The Top Time-Tracking Apps for 2020 and What Makes Them Tick
Every time we turn around somebody is putting out another time card app geared toward the construction industry. Granted there’s more than one way to skin a cat, the more the merrier and all that, but some are too complex or incomplete. Using an app without integrations, for example, is like having a Tiffany lamp and no electricity. It’s valuable but not very illuminating.
So Many Apps, So Little Time
Where does the time go? Philosophically speaking, that’s a good question. In business discussions, you better have a good answer. Time is money. Time flies and not in coach.
The future of the construction industry rests on efficiency. It’s easy to identify where you spend your time when you introduce construction time tracking software to the job site. But will your people welcome it or wonder if they’re being micromanaged? Is there enough support when there are technical questions? How seamlessly does it interface with established apps like Quickbooks accounting and Procore project management?
When you survey the many mobile time-tracking apps on the market you see how three main qualities are truly essential:
- Affordable: how the cost fits your project budget
- Onboard-able: how the style fits your company’s culture
- Concordable: how the software fits your business systems
Affordability is generally good news since costs are relatively low, averaging $7-12 at entry-level per user per month. Some apps are even free.
Next is what we call onboard-ability. Will workers gladly get onboard or form a mutiny when asked to use yet another new technology? Seeing the benefit of their own “digital data” creates a new level of employee engagement. Adopting and adapting to an easy-to-learn productivity app provides a sense of job control and personal accountability. It may be the first time anyone’s paid this much attention to their work or whereabouts.
When you let workers know this is a good thing resulting in more jobs and bigger profits down the road, they’ll be proud to master the new technology. They’ll soon see how automatic time tracking pinpoints roadblocks, detours, distractions, and downtime and lets time-wasters go by the wayside.
Finally, the idea of concordable, which means capable of agreeing and being harmonious. This refers to the ease of integrating with core construction business systems such as Zapier, ADP, Caterpillar Connect and others now and in the future. Can it compile necessary reports? How readily does it work with application program interfaces (APIs) to create these program integrations?
Most construction time tracking apps have these general functions:
- Full project reporting and time tracking tools on smartphone, desktop or tablet
- Employee time clock in/out button
- Employee entry of billable hours to save time and avoid manual errors
- Timecard signature capture to document safety and compliance
- Manager’s review, mark up, return or approval of employee time entries prior to submission
- Convenient end-of-day grid timecards for whole crew including trades pay and cost codes, reimbursements and per diems
- Geotagging of precise GPS locations for each employee; geofencing with exception reports
- Project cost tracking and labor budgets
- Task and team management updates
- Equipment hour meter tracking, work vs. idle reports
- Fleet maintenance reports
- Photography uploading
- Weather tracking
- Log reports for an overview of day’s job site
- Forecasting tools to combine budgets and YTD actuals
- Estimating and bidding software
- 90-day guarantee
- Only billed for what you use each month
We’ve compiled a list of apps that might be worth your consideration:
By tracking every second worked, their time management tools have resulted in increased profits for clients and five-star reviews across Capterra, Software Advice and Apps.com. Over 1 million employees around the world use TSheets to track, manage and submit accurate timesheets.
One of the best card apps for workers and supervisors. Pay only for hours actually worked using cost codes and GPS time stamps. No more compliance fears with too much overtime or lack of safety gear. U.S. based customer service 12 hours a day.
Real-time mobile timekeeping app simplifies time tracking across multiple residential, commercial and subcontracting construction and field service jobs. Custom geofencing.
Not so much a tracking app as it is a powerful job-costing accounting software. Some valuable management tools offered, but geared primarily toward use by the CPA in your company in eventually replacing Quickbooks.
Another primarily accounting product that produces stronger future plans. Detailed reports, dashboards, and business intelligence tools enable you to operate efficiently and plan ahead.
Billed as “Estimating & Bidding Software for Crew-Based Infrastructure Construction,” this service is used by 50,000+ estimators for earthwork, underground, highway, pipeline, mining, plants, and other heavy construction. Strong on fleet telematics and safety compliance. 24/7 instant support. 90-day implementation guarantee.
Offering an exclusive universal map to oversee all company projects, employees and equipment in one place. FREE version–unlimited users free forever. Voted #1 Time Tracking & Jobsite Intelligence Software for the Construction Industry. As the leader, busybusy is first in ease of use in the field and the only provider of Jobsite Intelligence.
With so much competition, construction time tracking apps have to deliver on all three counts: cost, convenience and compatibility. Fill out the form to get a 1-on-1 demonstration of the best construction time tracking app in our opinion (and the opinion of hundreds of customers, too.)
