Clock
If you’re still managing your business’ time tracking and payroll manually then you are putting yourself at a big disadvantage. Not only does it take much longer to manually track hours, but you can also easily make mistakes and either overpay or underpay employees. An online time clock also reduces the risk of time theft and buddy punching, therefore saving your company money and increasing profits. You may find yourself asking, what is a time clock app though?
What is a time clock app?
A time clock app is used to digitally track employees hours, for employees to clock in and out and to assist in the payroll process. With the best time tracking apps, you will be able to view exactly what time an employee clocked in or out, where an employee clocked in or out (if your online time clock comes with this feature capability) and easily export hours to precisely calculate payroll. In addition, with an efficient time clock app, your employees should also be able to request time off or add an absence from work for a specific day. Lastly, a time clock app should be easy to use and quick to implement.
Clock
Why do you need a time clock app?
If you have deskless employees or employees that are working remotely, it’s important to be able to efficiently track employee hours. Being able to see where your employees are when they clock in and out, in real time, creates an added layer of security for managers and business owners. With a time clock app that has geo-fencing capabilities, employees will not be able to clock in for the day if they are not in the designated approved location. Gone are the days of buddy punching, time theft and rounding hours! With a time clock app, you can easily export timesheets and calculate payroll quickly and effortlessly. Which time clock app is right for you? Here are some things you should think about when trying to decide how to choose a time clock app.
What are your company needs?
What’s more important to you as a business owner – a simple clock in and out app or a time tracking app that has more capabilities such as geo-fencing, job tracking, timesheet exportation, auto-breaks, overtime and daily limit reporting. For example, the Connecteam employee management app takes mobile time tracking to the next level.
With Connecteam, the time tracking feature allows you to do all of that and more. Whether your team is in the office or working out in the field, you will always be able to know who clocked in, where they clocked in and when. In addition, they can request vacation days and mark absences directly from the time tracking feature right in the palm of their hand. On top of that, push notifications can be sent to your employees phone if they forget to clock in or out, if they exceed the daily hours worked limit and an auto clock out feature for employees who exceed the daily allowed working hours. Attach digital notes for employees clocking in so they know what to get started on when they arrive to work. You can even send them a direct message through the in-app chat if they forget to clock in or if you need to remind them of something specific. Lastly, as a business owner or manager, you can view daily summary reports of each of your employees to make more informed data driven decisions.
What do your employees need?
If your employees are working behind a computer or are in an office day in and day out, then a time clock app may not be the best solution for your business. Then again, if you’re managing a team of deskless employees or employees that are usually out in the field and not in office, then a time clock app will be a perfect solution for them.
Make sure you choose a time clock app that is easy to use and requires little-to-no training to start using. Your employees no longer need to carry around papers to track their hours manually; instead they can easily manage their hours directly through the time tracking app – making their lives and your business run more smoothly.
Is it easy to use and implement?
There are several different options when it comes to time clock apps. Some are less user friendly while others are very easy to use and don’t require much training to get started. Choose a time clock app that’s easy for your less tech savvy employees to use and has an intuitive interface. You don’t want employees getting frustrated with new technology and losing focus on what needs to be done, remember that your employees will be using the app daily so make sure it’s easy for them to use! For example, the Connecteam time clock app is painless to configure and doesn’t require endless amounts of training to understand and get started.
Is it cost effective?
Some time clock apps can be expensive. For example, Clockify, the enterprise plan costs $15/month per user! This could quickly add up if you have a large number of employees, so it’s really important you compare all pricing plans and what features are included in each plan. Additionally, some time clock apps include a base fee – so make sure to do your research and always read the fine print.
Connecteam’s pricing for the basic plan costs $159/month for up to 50 users and only $3 per month for each additional user with NO base fee! As previously mentioned, when purchasing a time clock app it’s important to remember that it’s not always just about price, but how quickly it can be set up, how easy it is to use and how simple it is to implement.
To summarize…
Accurate and precise time tracking apps are a must for your business and employee success in 2021. Stop losing money rounding hours and spending so much time manually recording and tracking employee hours. Get rid of time theft and buddy punching with a digital time clock app that has all the features you need. Make sure it checks off all your boxes and performs all the tasks you need it to. Confirm that it’s easy to use and is a cinch to implement as well. Lastly, you shouldn’t be paying an arm and a leg for a decent time clock app. It should have all the features you require at a reasonable price! Now you’re ready to choose which time clock app is right for you to make time tracking and payroll a walk in the park!
