Why you should rethink using bundled time tracking
TLDR;
- When time tracking comes bundled with other software, it generally suffers (Think clunky user experiences, annoying bugs and growing feature gaps).
- Billable time is the life blood of consulting companies and time tracking should be mission critical.
- Good, purpose-built time tracking (like Hourly, hint hint 😉) should improve an organisation’s productivity and profitability.
But we already have time tracking included…
Time tracking sometimes comes included as a feature of software that’s primary job is more than, or different to, time tracking — think of small business accounting software, practice management systems (like those used by accountants and lawyers) and — gasp — enterprise software (ERP and HR etc etc).
These types of software products often become a bit like Swiss army knives — they do a lot of things but some things better than others.
If you’ve ever used the tiny scissors on a pocket knife you’ll know that they’re great if you’re in a bind but you wouldn’t want to use them every day.
The struggle for companies who make this sort of software is that it’s difficult for them to give everything the attention it deserves. And when push comes to shove they have to prioritise core functionality — like the accounting part of the system instead of the time tracking.
The flow on effect of this is rarely great. Think clunky user experiences, slower bug fixes and growing feature gaps.
Time tracking is mission critical for consulting businesses
It’s convenient to run with time tracking that’s bundled with software your business already has, but it’s worth thinking about the consequences before taking the easy option.
Billable time is the life blood of consulting businesses regardless of a company’s size.
This means that choosing good software made specifically to optimise this aspect of business should be mission critical.
The case for a better time tracking
Good, purpose-built time tracking (like Hourly, hint hint 😉) should improve an organisation’s productivity and profitability.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what to look for (and why)…
- Good design (how it works not just what it looks like) and a great user experience that encourages frequent use and habit-forming adoption.
- An intuitive user interface that doesn’t require expensive training or constant checking of the help docs.
- Great support to help users when they get stuck.
- Flexible time entry to cater for differing styles or specific company policies.
- Key information (e.g., billable hours) front and centre so people can see how they’re tracking. Visual, at-a-glance data is great. This is great for motivation.
- Helpful reminders minimise inaccurate, incomplete or forgotten time entries that impact a company’s bottom line.
- Integration that lets people manage time from where they’re working (tools like Slack, Skype, Trello, Jira etc) so that they can stay focused and minimise interruptions.
- Access across desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile so time tracking can happen anywhere.
But what about…?
Isn’t it going to be more expensive having another software tool?
Depending on circumstances like company size, it’s likely that time tracking will be significantly cheaper than other tools you are already using and paying for. Also, once you factor in productivity and profitability benefits, the business case should write itself.
Does user experience and design really matter that much?
Time tracking doesn’t have to be a ‘necessary evil’. You’d be surprised what difference it makes when friction is removed from a process — just look at Uber and AirBnB.
Our time tracking isn’t great but it’s what people are used to. Why should we change?
Lots of reasons! Company profitability and productivity are pretty good ones. If you’re standing still, you’re probably going backwards relative to your competition.
How do I make sure I pick the right time tracking tool?
We recommend the following:
- Do some research and shortlist a few options.
- Take advantage of free trials (be wary of software that doesn’t offer a free trial) to compare the products on your short list.
- Run a pilot project with your preferred option(s) with a small group of people (or yourself) where you try the product in a real world scenario for a short period. Assess how things went with those who took part and see if the tool is suitable before rolling it out to your team or business.
Will this mean more IT administration for me or more business?
Not really. Hourly is fully cloud based and accessed via your web browser. We manage everything and unless you’re an enterprise customer hosting Hourly on your own network there’s nothing for you to have to worry about.
In the End…
Billable time is the life blood of consulting companies and time tracking deserves to be one of your top priorities.
Good, purpose-built time tracking (like Hourly, hint hint 😉) should improve an organisation’s productivity and profitability.
If you’re looking at time tracking software, why not consider Hourly? It’s free for 30 days!
