I was recently approached to work with an online company providing end user support. This rather new company was growing steadily to the point that the owner was ready to hand the majority of support over to someone else so he can focus back on the business. This new company puts a very high emphasis on support, but they really didn’t have a good idea of what the support needs of the business were. The one thing they required of me, other than class A support, was a very detailed accounting of my time spent doing support. I knew I can add value if I can provide the level of detail they were looking for.

It was then time to find a good time tracker.

I needed something that had the following:

*Easy to use
*Can quickly log time for different jobs
*Provide detailed reporting
*Completely web based

Since I am a MAC user, I jumped on Apples website to see what they had to offer. After a few searches, I ran across a very eye pleasing widget for a time tracker called TSHEETS. My first impressions was how simple and clean the widget was. It is one of those get right to the point of it MAC programs.

The website was clearly laid out with all of the important details. They have a free trial to get you started so I figured, “What have I got to lose?” I quickly and easily setup an account and started my free trial. I looked around and was really surprised how well the web based interface was laid out. They had help files available, but you really didn’t need them. I created a few Jobs and Projects and started logging time. After two days I was surprised to see where I spent the most time. When you’re a freelancer you can sometimes jump from task to task putting out fires and TSHEETS makes it simple to login \ logout of different jobs all while tracking time spent.

I presented my reports to my new client and he was very impressed at how detailed they were. When you create the report you can actually down load the report in three versions, a detailed PDF, a detailed csv, and a basic csv. If your client wants details TSHEETS is for you. You and or your client are able to see exactly where the majority of your time is being spent. One thing that really helps out is the ability to add notes to the time sheet while your working. This is yet one more way that TSHEETS has added real value to your reports.

I almost forgot about the Fresh Books integration. When your ready to invoice your customers, TSHEETS makes it as easy as can be. Simply click on Fresh Books invoicing and select the Job you would like the invoice and tsheets exports the detailed or basic invoice right to your Fresh Books account. In my case I use the basic reporting that lists the hours by job codes, then I follow that up with an e-mail of the detailed report for the number cruncher.

If you happen to own an iPhone, your in luck! You can very easily use your mobile phone as a time tracking device.

Key Features Include:

* Simple clock-in and clock-out functionality
* Real time view of employees working
* Secured, customized administrative dashboard
* Track paid time off
* Automated set-up
* Secure passwords and log-in with designated access
* Track job codes
* Mobile time entry
* Manage multiple locations
* Customizable security levels for owners, admin, and employees
* Manage employee groups/departments
* Track lunches and breaks. Calculate over-time
* View, edit, and delete timesheets
* Full reporting available online or as a spreadsheet
* Integration with Jott

Key Benefits Include:

* Easy set-up – start using in less than 5 minutes
* Eliminate paper timesheets – no faxing, no bad penmanship, no confusion
* Eliminate time clock fudging and “buddy” punching
* No rounding on clock-in/out means accurate record keeping
* Accurate time keeping increases profitability
* Fast, accurate reporting
* Reduce timesheet review time by 80%
* More efficient payroll preparation
* Secured and backed-up data

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Tagged as: Productivity, time tracking