Time Tracking App – From Mobile Registration to Invoicing

What is a Time Tracking App?

A time tracking app is a digital tool that logs work hours, either through a start/stop function or manual entry. The difference between a simple clocking app and a comprehensive time tracking solution lies in how the hours are further linked. A clocking app records work time. A time tracking app logs work time by client, project, and task, allowing the user to describe what was done. When the hours are later used for invoicing, they are already in the right place with the correct hourly rate.

Needs vary. Some businesses primarily need to log work hours to document them. Others sell hours and need to know which client and project the time belongs to. A tradesperson logging 3.5 hours for a client must later be able to link those hours to the client's invoice. A consultant working on multiple projects simultaneously needs an overview of where time is spent and which hours are billable.

Why Log Hours on Mobile?

Logging hours while work is being done or right after reduces the risk of forgotten hours. When time tracking occurs while the work is fresh in memory, the logging becomes more accurate. A tradesperson finishing a job for a client can log the work time on the correct project directly from their mobile. Thus, the hours are already logged when administration later prepares the invoicing.

Mobile time tracking also provides better oversight of which projects time is spent on. Instead of collecting paper-based timesheets or Excel files from multiple employees, all logged hours are gathered in one place. For businesses that bill hours, this creates a more complete invoicing basis and less need for manual follow-up.

What Should a Good Time Tracking App Include?

A good time tracking app solves specific problems. Easy hour logging means that the user can start and stop a timer or log time manually without unnecessary clicks. Logging breaks ensures that billable time is calculated correctly. The ability to link hours to clients and projects ensures that the hours are immediately placed in the right spot.

Describing the work done makes it easier to document what was accomplished. The distinction between billable and non-billable hours ensures that the invoicing basis is correct. Hourly rates per client or project allow for automatic calculation of the invoicing basis. An overview of logged hours gives both the user and administrator control over what has been recorded.

For businesses with employees, roles and access are necessary. Employees should be able to log their own hours, while the administrator gets a consolidated overview. The ability to use both mobile and web ensures that time tracking can occur where the work is done, while reports and invoicing can be retrieved from a PC.

Time Tracking App for Different Types of Businesses

Self-Employed and Freelancers

For self-employed individuals, time tracking is about logging hours to the correct client and project so that the invoicing basis is accurate. Simple logging, an overview of billable hours, and the ability to link hourly rates to each project are more important than advanced functionality.

Tradespeople

Work is often performed outside the office. A tradesperson working at a client’s location needs an app that allows for quick logging of hours from their mobile on the correct client and project. The hours should later be usable as an invoicing basis without manual follow-up.

Consultants

Consultants often work on multiple clients and projects simultaneously. Time tracking must distinguish between billable and non-billable hours, allow descriptions of work performed, and support different hourly rates per client or project. An overview of logged hours provides a basis for invoicing and project follow-up.

Small Businesses with Employees

When multiple employees need to log hours, the business requires a solution where employees can easily log their own hours while the administrator gets a consolidated overview. Roles and access ensure that each user only sees what is relevant, while the administrator has access to reports and invoicing.

App or Excel for Time Tracking?

Excel can work for very simple needs. When a business has only one user, one client, and no need for an invoicing basis, a spreadsheet may be sufficient. Challenges increase with more clients, projects, and employees. Forgotten hours, logging several days later, multiple versions of the same spreadsheet, and hours logged to the wrong project are common problems.

Manually compiling timesheets from multiple employees takes time. Calculating the invoicing basis requires that hourly rates and the number of hours are multiplied manually. A lack of consolidated oversight makes it difficult to see where time is spent. When these problems start to take time, it may be beneficial to switch to a dedicated app.

From Mobile Time Tracking to Invoicing

The value of a time tracking app lies not only in logging the number of hours. For businesses that sell time, it is important that the hours can later be linked to the client, project, and invoicing. The workflow looks like this: client → project → work performed → time tracking in app → hourly rate → invoicing basis → invoicing.

A consultant works 3.5 hours on a client project. The time is logged directly on the project in the app. When the client is to be invoiced, the hours are already on the correct project and can be included in the invoicing basis. The need for manual follow-up disappears. The overview of project finances becomes more accurate.

Timero as a Time Tracking App

Timero allows you to consolidate clients, projects, and hours in one place. Users can log work on the correct client and project, and logged hours can be linked to hourly rates and used further as an invoicing basis and for financial oversight. Timero can be used on both mobile and web and is suitable for self-employed individuals, freelancers, consultants, tradespeople, small businesses, and companies with employees who need to log hours.

A user can log time where the work occurs, while the business simultaneously has a consolidated overview on the web. This allows for ongoing time tracking without the administrator losing control. The solution is developed closely with users, and many of the features available today are a result of specific feedback from businesses that use the system in practice.

How to Log Hours with Timero?

1. Select client and project 2. Start the timer or log the time 3. Log any relevant information about the work 4. End or save the time entry 5. The hours are logged to the correct project 6. Use logged hours for oversight and invoicing basis

The workflow is simple and direct. The user logs hours where the work occurs. The hours go to the correct client and project immediately. The invoicing basis is already built when the work is completed.

How to Choose the Right Time Tracking App?

The best solution is not necessarily the app with the most features. For small businesses, simple and quick time tracking is often more important than a complicated system with features they do not use. Consider whether only one person or multiple employees will log hours. Should hours be logged to clients and projects, or is it enough to log work time generally? Does the business need start/stop timers, or is manual logging sufficient?

Will hours be used as an invoicing basis? Then the solution must support hourly rates, billable hours, and project linking. Does the business need both a mobile app and web? Employees working on-site with clients need mobile time tracking, while administrators often need reports and oversight from a PC. Is the solution simple enough for employees to actually use? If time tracking requires too many clicks, usage will decline. Can the solution grow with the business? Small businesses grow larger. The solution should be able to handle more users and projects without everything needing to be rebuilt.

Frequently Asked Questions