In the field services industry, time is undeniably the most valuable resource. For field workers, every moment directly impacts their earnings, while for field services managers, efficient time management is the bedrock of business success. Thus, a time tracking software becomes non-negotiable for field services businesses striving to grow rapidly, optimize their operations, make informed decisions, and enhance overall productivity.

In this highly competitive landscape, where every second counts, the significance of efficient time management cannot be overstated. Field workers are often on tight schedules, completing tasks at various locations throughout the day. Accurate time tracking empowers them to focus on their core responsibilities, knowing that their efforts are accurately recorded and fairly compensated. 

Equally crucial, field services managers rely on precise time data to allocate resources effectively, plan projects, and ensure smooth operations. With real-time insights into their team’s activities, they can identify bottlenecks, streamline processes, and make strategic adjustments to enhance overall efficiency.

However, implementing manual time-tracking systems is prone to human errors and can be burdensome for both employees and management. Furthermore, errors captured in the manual time-tracking process cause salary deductions for workers or business losses due to under or overcalculations.

In contrast, embracing a time tracking software for employees can revolutionize the entire process. Time tracking helps you track employee hours, bill customers accurately, and improve productivity. But with so many options available, which is the best time tracking software for your business?

Advanced technologies like the time-tracking apps offer seamless and user-friendly platforms to track employees’ working hours along with GPS-stamped locations. By replacing cumbersome paperwork and spreadsheets, the app saves valuable time and eliminates the risk of inaccuracies.

Data on Time Tracking

– A significant majority, approximately 73% of organizations, express satisfaction with the outcomes achieved through the automation of business processes and tools.

– Companies can eliminate daily lost productivity and recapture a total of $666,400 in yearly wages by using an automated time tracking software according to Acumen Data Systems, 2020.

– Time theft can cost employers an average of $11 billion annually.

Thus automating time clocks for employees is no longer a choice, but a necessity. As a manager, the decision lies in your hands to either recapture lost dollars in productivity or continue with slim profit margins.

What’s particularly convenient is the extensive selection of time-tracking tools available in the market. Depending on your unique business model, there are options to suit various budgets and requirements.

As a result, businesses gain access to reliable and precise data, which becomes the cornerstone of well-informed decisions. Whether it’s calculating payroll, budgeting for future projects, or allocating resources optimally, accurate time tracking empowers businesses to operate efficiently and stay ahead in their industry.

Types of Employee Time Tracking

1. Time & Attendance App

Timecard apps require employees to clock in and out on their mobile phones or computers. While this is an improvement over paper timesheets, it still leaves room for errors and inaccuracies, like a missed punch-in punch-out, buddy punching, etc. 

A common downfall with clock-ins and outs apps is the potential for employees to forget to log their time when they arrive at the job site or finish their work. These unintended errors can result in significant financial losses for organizations, potentially costing them millions of dollars.

Implementing a more automated and reliable system, such as the allGeo time tracking app, can mitigate these challenges by seamlessly tracking employee hours and GPS-stamped locations in real-time. This eliminates the reliance on location verification, reduces absenteeism, and ensures accurate time data.


2. Automatic time tracking

Geofencing is the core technology behind automatic employee time tracking. By setting up virtual boundaries around specific job sites, such as within a 300 ft radius, employees are seamlessly clocked in when they enter the geofenced area using the mobile app. Likewise, they are automatically clocked out when they exit the site. This hands-off approach ensures accurate and real-time recording of their hours.

This innovative “zero-touch” method of time tracking brings numerous benefits to organizations. It enhances efficiency by eliminating the need for manual clock-ins and clock-outs, allowing employees to focus on their field tasks instead. The process saves time and reduces the chances of errors. 

By leveraging geofencing technology, organizations can easily manage time-clocked expenses and gain better control over their workforce. It’s a game-changer that simplifies time tracking, enhances accuracy, and improves overall operational efficiency.

3. Text / Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

The third method uses text messages. Employees receive links that upon being clicked, automatically capture their time and location for attendance purposes in the system.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a voice-based system that allows remote or on-site employees to clock in and out by making a phone call to a dedicated number. Employees simply follow the voice prompts to log their time and attendance. 

allGeo’s solution can obtain the exact location from which the phone call was made.

These text message and IVR-based systems offer user-friendly and accessible options for employee tracking, providing accurate data for attendance management.

Benefits of Employee Time Tracking

1. Avoid buddy punching

Buddy punching poses a frequent challenge in companies that rely on outdated clock-in and clock-out methods such as timesheets, swipe cards, tags, etc. These traditional methods are susceptible to manipulation.

allGeo offers a robust solution to prevent employees from engaging in fraudulent clock-in and clock-out practices with the assistance of their colleagues when they are not actually at work.

Through the allGeo time clock app, employees can provide concrete evidence of their presence by taking a photo or capturing signatures, which are automatically geo-tagged with time and location data. This feature ensures accurate and verifiable records of employee attendance, eliminating the possibility of false time entries.


2. Protect employee privacy 

The employee time tracking app provided by allGeo prioritizes protecting employees’ privacy while effectively recording their work hours. 

Employers are required to have a policy in place that explicitly informs employees about the presence of a GPS time-tracking app on their devices. This app monitors their location exclusively during work hours. Tracking is disabled during lunch breaks and after work hours. 

This approach ensures a balance between efficient time tracking and respecting employees’ privacy rights.


3. Works in poor connectivity areas

In the field services industry, it is not uncommon to have workers in remote areas with poor or no connectivity.

Keeping this in mind, the allGeo app was designed to function even in such areas. It operates seamlessly in such environments, allowing employees to track their time and location without interruptions. 

Once employees enter an area with a stable network connection, the app automatically syncs the data, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information. This feature ensures that time and location data can be reliably recorded and synchronized, regardless of network availability.

Conclusion

In 2023, automated time tracking software can be your best investment. The benefits are multi-faceted– minimizes repetitive manual tasks, employees record all their working hours accurately, information is stored on the cloud which can be accessed anytime, and you save costs by reducing overpayment.

What is even more important is selecting the right software that provides maximum features along with time tracking.

Assess your internal processes to maximize the benefits of your investment. By fostering a culture where your field team understands and appreciates the purpose and methodology behind tracking their time, and by utilizing their time efficiently, you can transform your software into a valuable asset for the entire organization.