Managers are still struggling to keep track of employee hours when using paper timesheets. This leads to many other issues that most of the time they may not even be aware of, such as the impact on profitability.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, last year there were over 2.5 million people working in the construction sector. These numbers include:
- Carpenters
- Laborers
- Managers
- Electricians
- Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
Companies that have workers like these are sure to have crews in the field or on different jobsites, making time tracking difficult and making accurate time tracking nearly impossible.
Missing, illegible, or inaccurate timesheets could be costing you thousands of dollars a month, depending on the size of your company. Not just in payroll errors but in the many ways missing or incorrect information is making other processes inefficient or incorrect.
The frustrating part of this is: how can your company grow if you’re losing money due to inaccurate timesheets?
Thankfully, technology is here to help you manage and improve your time-tracking capabilities in a way that provides even more powerful tools to improve your company’s overall success.
Here are some of the ways using a cloud-based time tracking solution saves you money and time.
1. Real-Time Data Upload
You can use a solution such as mobile time tracking to get real-time data from your workers throughout the work day. This includes information such as:
- Who’s working and where
- Photos or documents related to the specific job
- Who is approaching overtime pay
- And more
When you have this information at your fingertips, it is much easier to keep track of job costs, employees, scheduling, and, most importantly, improve your customer service. And since it’s cheaper to retain existing customers than it is to recruit new ones and word of mouth has become more important today than ever (77% of customers have shared positive brand experiences with others), you definitely want to incorporate whatever tools you can to keep your customers happy.
2. Saves Time
A great time tracking solution will not just save your employees time who won’t need to drive to the office to clock in. It will also significantly reduce the time spent on processes like payroll and scheduling.
If you use a payroll platform like QuickBooks, Sage, ADP, or others, you can integrate it to import the information automatically so your payroll process is done in minutes, instead of hours.
3. Improved Accuracy
Payroll inaccuracies happen. Sometimes they are deliberate but often they are due to human error or the inability to get accurate information. When you have time tracking software, you are at a reduced risk of human error.
When you have a system that has you double- and sometimes even triple- entering information, mistakes are much more likely. An automated process that calculates time to the minute, increases accuracy dramatically and you and your employees can feel more confident they will get the right pay at the right time.
4. Reduce Payroll Costs
A time tracking software helps you cut your payroll costs in many ways. Some common ways that companies lose money include:
- Buddy-Punching
- Time theft
- Time rounding
- Lost, damaged, missing, or illegible timesheets
- Forgetful employees
- Unauthorized stops (i.e. using company vehicles to visit others or do side jobs)
With a mobile time tracking solution all of these common issues are resolved in one app. Employees clock in either with their mobile devices or computers and the time is calculated to the minute. There is no risk of lost, missing, damaged, or illegible timesheets since it’s all recorded electronically.
With GPS Fencing, you can set a virtual boundary to ensure your workers are reminded to clock in when they reach a worksite and clock out when they leave. You’re able to see exactly how long a job took and send notifications to your employees each day to clock in, take a break, or clock out.
5. Speed Up and Improve Audit Processes
Whether you’re up for an audit from the IRS or want to do internal audits to determine how your finances, management, and operational goals are being met, using technology is a great way to make these processes easier and faster.
Since you have the data you need in an accurate and automatic way, you can pull up exactly what you want to know in seconds. Use a time tracking solution that is cloud-based, so your information is always available.
6. Get Better Project Costing
Even with the best employees in the field, it can be challenging to do accurate job costing. But with time tracking and GPS you can get much more accurate information about job costs.
If you have a platform that allows you to automatically assign specific pay rates for specific types of work, you are able to more accurately calculate actual job costs. Not only does this improve your accounting process but it helps you identify weak areas that may need some attention and provides you with detailed data that makes estimates even better for future jobs.
7. Increase Accountability
When you have multiple job sites, different crews, fleets, and remote workers, it’s difficult to provide hands-on management techniques that hold them accountable. However, employees who are aware their time is being tracked, will be more likely to push to do their best work.
Workplaces have changed a lot over the past 20 years and today’s workers want more transparency as well as more flexibility. A time tracking app provides this by making sure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal.
With traditional time-tracking methods, you may not be able to identify workers who are abusing the system or who might need to have some performance reviews. A time tracking app helps you hold them accountable.
8. Improved Communication
Communication is critical for any organization but when you have different workers in different areas, it can become challenging to keep everyone on the same page.
Multiple communication tools that allow workers, supervisors, administrators to share data and information keeps everyone in the loop.
9. Greater Customer Service
When your customers call you for a service call, they want the work done as quickly as possible. Being able to open an app to see who is working and where they are, allows you to narrow the service window so your employees can get there much faster.
When your customers know you’re using technology to improve their experience, their trust in your company is amplified and they are more likely to stay loyal to you and recommend you to others. Field service companies that adopt new technologies are more likely to succeed in future markets.
Experts say there are five major reasons why small businesses lose money:
- Bad accounting
- Combined bank accounts
- Poorly priced products
- Not investing
- Not having an online presence
But a time tracking app resolves two of these. By investing in technology for your time tracking processes, you improve your accounting processes and much more.
If you’re tired of losing money due to an outdated time tracking process, look for a highly-rated, specialized, dynamic solution for companies in the construction and field service industries. We are happy to help our customers look great for their customers.
ClockShark can help you to improve your company’s productivity, efficiency, and bottom line. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, sign up for a free two-week trial today, or learn the top reasons to invest in a time-tracking app for electricians.
Save Time and Money with ClockShark
