Wireless Time-Tracking for Field Workers
Q: We have an ongoing problem getting our field workers to turn in timesheets that show which job and what part of the job they’ve worked on. Then, when they do turn in timesheets, we spend a lot of time interpreting their handwriting, chasing down answers, and entering data. We aren’t able to track time for field workers on a day-to-day basis, and the time-reporting results aren’t as accurate as they should be. Ideas?
A: One possible solution is a new wireless solution from Intuit for recording and entering field employees’ time each and every day. It’s called WorkTrack TimeCard.
The costs range from $8 to $12 per employee per month, and slightly more for supervisors. To use this solution, employees will also need a compatible mobile device (e.g., a Blackberry).
When every dollar counts, it’s critical that company owners and supervisors know exactly where employees are, and to track specifically how employees are spending their time and money (i.e., time = payroll costs) on a day-to-day basis. I sympathize with the headaches that accompany time collection and data entry, so I've been quizzing vendors for years about the ability to track field workers’ time on a daily basis. Until recently, available options appeared to be expensive, complicated, or weren’t really designed to work with QuickBooks.
WorkTrack TimeCard is endorsed by and developed with Intuit (aka QuickBooks), so you can rest assured that it will work with your QuickBooks and Enterprise Solution software.
How Does It Work?
Field employees simply use a Blackberry (or similar mobile device) to enter the job where they’re working and a job code to indicate the task being performed. They log in and out for breaks, and change jobs and/or job codes as the day progresses. If your employees report to a supervisor, he or she can log the whole crew in and out.
Track Your Crews
WorkTrack TimeCard’s GPS system can be set to show the whereabouts of every employee. You can even establish a circumference to limit how many feet from the jobsite employees can stray and still be viewed as present at their reported job.
Back at the main office, you can add jobs throughout the day if needed, and synchronize results with field employees. When workers are done for the day, their data is transmitted wirelessly via their mobile unit, and you can review and correct time reports before auto-loading them into your QuickBooks or Intuit Enterprise Solutions software.
Capture Job Time in Real Time, Get Your Payroll Right
Benefits of WorkTrack TimeCard:
Immediate access to daily time reports so you can track what’s going on out in the field each day.
When field workers are required to track time throughout the day, results are far more accurate than when they report time only once a week or once every two weeks.
No more chasing field employees for time cards.
No more struggles to read through wrinkles and smudges or to interpret scratches and squiggles.
Time saved for office staff.
To learn more and/or see an online demo of Intuit’s new time-tracking program, email [email protected] or call 866.244.2228.
--Diane Gilson ([email protected]) created the accounting firm of Info Plus(+) Accounting in 1994 with the intent of providing current and future-oriented management accounting services to small- and medium-size businesses. Since the firm’s inception, Diane has worked exclusively in QuickBooks -- a powerful, flexible, multifunctional software accounting system currently used by 70% to 85% of small- to medium-size businesses in the U.S. She is a Certified QuickBooks Advanced Professional Advisor and Certified QuickBooks Enterprise ProAdvisor (through Intuit), and a Certified QuickBooks consultant (through the Sleeter Group Consultants Network).
