Time tracking blog

Time Tracking with Twitter

Today we have another exciting announcement – TSheets has leveraged the Twitter API to create a link between our services. TSheets users with Twitter accounts can now send direct messages to @tsheets to start or stop the clock, switch job codes, or add notes to their work-log.

Text messaging for international users

One of the unexpected benefits we quickly discovered is if you’re outside the US and want to send text messages to track your time, you can now do it! Twitter has phone numbers that allow almost anyone in any country to send a text message to @tsheets via twitter. Tracking your time from your cell just got easier :)

Learn More

Check out our Twitter integration page where you can see examples, screenshots, and more. If you don’t already have a TSheets account now’s the time. Enter coupon code “TS0420″ when signing up and get $20 credit instantly applied to your paid account. (offer expires May 1st 2009)

So now in addition to voice recognition, a polished iPhone web-app, a Google gadget, text messaging, a Mac widget, and your personalized TSheets account page, you’re ready to rock the clock with Twitter.

Today we have the pleasure of announcing another highly anticipated feature – Multi-level Job/Project codes!  TSheets users with the new business or freelancer accounts finally have the option of breaking away from a flat list of job codes, and can now track time against clients, projects, and tasks.

How does it work? Essentially multi-level job-codes work just the way they did before, except now there’s a parent / child relationship that can be created.  Use this structure to your advantage by breaking jobs/projects into levels.  Client -> Project -> Task is probably the most common way to break tasks out, but we’ve left it open ended so it will work for your unique needs.  Get started by clicking “Manage Employees” (yes, we know this is counter-intuitive) and then “Manage Jobs/Projects” at the bottom of the window.

We’ve added two new ways to make assigning job codes to employees easier.  Truly global job codes. For a long time we’ve had the ability to assign newly created job codes to “all current employees”.  We’ve now replaced that with an “Assign to everyone” check-box that makes that job-code globally assigned to everyone.  When job-codes are assigned to everyone they show up with a light-blue background color.  It’s important to realize that a job-code assigned to everyone with this option cannot be unassigned from anyone- it’s global.  Which leads us to the second improvement.

A new job-code assignment tool has been added.  To access it, create a job-code, then edit it again by clicking on the job-code’s name, and then click the new “Assign” button.  A new interface appears with a list of employees, allowing you to assign (or unassign) the job-code in bulk.  The screen-shot on the right shows it in action.

Moving forward. At some point we’re planning on adding a layer specifically for those of you tracking time for customer billing purposes.  We’re not sure what that will look like just yet, but it’s on our minds and might be ready in the 2-3 month range.  If you have suggestions be sure to post them, we take customer feedback very seriously.

More time tracker screen-shots:

Adding a new job-code:

Editing a job-code:

Moving a job-code:

Assigning job-codes to an employee:

What if workers could clock in and out via their cell phones with simple voice commands?

“Clock me in on the 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Paving project. Note that I’m meeting with the client at 9.”

TSheets has recently completed integration with Jott, a voice to text gateway, that allows users to make simple toll-free calls to track their time.  The sentence above would clock the user in under the “1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Paving” project code, and attach the notes “I’m meeting with the client at 9″ to their work log.  Once the clock is running, confirmation is sent to the user via email or SMS text.  When the user wants the clock to stop, he simply makes another call.

Listen to an example Jott phone call:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

“… a new time tracking standard for mobile workers.”

Getting Started:

1. If you don’t have one already, setup a TSheets account
2. Click “My Account” and enable Jott from the “Add-ons” list
3. Click “Jott” from the main menu for additional instructions

Once an account administrator has completed these steps, any worker with the “Mobile Time Entry” permission can then link their accounts to Jott and start tracking their time.  Jott will ask them who they want to jott, confirm their answer, and listen for commands that tell TSheets what kind of action to take.

For more integration information, check out the wiki.

Example

You : Call Jott (866.568.8123)
Jott : “Who do you want to Jott?”
You : “TSheets”
Jott : “TSheets, is that correct?”
You : “Yes”
Jott : Beep
You : “Hi TSheets, please clock me in under the project code, meeting external, and attach the notes: meeting with Jim Stevens about bathroom remodel and proposal. Thank you.”
Jott : “Got it”

How does it work?

Jott translates your voice messages and sends the text to TSheets.  TSheets then analyzes the message, determines actions based on personalized project codes and key-words,  and then takes action for you.  If you’re not a reader but want the inside scoop, here’s my brain dump on it:

The Future Is Here

“Being able to just call in, clock in and be done gives me the flexibility I need to fight crime all around the world.”

Tony Stark (Stark Industries)

Now anyone can use their voice to clock in and out. Just like in the Marvel movie, Iron Man, you say the words and we know what to do. The Future is here. 

I was driving home recently when I glanced over at the license plate of the vehicle next to me, and saw the letters ‘MUADIB’ on it.  I’m enough of a Sci-Fi junkie that I immediately recognized the name of one of the greatest sand-worm riders of all time.  If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can read a little bit of history on the Dune movie here.  From my recollection, Muadib was the name of the guy whose eyes glowed blue from inhaling slightly narcotic spices on some planet that was actually just one huge desert. 

The spice actually turns out to be made from excretions from the giant sand worms that live on the planet.  Muadib learns how to ride these worms and he’s able to kill people using only his voice (I’m guessing he was a bass).  Other than that I remember a really cool knife fight in the movie and that they wore special suits which allowed them to recycle and drink their own sweat.  Not hard to see why someone would pick ‘MUADIB’ for their license plate – who wouldn’t want to be associated with giant worms and drinking your own bodily fluids?

Something I don’t think many people ever think about is how they’ll tell time in the future.  How confusing would it be to grow up on a planet with two suns like Luke Skywalker?  And can you imagine the jet lag that would come from travelling millions of light years in a single day?  I’ll bet the watches will be really cool in the future.  Much better than the TV/watch combo I yearned for when I was a kid.

image courtesy of i4U.com

We all know that TSheets is excellent at tracking time for businesses and professionals alike, but it’s also great at tracking time for non-business related activities. For example, you can easily adapt TSheets to function as a workout/exercise log.

Here’s how to use TSheets to track your workouts:

• Sign up for a free single user account.
• Setup job codes to function as “Activity Codes.”  Some examples include: running, lifting weights, stretching, hiking, cycling, skiing, etc.
• Track your workout time proactively or retroactively.  Huh?
  • Proactively: Clock in with your TSheets account using your activity code before you start your workout, then clock out when you’re finished. This is easily accomplished with your mobile phone using our mobile version, or if you’re using an IPhone, our IPhone version.
  • Retroactively: Perform your workout, then afterward use the Time Slider to record your workout.
• Use the notes feature to record any workout specifics.  Such as: weather conditions, mileage, heart rate, calories burned, how you felt, etc.
• Run reports to summarize your workout time, broken down into activity codes.

Why should you track your workout time?  Accountability.  By recording your workout time, you’re creating accountability to yourself.  This is a huge step in helping you reach and achieve your goals.  Not to mention the excellent bragging rights you’ll have with your friends/family when you show them how many hours you worked out last week.

And finally, the winner of $500 and the opportunity to join the TSheets team! We’ve really enjoyed reviewing all of the entries that came in. The following entry stood out because it quickly engaged us, provided a laugh, and drove home the point of TSheets – to simplify the time tracking process for anyone and everyone.

Be sure to watch our blog for upcoming posts from Dan. Here’s his first (and winning) post – enjoy!

3000 BC: Fred Flintstone ends day by listening for high pitched squawking bird. Quarry Foreman spends hours pouring over timestones at the end of the week.

1634: Bells signal farmers to and fro the fields. Hungover bell maid causes hours of lost wages as farmers stand poised at edge of fields.

1868: Steam whistles pierce the industrial landscape. Drought results in days of lost productivity.

1913: IBM introduces the first ‘Punch Clock’. Band Aids become standard working apparel.

2008: TSheets simplifies your life and brings employee time tracking to a new millennium.

How many times has the wife/husband/significant other heard, “Babe…I’m so right there with you….just as soon as I get these time sheets calculated.”? How many times have you missed the game because, let’s be honest, assembling timesheets for payroll, while important, is as about as exciting as watching the grass grow?

TSheets was born from the best stuff on earth: necessity. Whether you’re tracking 5 employees or 5000, TSheets is a simple to use, LAMP based app that can keep track of all your employees.

Running a single office? Keep track of all your core employees, consultants, developers, freelancers, etc. all in one location. You can even monitor real time. Running multiple locations across the city, state, country, world? Man, you should own stock in Excedrin, as that has nightmare written all over it. Fear not young captain of industry… TSheets can take the tough sheet out of your time sheet.

Employees forget to clock in/clock out (when…when dear lord will they learn)? No problem, anyone you grant admin rights to can clock an employee in/out at any time. What about the subcontractors I’ve got running the electrical today? Bossman got a blackberry (and you KNOW he does) or other web-enabled device? No problem, give him the URL, and he can clock in/out from anywhere in the world. Better yet, your code ninjas strutting around with their new iPhone? TSheets has developed the TGadget that not only works as a Google widget, but functions flawlessly with an iPhone. What about that hacker we just hired to test our security features, I just have a feeling he’s going to change the clock time on his home machine, and cheat me outta 20 hours of ‘work’ while he’s off fragging somewhere. Consider that hacker PWND, ‘cause all times are stored in centrally in UTC time.

Whether you’re running a tiny (read self employed) business, or charting your way to the stars (read the guy in the armani), if you’re dealing with ye old adage, ‘time is money’, TSheets is a product you can’t afford to be without.

For more on TSheets, their products and services, check ‘em out at TSheets.com

*** Let us know what you think of our winner’s post by commenting below or email Matt Rissell – matt@tsheets.com ***

The new employee pay rate feature was released on 4/23/08.  (It’s good to have updates coming out faster than we can write blog posts, right? :-S )

The new employee pay rate feature allows you to assign a pay rate to your employees using any numerical value, along with whether it is an hourly, weekly or yearly rate.  The entered value can then be viewed in the summary of each employee’s time report. This provides bookkeepers and HR employees a quick reference to what rate each employee should be paid.

Here’s how to add a pay rate to an employee :

• Click on “Manage Employees”
• Select the “Edit” button of the employee you wish to add a pay rate to
• Enter the pay rate for this employee (in the left column towards the bottom)
• Select “Save” (in the bottom right hand corner)

I’m proud to introduce to all my fellow Apple users the TSheets Mac Dashboard widget!  This widget has all of the same functionality as our TGadget, but can live on your dashboard.

Why is this cool?  For starters, it allows you to free up valuable real estate on your desktop.  And who doesn’t need more of this?  It also allows you to keep a time tracking tool right at your fingertips to ease your time tracking tasks.  This widget is free for use with all of our accounts (both personal and business).

Don’t be shy, download our time tracker widget and give it a try!

Problems?  Please make sure that Safari is able to accept cookies.  This can be found under Safari -> Prefererences -> Security -> Accept Cookies -> Always.

What is time recording software?  Would some kind of time recording software be right for you or your company?  How will your employees react to the implementation of a new software system?  These are a few of the issues that surround the integration of time recording software like TSheets and these are a few of things that we’ll be addressing.

What is Time Recording Software?

According to wikipedia time recording software is accounting software that is used to maintain timesheets for each person in a company.

Is Time Recording Software Right for Me?

Whether you are an individual interested in making sure your time is spent wisely or an employer looking to make your company more profitable using some kind of time recording software is a necessity.  Having an accurate time tracking system is an invaluable asset to your company and personal life.

Many companies start with using some sort of honor system whether it is paper timesheets or an excel document that employees manually enter their time into.  Until recently it was very expensive for employers to be able to afford more accurate methods of time recording.  The things these employers didn’t realize were the amount of money they were loosing from traditional rounding methods and the amount of money they were spending on the extra time it took them to collect, compile and calculate their employees’ time.   These two items alone have the potential of equating to thousands of dollars every year.  Now individuals can record their time for free and a business owner can use a time recording software for as little as $9.95 a month.

The Impact of Time Recording Software

If you’re an individual just looking to manage your life better, a time recording software will bring clarity into where your time is being spent and how you need to change your routines.  If you’re an independent contractor your clients will appreciate the accuracy and the clear look into what they’re spending their money on.  If you are a business owner, time recording software will bring a higher level of efficiency and profitability to your organization.

What About Your Employees?

At first it may be kind of difficult for your employees to get into the habit of accurately recording their time.  It requires some initial discipline and a change of routine, but once they get used to clocking in and out each day it will become second nature.  They may complain in the beginning stages of implementation, but as they realize that this is the new model and this is how they’re getting paid their attitudes should change.  Of course this is change, and there are always those that are used to the way things were that will tend to feel a bit nostalgic when new ideas come.

A lot of companies are outsourcing these days.  Whether it be an accountant, marketer, web developer or lawyer, the odds are that you have someone that you pay on a regular basis who isn’t part of your organization.  The Illinois Department of Transportation is no different.  Just like you, they trusted in another organization to take care of a task that they didn’t have the resources to accomplish internally.  However, the people that they trusted ended up cheating them out of more than $1 Million dollars by falsifying timesheets.

Kamleshwar Gupta, the owner of the Elgin-based engineering consulting firm being used, directed a bookkeeper to falsify employee timesheets.  (Conveniently it was company policy to write out the paper timesheets in pencil, so they could easily be editted.)  He then signed off on the fraudulent invoices before sending them to the Department of Transportation.  Luckily, a routine audit caught the fraudulent activity.

Is this kind of thing happening to you, certainly not.  However, how accurate are your vendors keeping track of their “billable time?”  Do you know the method they use to keep track of the hours they spend on your projects?  Do they even have a method, or do they just sit down at the end of the day and make an estimate on how much time they spent?

Don’t be afraid to ask vendors how they track their time.  Keep in mind that if they’re using a manually entered timesheet then it’s probably “padded” in their own favor.  If their method makes you nervous, don’t be afraid to ask them to use an automated system like TSheets or any other real time tracker.  After all you are paying them for the actual time that they work for you, not just what hours they think they spent.