Owning a business is so awesome, but if you’re like most business owners, you probably see time tracking as a necessary evil.
It can be tedious to track every brief minute of work, but it’s also essential for making sure that your team is properly compensated for their time. Not to mention keeping payroll in check and preventing any unauthorized overtime.
This is where a great clock in/out app comes into play. Thanks to the advancement of technology, manual and physical time tracking is slowly going extinct. Even more apparent today is a new transition in the post-pandemic era. According to a CNN article, the future of work will be more flexible, transparent, and more remote.
This would mean no more working full time in offices anymore, which will make clock in/out apps even more necessary for business today. Ever thought of using an hour tracker to improve your teams’ overall efficiency whether your teams will work remotely? You can check out our guide on that too.
Before the Automated Era
Businesses used to use manual tracking methods to keep track of their inventory, as well as employee time in/outs. This was done with a spreadsheet, or even with something as simple as paper and pencil.
The fundamental challenge with manual tracking is that it can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, which can lead to mistakes or omissions.
It can also be difficult to keep track of all the changes and updates that occur within a company. This may lead to overall inefficiencies and failing to reach the maximum productivity for your business.
In due time, we come to realize that an automated process for tracking time is the way to go. This leads us to a future of seamless integration in overall business operations, as well as better supervision of daily tasks.
Business tools are flourishing in modern times, allowing business owners to focus more on scaling their businesses. Employees and managers are collaborating more often and actively seeking tasks to make their days more productive. Freelancers are managing their schedules properly and making room for more potential clients.
These business tools include the clock in/out app. What makes this app so effective in business is how easily it tracks employee clock ins/outs while keeping data secure.
So, before we proceed to identify the top clock in/out apps for you, let’s delve into several factors to consider when choosing a great clock in/out app for your business.
What Makes a Great Clock In/Out App This 2022?
There are several reasons you might need a clock in/out app for your business. Perhaps you need to keep track of employee hours or ensure that employees are clocking in and out at the correct times. Whatever your reason may be, a clock in/out app is an essential tool for your business.
In general, a great clock in/out app should allow employees to start and stop tracking their workday using their smartphones, with an intuitive interface. An app like this would provide managers with detailed reports on employee hours. Let’s go over some more great in/out clock app characteristics here.
1. Ease of Use
A great clock in/out app should be easy to navigate and use, with all the features you need easily accessible.
Your employees must be able to access the app on any device by simply opening it, entering their name or employee ID, and then clocking in or out. The app automatically tracks hours worked and generates reports for managers.
With this level of efficiency, the hassle of tracking employee attendance will be a thing of the past.
Another reason a clock in/out app for business should be easy to use is that it needs to be an efficient tool that employees can rely on. If it’s difficult to use, people will find other ways to track their time, which could lead to inaccurate data.
Easy to use business tools integrate into the company’s daily processes, and are a seamless routine in the day-to-day life of the employee.
2. Flexibility
Your specific needs will depend on your business, so you need to make sure that your clock in/out app of choice can track time how you want. You will need a powerful tool that offers adaptable scheduling and time off features.
Your teams may work remotely and, depending on the business, may even include employees from different corners of the globe. Some employees may also require flexible schedules due to pending projects that need extra attention and adjusting to the timetable, so flexibility is important to adjust easily to the changes in schedules.
Having personal trouble with managing your own busy schedule? Check out our tips and tricks to manage your time.
3. Reliability
A major reason business owners have shifted to clock in/out apps instead of manual tracking is reliability. A great clock in/out app is expected to work accurately and not cause any glitches or problems.
Aside from that, because the app automatically tracks employee hours, businesses can track employee hours with GPS precision and generate detailed reports on employees’ working times.
Also, clock in/out apps allow managers to set up alerts for late arrivals or premature departures, so they can be notified immediately if any employees are not following the workplace schedule.
A reliable clock in/out app can work wonders in improving overall efficiency by making businesses put company time to better use, identifying areas where they may need to improve, and tracking progress on specific projects.
4. Security
When using a clock in/out app, it is important to ensure that the app is secure.
Business owners expect security, meaning employees’ personal information (such as their contact details) is protected at all times and necessary business data is properly safeguarded. This means that the app should be password protected and only accessible to those who may use it.
For the employees, a great clock in/out app may also have built-in anti-fraud and security features such as advanced facial and voice recognition for better password protection.
5. Cost
Often overlooked, business tools can rack up the overall cost of running your business. We expect a great clock in/out app to do great things, at a reasonable price. There are several reasons why a clock in/out app should be affordable.
The first is that business owners may want to use the app to track employee hours. If the app is too expensive, employers may not be able to afford it over time, which could lead to employees’ time not being tracked accurately.
Another reason is that employees may want to use the app in order to keep track of their own hours. If the app costs too much, employees may not be able to afford it and may end up losing out on the money they earned.
Finally, if an individual wants to use the app for personal time tracking, having an affordable price would make it more accessible for them.
An affordable but effective clock in/out app will benefit business owners, employees, as well as freelancers, and any kind of remote worker.
6. Systems Integration
Existing systems of the business should be able to integrate seamlessly with the clock in/out app of choice, and this includes time trackers and payroll software. This is for employees’ hours to be tracked as accurately as possible and paid correctly.
Another reason clock in/out apps need to integrate with existing systems the business uses is to maintain the efficiency of the business itself and its teams. A workforce that is compromised by an ineffective business tool may affect operations and reduce the maximum potential of productivity.
Thus, integrated software means quicker processes and a more manageable system overall. If a time tracker meets all these criteria, it is likely to be a brilliant choice for businesses.
The Top Clock In/Out App of Choice
If you need a powerful but easily navigable clock in/out app that is reliable, secure, transparent, and efficient, as well as affordable for many businesses, then Day.io is the right tool for you.
Day.io is a powerful employee time clock app that creates and manages schedules. It is adaptable to shifting timetables that managers can easily track and processes time off requests while integrating anti-fraud and security features such as advanced facial and voice recognition, as well as mobile, location, date, and time verifications.
Free to use, this app enables you to keep track of up to five projects at once. Day.io is a mobile app available to download on both iOS and Android devices.
Conclusion
Times have changed, and tracking employee clock in/out is now easier than ever. With the right business tools at hand, you can lead a more efficient business workforce. A variety of options are out there for you to discover and research, and while this may seem intimidating, choosing the right clock in/out app is a good start.