputation change on a buyer and it really works completely.

Clocking out and in, whether or not on the cellular time monitoring app or within the browser is so simple as deciding on the client/job, the service and punching in. You possibly can change jobs on the faucet of a button, from both the cellular app or in your browser.

In the event you clock in on the internet after which log into the cellular app, there’s not a connection, so that you received’t see your time working there.

Clocking out is on the faucet of a button.

Geo location monitoring offers you a terrific view into who’s working and the place they really are. Additionally price noting, ClockShark has a “lure” in case an worker tries to put in a location spoofing app. Because the admin, you’ll get a message to that impact.

You possibly can arrange notifications to remind workers to clock out and in at a set time every day. It is a international setting, not per worker.

Arrange in ClockShark may be very straightforward. The mixing will get a variety of it carried out. Then it would be best to arrange the mapping. The app walks you thru this step-by-step. In the event you’ve added a brand new record component, you’ll be able to click on “Create New Mappings” to let ClockShark know how you can map the brand new objects between the component in QuickBooks On-line and the component in ClockShark.

You possibly can set the auto map course. That is distinguished to reduce the probabilities of a battle. As soon as you modify it, you’ll be able to wait an hour in order that it syncs, after which you’ll be able to change it once more. You may also go away it on “handbook” so that every component is configured by itself, when it comes to how it’s mapped. Any time you add a brand new record component, in both QuickBooks On-line or ClockShark, you’ll be able to click on to create new mappings and configure it accordingly.

ClockShark has a terrific scheduling part. It’s simply drop-dead easy to arrange schedules and assign them to workers. For now, you’ll be able to solely add or edit schedules on the internet app. You possibly can view your schedule on the cellular app, however it’s view solely.

ClockShark has a notify workers possibility, that allow’s you push a notification to all workers whose schedules have been modified or up to date up to now day, three days or week. You possibly can push this notification by way of cellular, e-mail or each.

ClockShark has nice help. It makes use of a reside chat help possibility on its web site. I used to be capable of get assist from a reside particular person on a Saturday. This was enormous, as I don’t need to need to spend time looking out by a strong data base. These are sometimes troublesome to navigate — and make it onerous to seek out very particular issues.

ClockShark is the brand new child on the block with a strong platform that’s price a glance by anybody who both wants an excellent time monitoring resolution or is contemplating switching to one thing new. Its pricing is aggressive, as are the options and advantages. This firm is motivated to extend market share and it’ll work onerous to get — and hold — what you are promoting.

That is what I name a “curve ball.” That is an app that I might not have identified about, had been it not for the truth that Erica, who works with me, was utilizing it. We don’t monitor time in our group as a result of neither our consumer billing nor our compensation is predicated on time. Erica, nevertheless, was curious to see how lengthy it was taking her to finish her work on numerous jobs, so she googled “free time monitoring” (or one thing like that) and located Time Clock Wizard.

Time Clock Wizard doesn’t have any accounting software program integrations but, however I spoke with its reside chat help and it appears like at the very least a QuickBooks Integration is within the works. In the meantime they informed me you can get a CSV (Excel) export and that may simply be imported into QuickBooks. It needs to be famous that this solely works with QuickBooks Desktop. There isn’t any strategy to import time into QuickBooks On-line with out utilizing one other app like Transaction Professional Importer.

The interface on each the net and cellular apps is clear. I needed to look twice to make certain the cellular app was the identical app. The appear and feel is a bit inconsistent. On the net, the branding and emblem are blue and white. On the cellular app, it’s black and white. As soon as I used to be in, and it was clear I used to be in the fitting app, all the pieces regarded nice. Simply totally different from the net app.

The cellular app has a messaging function. which looks like a cool thought. The power to speak with co-workers by the cellular app makes a variety of sense.

Clocking out and in is easy. There have been a few issues I discovered to be a bit clunky. It was not clear how you can embody a job in the course of the clock in course of. Even after I created a job — which might’t be carried out on the fly — as I used to be clocking in, it wasn’t clear how you can get the choice to decide on a job, or edit a earlier time entry to incorporate it. Time Clock Wizard’s reside chat help helped me by it. As soon as issues had been arrange accurately, it’s clear and seamless.

Once you get began with Time Clock Wizard, be sure to spend a while within the “Enterprise Settings” beneath Settings. That is the place you’ll be able to add jobs and areas, after which it’s important to go into your “Clock In Settings,” and individually point out that you really want the choices accessible. As soon as that is carried out, clocking out and in and assigning the job and site is tremendous straightforward.

Time Clock Wizard has a scheduling space. To schedule one thing, you choose the worker on the left after which click on a day within the calendar. This wasn’t apparent. I might have favored to see a plus signal or one thing indicating that that is the place you go so as to add a brand new schedule. It additionally doesn’t seem that you are able to do recurring schedules.

The reside chat help was useful, though I discovered it a bit like pulling tooth making an attempt to get solutions to questions. Once I defined that I couldn’t get a job right into a time entry, she gave me help on how you can add a job, which I’d already carried out. It was additionally obvious that chat help was utilizing canned responses to my questions based mostly on key phrases. I get why this appears good, however as a consumer I really discovered it annoying. I used to be really contemplating utilizing this function in my very own reside chat help, however now that I’ve skilled it from the consumer’s finish, I received’t.

In the event you’re not involved about payroll or accounting integration, then this app may be good for you. There’s a huge push away from time monitoring apps for billing and compensation functions, however as Erica (my worker) has carried out, you might have considered trying one thing simply to see how lengthy it’s taking you to do your work. In the event you’re being paid a flat fee, you might need to see what your efficient hourly fee is.