They tell us writer types, “Author, know thy audience.”
Soooo…I’m going to assume three things. One, you have a small to mid-size construction company. Two, you need a time card app to track everybody’s hours. And three, you like gobbledy-goop tech articles about as much as I like deadlines (the final clock out).
There, we know each other.
Since it still isn’t socially acceptable or legal to install chips in workers’ bodies, for the moment we’ll have to find a way to keep track of where they are and what they’re doing. Sound inhumane? Well, yes the chip thing is of course.
So we’ll just call it job site intelligence.
There are heaps of time tracking mobile apps out there, but not many with a dedicated construction time clock. When you find one, it’s important to examine all the features before asking your team to try it out.
Here are a few things you can look for:
User Usefulness
The homepage may look pretty, but if a worker can’t remember where to click or what menu to pull down, the helpful app becomes a horrible albatross. That’s frustration and wasted time right there.
On most of your construction job sites there’s probably no wi-fi, so interaction with the app might be limited. Make sure the crew can do offline time tracking that will upload later.
Also, make sure they can use e-signatures to sign off on timesheets from anywhere before submitting. This is a major convenience.
If you’re going to get everyone on board, give them a life jacket. That is, there should be a clear tutorial and some training available and a support phone number or live chat for questions that arise.
Backing the Back Office
Your payroll department is probably fully automated already thanks to those type A accountants. They’re happily using software such as Quickbooks, Foundation, Sage, etc for cutting checks, billing, invoicing. It’s important to know how well a time clock for construction will integrate with what’s already in place. Some apps include their own accounting software, so decide if you are willing to switch over.
For mobile workforce management, automating payroll is a huge time saver. Timesheet information can be accessed in seconds. With a great construction time clock, you can set the pay rate, review by pay period, look up cost codes and calculate future bids based on hours worked. You’ll have a more accurate, automatic system that exports the data to any payroll service.
The Project Manager’s Pal
Mobile workforce management software lets you track employees and jobs in one place, so you know exactly where a project stands.
Plus, questions about time cards and timesheet approvals will elicit less of a groan.
It helps schedule shifts and notifies the crew by sending alerts when people are late or missing. You can scan schedules and attendance for your entire team or individuals.
Geofencing is a newish term that means you can define a worksite area (a virtual fence) to track GPS locations of employee phones. They are notified and asked if they want to clock in when they drive onto the site and clocked out when they leave.
Team members can take real-time pictures at job sites with built-in timestamps. The crew can track time to tasks and even move between project locations for review on one comprehensive dashboard.
Field service management gives you a visual timeline to check employee hours and earnings, expenses, pay periods, deductions, vacations, holidays, sick days, time off requests and even potty breaks. Too much information?
Where Does the Time Go? Reap Your Reports
When considering time card automation, ask yourself if the time tracked will yield valuable operating information. The data you get from a time card app gives you have a more holistic picture of your business and helps you improve business procedures and lets you better understand profitability and productivity. When you can customize reports around time tracking, you can make better decisions when staffing, scheduling, and job costing.
From work order to ribbon cutting, keeping up with modern construction technology is a key element for survival and success.
The busybusy construction time clock app appeals to both crews and contractors. It has the intuitive ease teams love, with the reporting and accountability system managers and owners live by. Visit busybusy.com to download a free trial and see for yourself today.
