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Time Tracking
August 28, 2018
8 minutes

Why do you need a Time Tracker for Work?

Businessman sitting on the hourglass with laptop legs crossed

Using a Tracker tool sounds annoying! Do you really need a Time tracker for work? Are the bosses being unreasonable and irrational with their demands of using a Time Tracker? Well, the truth of the matter is that Time Tracking has proven to be fruitful for businesses. That is why many managers and bosses are adamant about the use of a Time Tracker.

Why do you need a Time Tracker at work?

Do you get distracted and feel lazy like many people? Do you lose your focus during the work? If you’re anything like most professionals around the world, you most definitely need a Time Tracker at work.

Time Tracking Software might seem intrusive and slavish, but they have help organizations achieve a lot in a relatively shorter duration of time. People who use these tools report that they have been able to get more out of the standard workday. In comparison to the time when they did not use a Time Tracking tool.

But to give optimum productivity, finding and deploying the right kind of tool is the most important task.

What makes a good Time Tracker?

A quick Google Search clarifies that there are dozens of Time Tracking Solutions out there in the market. And it is normal to feel overwhelmed. But it is very important to choose the correct Time Tracker for work. An unsuitable tool can cost you time and money.

Look for the following qualities in your potential Time Tracking Software.

 

Red Clock and Calender


User-Friendly Design

It is really important for support software like Time Tracking Software to have a user-friendly design. A time tracking software should not be the reason that you waste time at work. There are some tools that are so detailed and comprehensive that the user wastes time while tracking time.

The UX and UI should be self-explanatory and help the user in navigation through the application and usage.

Flawless Functionality

The main purpose of the Time Tracking tool is calculating the time that is spent on work. Results devised by these systems become the basis for planning, decision making, budgeting, and many such important decisions. For these decisions to be sound, it is imperative that the input data be flawless as well.

Therefore, the time monitoring tool that you use should be flawless in what it does. Calculations of work hours should be perfect. The estimates of activity levels and productivity levels should be realistic. Incorrect tools can be detrimental to the business!

Non-intrusive features

Since a Time Tracking system is mostly used for tracking the time and productivity during the work hours, it is important these tools are strictly non-intrusive. There are some time tracking tools that send off notifications from time to time. For example, a Monitoring Software might intimate the user that he has been using Facebook for too long or the system has been idle for too long.

These notifications might sound useful. But in reality, they are quite intrusive and get in the way of the workflow.

The ideal software will be completely automatic. It should not require the user to log work hours again and again.

Rational Pricing

A large marketplace suggests that there are diverse pricing plans and subscription plans. This calls for careful analysis of the prices and the plans that are offered.

Look for a tool that does exactly what you need. If you are looking for a simple Time Tracking Software, opt for a product that is a Minimum Viable Product.

This way you will get the desired functionality at low cost. If you just need one or two features and you choose an extensive Time Management System, you will lose money since all the offered features will not be used. You, most likely, will also waste time by tangling in a complicated system that you don’t really need.

On the other hand, if using a comprehensive system helps you, then, by all means, go for it!

Dependable Customer Support

Although software developers try very hard to make their products function without any glitch, it is an inevitable reality that many times, products and services produce unforeseen bugs and errors.

To cater to this issue, dedicated and dependable customer support is very important. Make sure that the Time Tracker that you select for your daily use has a good Customer Support history. This way, you will always have someone to go to, if the system starts misbehaving and producing erratic functionality.


Which problems are solved by a good Time Tracker?

The market for Employee Monitoring and Time Tracking is on the rise. It suggests that the tools are actually useful and hence in demand. There are many common work-related problems that are solved by Time Tracking. Some of them are discussed below:
Laptop and comment section


It saves you from distractions

It is very normal for professionals to feel distracted while working. Using a tracker can, however, save you from the distractions. While using the software, you will be conscious of being watched for the most part of the day.

This realization will stop you from getting distracted by your thoughts, office gossip and frequent snacking.

These activities might seem trivial but they are big time wasters, according to studies.

It keeps you focused

With fewer distractions, you will be more focused on your work. A good tracking tool helps weed out activities that leach on the valuable time. You will waste less time on Facebook and Instagram. You will not wander the internet aimlessly for a long duration of time. Getting rid of all these bad habits will make you more focused on the tasks at hand.

It makes you more productive

Imagine that you are in a zone where there are no distractions and you stay completely focused. How productive that zone would be. Tracking the time would make your work similar to that zone.

It has been observed that employees that use Time Tracking tend to be more productive. They waste less time, dedicate more time to work and produce better results. Since they spend high-quality work hours at work, they are more likely to produce high-quality results as well!

It highlights your efforts

Most of the time, Tracking the time is a demand of the management. Though it might sound intrusive, it actually benefits the employees in numerous ways.

A Time Tracker for work extracts transparent statistics about the time spent on getting the work done. It also clearly shows the efforts of employees to the management and lets the employers and managers know how hard the team works to achieve the collective goals of the organization.

It optimizes the teamwork

Time Tracking can be a great tool for optimizing teamwork. When the management is on top of all the tasks that are done and the time that is spent, the project management practise becomes smooth. The tasks are managed and delegated according to the expertise and capacity of the employees.

It keeps you free from stress

Honest and transparent statistics enable the management to come up with realistic project planning and deadlines. When the management is completely aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their human resources, they will plan their business activities accordingly.

Realistic deadlines are a great friend of the employees. This is because they save employees from overwork and stressful work situations.


An example of a reliable Time tracker

To save the readers from excessive research, I will review StaffTimerApp, it is a very useful time tracking and employee monitoring tool!


It uses Screenshots

Most Time Tracking applications make use of Keystroke logging and URL tracking for the purpose of tracking the time. This is where StaffTimerApp stands out. It captures the screenshots of the employee’s screens and then processes them to estimate the time spent on work-related and non-work related activities.

It gives a breakdown of how the time is spent

The application uses Screenshots to get a breakdown of how time is spent during the work hours. Those screenshots are then categorized by using sophisticated artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. Users can conveniently see how much time is spent on work related and non-work related activities.

This breakdown is the backbone of successful Time Management.

It is sensitive about user Privacy

Since the application only uses Screenshots, it does not access a lot of user information. It totally relies on the screenshots to calculate billable and non-billable hours. With no keystroke and mouse activity tracking, the passwords, pin codes, credit card information is safe and not logged into the system. Therefore, the application is sensitive to user privacy!


Conclusion

Use a Time Tracker to boost productivity at work. Use a Time Tracker for your team to manage the projects better! This is because effective Time Management can be very beneficial for the business and can help in reaping lots of profits!