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How Time Tracking is Annoying, Yet Necessary

Few topics inspire such a range of sentiment as time tracking. In the post-Snowden era, some people label it as the latest in a trend toward invasive monitoring. Others, especially managers and executives, view it as an essential application to the smooth and profitable operation of a business. Others, still, recognize the value of time tracking but struggle to find a method that works.

What is the key to overcoming the daily struggle? How can you use time tracking to your advantage? Let’s look at four annoyances commonly associated with time tracking and see how you and your company can overcome them.

Choosing the Right Method

One of the biggest challenges in implementing time tracking software is choosing the right method for you and your company.

Is your organization primarily involved in sales or service? Do you need software that integrates with QuickBooks, Peachtree, Oracle or Dynamics? Or would your company benefit from a stand-alone solution? Does the software include the necessary features to manage a team?

Finding the solution that meets your company’s needs as closely as possible will eliminate the majority of inconveniences. To accurately determine those needs, meet with department heads, managers, supervisors and employees. Find out and record what features they feel would be helpful in a time tracking solution.

Proper Configuration

One of the biggest annoyances employees and managers alike experience with time tracking is software that is not properly configured.

Too many companies make the mistake of configuring their time tracking software with so many options and categories, that actually using the software becomes a study in tedium.

Instead, take the time to accurately determine exactly what information your company needs to track, then eliminate the rest. It should take your employees just a few minutes per day to track their time. Any more than that and, chances are, your setup is overly-complicated and likely hurting more than it’s helping.

Customer Support

Another common annoyance with time tracking software is the lack of support. Nothing undermines the effective use of software as quickly as employees who can’t get the help they need when they need it.

Christophe Primault, co-founder and CEO of GetApp, says it is, “vital that you research the customer support service of an application before selecting one. The best ones should offer email, phone, and live chat support so that you can quickly solve issues with the software during the integration phase and quickly squash any problems that arise.”

Proper Training

Even with the most basic system, proper training is still a must. The last thing you need is to invest the time, resources and money in a new system, only to discover that your employees aren’t using it because of the learning curve.

To overcome this, schedule comprehensive training sessions with all of your employees. Just as importantly, don’t be content with an initial round of training. Schedule periodic refresher courses to make sure employees are up-to-date with the latest features and abilities, not only of the current version of the software but also any updates and new versions that come along.

There is no doubt that time tracking can present annoyances. The benefits, however, far outweigh the costs. Better job estimation, expense tracking, fairer employee compensation and increased profitability—which, in turn, result in increased job security and potential raises—all make effective time tracking a worthwhile endeavor. By addressing the above annoyances, your company can reap the benefits—while eliminating or greatly reducing the drawbacks.

 

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Journyx helps you track time for projects, payroll, and more. Learn how Journyx can help you use time to your advantage in your business.