Comparing the Best Time-Tracking Software: Finding the Perfect Fit for Your Business Needs

October 12, 2023

The Nitty Gritty

  • Discover how to find the best time-tracking software for your business
  • Uncover some of the best time-tracking software platforms designed for small business
  • Learn about the different benefits and integrations you can utilize with time-tracking software

How many times have you lost track of where your field staff are in the day? Or which job they’re working on? It’s easy to do when you’re busy running a business with multiple team members to keep track of.

Time-tracking software is here to help with that exact problem. It helps you monitor the time spent on tasks and projects, keep track of billable hours, and identify areas where efficiency can be improved. But, finding the best time-tracking software for your specific business needs can be a challenge. There are a lot of options out there, each with their own features and benefits. In this blog we’ll explore a few of the different types of software available, focusing on small businesses and the construction industry. Plus, the integration possibilities with QuickBooks and the advantages of using time-tracking software.

Understanding Time Tracking: A Brief Overview

No matter the size of your business, ensure you’re accurately tracking the time it takes to complete tasks and finish projects is invaluable. Time-tracking software helps achieve this and in the long run, you’re able to identify areas of inefficiency or overspending. Plus, ensure accurate payroll is calculated and paid in a timely fashion. So what is time-tracking software?

Time tracking software is a type of cloud-based software that allows you to track and record employee time (often with the use of mobile apps), without the need for complicated spreadsheets and paper files. It records the amount of hours worked by employees and can be used to accurately calculate payroll costs. Additionally, it helps you better understand which tasks require more attention and resources so you can make informed decisions about how to allocate resources efficiently. Time tracking software also makes it easier for you to monitor teams’ performance levels, track employee time and identify areas where productivity could be improved.

There are cost reduction benefits associated with time tracking software as well. Once you’ve got an idea of how long tasks and projects are taking, and the amount of hours you’re paying your employees, you can identify areas of overspending in your project budget. By understanding how long certain tasks take, you’re able to determine whether you need additional staff. Or if certain departments need extra resources allocated towards them.

The Criteria: How We Compare

Simpro Premium has built in time-tracking functionality, as well as features to help improve quote and job creation, invoicing, asset management and help with managing and tracking teams. Let’s take a look at how we stack up.

Features and functionality

The best employee time-tracking software has multiple features and benefits that you can utilize for your business. Simpro Premium is no different. As well as time-tracking capabilities, Simpro offers a streamlined platform that goes right from the very first lead, to quote, through to job creation and invoicing. Designed to help your day-to-day and automate the manual, time consuming processes you may be holding onto. You’ll earn valuable time back to focus on other areas of the business, plus with dedicated reporting functionality you gain valuable insight. Resulting in data-driven decisions while ensuring your business continues to grow and remain profitable.

User experience and interface

Simpro has won numerous awards from G2 this year, a user-review platform dedicated to helping people find the best software solutions. But don’t take our word for it, here are some of the things our customers have said about Simpro Premium.

By far one of the easiest software’s to pickup and use, quickly backed with a stunning video training suite online...The end to end job management from quote to invoice allows us to see where the profit and loss is for each job or customer.

Robert S. Service Estimator & Co-Ordinator Mid-Market Read more reviews on G2

Integration capabilities

Simpro Premium offers a wide range of add-ons and integrations to enhance your workflows, where your business needs it. From accounting integrations to calendar and email, you’re able to choose whichever suits you and your business.

Small Businesses in Focus: Time-Tracking Solutions

If you’re the owner of a small business, things run a little differently but the core principles remain the same. And who knows, if you play your cards right you won’t always be a small business. With limited resources and budgets, it becomes even more vital that you choose the best time tracking software for your business. You need to look for an efficient solution that meets both current and future needs. Think about time-tracking functionality for your business. For example, if you are in construction, you may have different time-tracking requirements than other businesses and will want to look for the best time tracking software for construction. Consider all of the costs associated as money is usually a little tighter, one wrong calculation could be the difference between your business's success and failure. It’s because of this that small businesses should look for solutions with multiple pricing options tailored to their specific budget and needs.

Let’s take a look at some of the best time-tracking software for small business.

Comparing solutions

It’s difficult trying to narrow down the right software, especially with the amount of options available.

Clockshark ClockShark is an award-winning international time tracking solution designed to elevate your operations. Crafted with precision and built for field service, ClockShark empowers construction and field service companies with an arsenal of essential tools, all within one powerful cloud-based platform. ClockShark was created with your needs in mind. Crafted by professionals who understand the nuances of the field service industry.

Tsheets TSheets offers mobile time tracking for field workers and a desktop app for office workers. It integrates with multiple accounting programs to streamline your payroll and accounting processes. It provides detailed reports and team management features. It works on smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers and can be used as a kiosk clock for entire crews.

Timely is a time-tracking tool that helps businesses stay connected with their employees, helping you to report accurately with team and project management capabilities. With a 75% user rate that are within the small business category, plus it’s been voted third easiest to use for its time-tracking functionality.

BusyBusy is one of the leading time-tracking softwares for the construction industry. With GPS tracking features, as well as materials management, job progress and the ability to manage employee schedules. It’s a great fit for any small business, with an 81% user rate sitting in that category. Plus, you can use it both in the office and out in the field, so your workflows stay completely streamlined.

All-In-One: Project Management With Time-Tracking

In order to be fully flexible and completely streamlined with your business workflows, you want to look at software that incorporates project management with time-tracking features. Fortunately, a lot of stuff out there does exactly that. So how do you choose the best project management software with time-tracking functionality for your business? And what do these softwares do?

By combining time-tracking with project management features, you can identify areas of improvement and streamline processes.

Time-tracking software helps measure the time taken to complete tasks, allowing you to accurately estimate future timelines and hold employees accountable. It also provides insights into how much time is spent on various tasks and activities, enabling you to make better decisions about workloads, resource allocation, and budget optimization.

Project management software helps keep projects organized with task lists, notifications for deadlines, budgeting, collaboration tools, and Gantt charts that provide visual representations of project progress. This allows you to keep track of every step in a project’s lifecycle while seeing how resources are allocated.

By combining time-tracking with project management features, you can identify areas of improvement and streamline processes. For example, by monitoring hours worked on projects and tasks completed, you can determine which tasks take more time than expected or where improvements can be made. This allows you to adjust workloads accordingly and make sure that employees are working efficiently. Additionally, it provides a clearer picture of how resources are being used so that budgets can be better managed.

Integrating time-tracking software with project management also allows for better collaboration between departments. Having a shared platform means everyone is able to see what tasks have been assigned, who is responsible for them, when they’re due, and how much progress has been made. This helps to ensure deadlines are met and that there is accountability throughout the business

Financial Harmony: Time-Tracking and QuickBooks Integration

Another integral part of business is your financial transactions. You and your accounts department must be able to keep track of everything coming in and going out of the business. It’s software, such as QuickBooks, that helps businesses do just that. So when you bring in time-tracking software, it’s important that there are integrations with your existing accounting software. There isn’t one solution to finding the best time-tracking software for QuickBooks, as it entirely depends on your business and the industry you’re servicing. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of financial integration.

Seamless data

The right time-tracking software should be able to transfer data from the software with a simple Quickbooks integration, generate invoices and reports in the same format as QuickBooks for easy reconciliation, and support multiple currencies in order to facilitate international payments. This ensures you have a seamless workflow and the risk of duplicate data entry is reduced.

Security protocols

Ensuring the relevant security measures are in place when integrating time-tracking software with QuickBooks is vital. It protects your business and your customers from any uncomfortable situations with their data. Allowing you to be safe in the knowledge any potential risk of exposure is kept to a minimum.

Accuracy and efficiency

If your time-tracking software is communicating with QuickBooks, naturally that creates an efficient, hassle free workflow. There is less time spent on duplicating manual data entry tasks, and all of the relevant information can be seen in both places. In addition, the risk of manual data entry mistakes is drastically reduced.

Making Your Choice

Finding the best time-tracking software may take a little time, but providing you do your research, you’ll reap the benefits in no time at all. With a seamless, stress-free way of managing your employees and an enhanced workflow, time-tracking software aids business growth and boosts your bottom line.

For further information on Simpro and an insight into how it can help your business, request a demo today.