Field service businesses can find it difficult to track employee time. With differing times, schedules, locations and jobs, keeping up with your crew's movements could seem impossible.
Thanks to developing technology, you can get detailed and accurate information about your team, jobs and productivity, all from your cell phone.
How? With the latest time clock systems.
The importance of accurate time clock systems for small businesses
Time clock systems traditionally provide a place for employees to clock in and out but have evolved into much more with technological developments.
Accurate time clock systems are essential to a small business's financial health, especially when the business has hired other crew members. Going from solo to a team is a big shift, and there can be many unexpected costs associated with it.
What challenges could you have without a time clock system (how to solve them!)
We’ve covered the importance of accurate time clock systems, but they do represent another cost to businesses, so it might be difficult to allocate that kind of new cost.
However, the absence of a time clock system can pose plenty of challenges, and many of these can cost your business far more in the long run, from direct budget costs to productivity loss and opportunity costs.
Inaccurate time tracking
For a field service business, every minute and dollar counts. This becomes obvious when it comes to time-tracking and payroll. It can feel impossible to know when each crew member started work, where they are and how their jobs are progressing. Accurate timekeeping is also a necessity to stay compliant with DCAA requirements.
No one wants a micromanager, and keeping track of crew time is a job in itself. It can seem like eating inaccuracies in time tracking, and schedules are just part of running a business with employees, but that doesn’t need to be the case.
Time clock systems will enable your crew to clock in and out on the go, set breaks, and adjust actual start and end times. The best time clocks for small businesses will have a variety of options, real-time updates, and communication from your team, making time tracking accurate and boosting your bottom line.
Inefficient payroll processing
Manual time clocks and time sheets don’t just present issues and inaccuracies with time tracking; they can also be an absolute pain when it comes to processing payroll. Anyone who’s had to translate physical time cards and time sheets to a pay sheet knows exactly what we mean. It’s time-consuming, inefficient, and risks more inaccuracies.
The best time clocks for small businesses not only track efficiently but also provide seamless integration options with payroll software, meaning hours are tracked, logged and submitted without stress. Even better, connected accounting software or teams are able to take this data and process it, meaning streamlined payroll for everyone.
Increased risk of theft and buddy punching
Manual punch clocks are a tried and true time tracking method, but they might not be the best time clock for small businesses, given the risk and relative ease of time theft and buddy punching. Trusting your team is important, but there are time fraud methods that crew members might see as ‘normal’ or something ‘everyone does from time to time’, like buddy punching.
What is buddy punching? It’s when a coworker or ‘buddy’ clocks in for a coworker that isn’t yet present at work. Sometimes this can be a few minutes, or other times, ghost attendance. These discrepancies add up, and for a small business, every dollar counts to keep cash flow healthy.
Digital time clock systems do away with manual cards and present options for on-the-go clock-ins and clock-outs. There are a variety of secure options for digital time clocks, and many are available from a smartphone. Popular options have been passwords and PINs unique to each crew member, but that can still lead to different issues.
Unauthorized use
Even with digital time clock systems and employee PINs/passwords, these credentials still risk being shared with coworkers to allow buddy punching and time theft. Some popular kiosk clocks might not be the best time clock for small business use as they can still allow crew to buddy punch and cost you unnecessarily.
The good news is that unauthorized use can be prevented with the latest technology and without micromanaging employees. Iris recognition, that is, eye recognition, is now available in some of the best time clocks for small businesses. This technology scans the eyes, and well, if the eyes aren’t there, the staff isn’t there! This feature ensures accurate clock-in and clock-out times.
Lost or forgotten cards
Time clock solutions such as punch cards or RFID scan systems come with the risk of misplacing the physical items needed to clock in and out. If a punch card is misplaced, so too are the times recorded, running the risk of inaccurate time reporting on payroll.
RFID cards used to punch in and out must be on employees at all times. For a field service crew member, misplacing or losing their card can result in extra time spent making a temporary timesheet and a replacement card. Again, this leads to possible time theft with inaccurate recording (even unintentionally!).
When choosing the best time clock for your field service business, look for biometric options. Biometric time clock functions mean crew members will clock in and out using their unique physical attributes, such as iris recognition, fingerprints and facial recognition.
The Best Time Clock for Small Businesses: Our Top Picks
Now that you’ve seen some of the benefits of the best time clocks for small businesses and the challenges you can experience without one, you’re probably asking which one is the best time clock for your field service business.
Here are our top picks for 2024, with an overview, pricing, features and ratings.
1. Clockshark
ClockShark is an all-in-one field service management software that offers the best time clock for small and mid-sized business needs. Our platform is designed for field service businesses in industries such as construction, electrical, painting, landscaping, plumbing and many more.
It’s all the name: ClockShark delivers the best time clock for small businesses, with essential workflow tools and popular integrations to make the best use of your business’ time. Communicate with your team, get daily insights and reports to best track and analyze team productivity and do it all from your favorite devices.
Price:
- Standard: $40 USD per month plus $8 per user/month.
- Pro: $60 per month plus $10 per user/month.
- 14-day free trial and demo available.
Available on:
- Web Browser
- Android
- iOS
Languages supported:
- English
Features:
- Location data for messages, timesheets, photos and notes
- Geofencing
- Automatic Time-Tracking
- Biometric Time Clock Options
- Kiosk Clock
- Real-Time Employee Updates
- Popular Third-Party Integrations
- Intuitive UI
Rating:
- Capterra: 4.7/5, based on 1897 reviews
- G2: 4.6/5, based on 310 reviews. Voted Leader for Small Businesses for Spring/Summer 2024.
- Motley Fool: 4.4/5
Save Time and Money with ClockShark
2. QuickBooks Time
Use QuickBooks for your accounting needs? Then the best time clock for your small business could be the time-tracking solution powered by QB. Previously known as TSheets, QuickBooks Time is time-tracking software built for businesses of any size.
Price:
- Premium: $20 per month, plus $8 per user/month
- Elite: $40 per month, plus $10 per user/month
- 30-day free trial available.
Available on:
- Web Browser
- Android
- iOS
Languages:
- English, Chinese, French, Italian, Spanish
Features (some only available with Elite version):
- Kiosk Clock
- Real-Time Scheduling
- Timesheet Approvals
- Timesheet Signatures (Elite)
- Geofencing (Elite)
- Track Mileage/Projects (Elite)
Rating:
- Capterra: 4.7/5 on Capterra, based on 6818 reviews.
- G2: 4.5/5, based on 1429 reviews.
- Forbes Advisor: 4.1/5
3. Deputy
Deputy is on the list of the best time clocks for small businesses thanks to its handy features, ease of use, and commitment to saving businesses hours of admin. Deputy is designed to make the process easy to adopt and intuitive for the entire team.
Price:
- Scheduling: $3.50 per user/month
- Time and Attendance: $3.50 per user/month
- Premium (includes both packages and Reporting): $6 per user/month
- They offer a free trial for up to 31 days.
Available on:
- Web Browser
- Android
- iOS
Languages:
(most languages other than English only available in app version)
- English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, and Vietnamese.
Features:
- Kiosk Clock
- GPS location functions
- Touchless clock-in for tablets
- Timesheet Approvals
- Biometric time clock options
- Intuitive UI
Rating:
- Capterra: 4.6/5, based on 715 reviews, Voted Best Ease of Use Award in 2023.
- G2: 4.5/5, based on 296 reviews.
- TrustRadius: 8.7/10, based on 463 reviews.
4. Homebase
Homebase provides a time clock for almost any device your team uses, making it one of the best time clocks for small businesses for this versatility. Homebase provides a platform for both owners/managers to schedule, track and communicate with the team.
They offer a different pricing structure that will work for some businesses based on location rather than number of users.
Price:
- Basic: $0 per month, 1 location, up to 20 employees. Homebase’s free option for small businesses to demo and use.
- Essentials: $24.95 per location per month, unlimited employees.
- Plus: $59.95 per location per month, unlimited employees.
- All-in-One: $99.95 per location per month, unlimited employees.
Available on:
- Web Browser
- Android
- iOS
- POS Systems
Languages:
- English, Spanish, French
Features:
- PIN system for time clocks
- Digital Timecards
- Late Alerts/Notifications
- GPS Time Clock
- Intuitive UI
- Time-Off and Availability Tracker
Rating:
- Capterra: 4.6/5, based on 1019 reviews.
- G2: 4.2/5, based on 108 reviews.
- FitSmallBusiness.com: 4.4/5
5. When I Work
It’s really all in the name: When I Work is a platform for businesses to manage, schedule and communicate with their team. Scheduling, timesheets and payroll are integrated to streamline the process. Turn any device into a time clock using the When I Work app!
The time clock tools are available as part of the Attendance package, which is an add-on to other subscription levels.
Price:
- Essential: $1.5 per user/month
- Essential + Attendance: $3 per user/month
- Pro: $3 per user/month
- Pro + Attendance: $5 per user/month
- Premium: $5 per user/month
- Premium + Attendance: $7 per user/month
Available on:
- Web Browser
- Android
- iOS
Languages:
- English, Spanish
Features:
- Photo Capture Time Clock
- Geofencing
- Break/Leave Management
- Intuitive UI
- Integrated Scheduling
Rating:
- Capterra: 4.5/5, based on 1086 reviews.
- G2: 4.3/5, based on 284 reviews. Voted Leader in 2024 Spring.
- PC Mag Review: 4/5
6. Clockify
Clockify is one of the best time clocks for small businesses as it provides necessary time-tracking tools for free. It’s one of the most popular in the world, particularly for solo traders/business owners to track their time and productivity.
There are a lot of pricing tiers for different features, so it might not be the best fit for a business needing an all-in-one solution.
Price:
- Free: $0 per month
- Basic: $4.99 per user/month
- Standard: $6.99 per user/month
- Pro: $9.99 per user/month
- Enterprise: $14.99 per user/month
Available on:
- Web Browser
- Android
- iOS
- Linux
Languages:
- English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
Features:
- App and Website Tracking
- Timesheet Templates
- Timesheet Reminders
- Kiosk Clock
- Audit Log
Rating:
- Capterra: 4.7/5, based on 4,855 reviews
- G2: 4.5/5, based on 167 reviews
- Forbes Advisor: 4.6/5
7. Paychex Flex Time
Paychex Flex is an all-in-one HR suite, designed for any size business to use. Its time clock and HR software is best suited for small businesses; while it does perform well, larger businesses may need more options.
The primary downside is that Flex’s time-tracking features are an additional paid add-on to the package rather than included in the HR/admin tools. It does mean your business can pick and choose which tools are needed now, but the important time clock for your small business does cost extra.
Price:
- Essentials: $39 per month plus $5 per employee
- Select: $44 per month plus $3 per employee
- Pro: $89 per month plus $3 per employee
- For the total cost with Paychex Flex Time, contact their sales team.
Available on:
- Web Browsers
- Android
- iOS
Languages:
- English, Spanish
Features:
- 24/7 Support
- Kiosk Clock
- Biometric Time Clock Options
- Geofencing
- GPS tracking
Rating:
- Capterra: 4.2/5, based on 1576 reviews
- G2: 4.2/5, based on 1526 reviews
- Forbes Advisor: 4.5/5
Features Your Small Business Time Clock Cannot Miss
As you can see, there are many options when it comes to choosing the best time clock for small businesses and their crew. Of course, you would have a finite budget pricing-wise, so what other features can help you choose the best time clock for your field service business?
Mobile accessibility
For field service businesses, it’s essential that the entire crew can access their time clock and other necessary tools wherever the job takes them. Cell phone accessibility is key to consistent time clock use and keeping timesheets as accurate as possible
The best time clock for small businesses will offer mobile apps alongside online and offline options to ensure core features are always available, no matter where the team goes.
GPS functionality
Do you think about automatic time-tracking, or do you want more accountability and transparency from your team? The best time clock for small business needs will make the most of GPS functionality: with the best field service software on your cell phone, why not make the most of the unique functionality and tracking a cell phone offers?
For example, ClockShark’s time clock software offers multiple options to make the most of GPS capabilities, with automatic time-tracking, geofencing, and employee location updates.
Check out our guide for everything you need to know about employee location tracking.
Biometric verification (fingerprint or facial recognition)
The best time clock for small business teams will have advanced features to prevent time fraud and theft. Biometric verification options are an important addition to digital time clocks to ensure the right person is clocking in without worrying about forgetting validation like passwords or RFID cards.
Customizable reporting and analytics
What’s the use of all this data if you can’t get the best out of it? Many of the best time clock options for your business will include robust features that work with time-tracking technology.
Features such as photo reports, location and time tags for updates, and daily productivity reports/graphs are all on offer. Consider the kind of reporting you do and what you’d like to keep track of when picking a time clock.
User-friendly interface
Lastly, a good user interface (UI) can make or break an app. The best time clock for small businesses must be easy to use and straightforward so all crew members can navigate the software and use the features.
The last thing you want is for team members not to clock in because they can’t figure out the app!
Choosing the best time clock for your small business
Finding the best time clock for your small business out of plenty of options can feel challenging! It’s important to consider your business needs, budget, and which features stand out from our list. Some free options are great to try, but as a small business scales, paid options become necessary.
Want to see what a paid option can provide without the pay? ClockShark’s free trial offers all the best features for accuracy, detail and efficiency to maximize productivity and get the most from your admin time.
