Why Cloud Based Time Tracking Is Perfect For Your Construction Business

Why Cloud Based Time Tracking Is Perfect For Your Construction Business

There are so many reasons why cloud based time tracking is perfect for your construction business. This article details the benefits of cloud-based time tracking in a fun acrostic (remember those from your elementary school days?).

C – Cloud-based

Before we can begin to talk about the benefits of cloud-based time tracking, let us define what it means. Cloud-based software opens up software to the field. Regardless of their location, users are now able to utilize software through the power of the internet. In the world of construction, the office teams were the primary users for software.

However, with the majority of construction work occurring at the construction site, cloud-based software is ideal. Moreover, because time tracking software is used to capture time information and labor activity of employees, cloud-based time tracking makes the most sense for your construction business.

L – Labor Tracking

One of the biggest risks to profitability on construction projects is labor costs. Labor is the biggest cost in any business, which is why effective labor tracking is essential. This is why time cards are so important. In addition to serving as the primary form of documentation to ensure your employees are paid accurately, time cards can also be used to track which specific projects and activities your team is working on.

Many cloud-based time tracking solutions include a complementary mobile application. This is very helpful for employees to manage their time directly from their mobile device. They can enter their time. Then can communicate directly with the back office regarding their time card entries to resolve any discrepancies quickly. Most importantly for construction owners, when employees enter their time they can track the different labor activities and projects they worked on during the day. This will help provide more accurate project billing and job costing.

O – Online Access

Paper time sheets present limitations on entering, reviewing and storing information. Cloud-based time tracking delivers online access for time card information. Employees can enter and review their time from any location. Similarly, supervisors can review and approve time cards from any location.

More importantly, online access includes online storage. No more filing cabinets taking up precious real estate in the office or extra money to store them offsite. With cloud-based time tracking, all timecard information is stored online in a central repository. This is important documentation in the event of any wage and hour FLSA dispute.

U – Ultimate Accountability

Cloud-based time tracking makes employees more accountable with how they allocate their time on tasks. There are many times that the day just flies by and you realize that you still have lots left to do. By tracking time towards specific activities, employees become more accountable of how they spend their time. Most importantly, they can determine if their time is being spent most productively.

The cloud-based time tracking solutions that offer a complementary mobile application add an extra layer of accountability. Many time tracking mobile apps include GPS capabilities to capture the location of the employee when punched in or out. This makes employees more accountable in ensuring they are where they are when they say they are.

D – Detailed Reporting

With cloud-based time tracking, your construction business has a tremendous amount of labor information and project data at your fingertips. Many cloud-based time tracking systems have detailed labor reports including hours breakdown and budgets vs. actual hours.

All that great data can be sliced and diced in different ways to create detailed reporting to help you proactively manage projects and grow your business.

B – Back Office

Cloud-based time tracking for construction makes capturing time information easier for employees in the field. However, another major benefit is the improved productivity for the back office. No longer does the back office need to suffer from lost, illegible or late time cards. All the time information is available through a centrally located web application to view, review, and approve in a timely manner.

The entire payroll process is streamlined for the back office. The back office enjoys freedom for data entry while being confident in processing the most accurate time information.

A – Android or iOS app

We alluded to this previously that many cloud-based time tracking solutions have complementary mobile applications. Different than cloud-based solutions, users download native mobile from the app store of your mobile device: App Store for Apple devices or Google Play for Android. Time tracking solutions that are native mobile apps provide several benefits over other solutions.

Because of the limited or nonexistent internet connectivity at construction job sites, native mobile apps provide the luxury of an offline mode. Employees can enter their time information while offline. Once they get within range of internet connectivity again, the time information from the mobile app syncs to the cloud.

S – Savings

Cloud-based time tracking delivers many savings to your construction business:

— Savings on paper costs – Your team no longer needs to invest in purchasing paper and toner to create paper time cards. Many companies may not blink at all that the minimal savings from paper. However, think of the larger savings to the environment and all the trees that you can save!

— Savings on fuel – This one is in line with the paper savings. Many superintendents drive from jobsite to jobsite collecting paper time cards. The fuel savings may be minimal. However, by transitioning to a cloud-based time tracking system, your company is reducing its fuel consumption. Again, think to the larger savings to the environment and the carbon footprint that you are shrinking.

— Savings on time – For some companies, time card processing consumes hours of time for either one employee or multiple employees. Think of the time spent entering, collective, transporting, entering, and reviewing time cards. Transitioning to a cloud-based time tracking system delivers timesavings at every phase of the time card lifecycle.

E – Employee punch in out

Cloud-based time tracking solutions replace the manual punch clock. Many solutions allow individual employees to punch in and punch out for more accurate time information. Additionally, an employee punch in / out solution frees up your foreman from having to enter and collect time for the crew. This makes employees more accountable in working their actual hours versus entering time for a 40-hour week.

D – Duh, why not?

There are so many reasons why cloud-based time tracking is perfect for your construction business. With all the productivity improvements and timesavings, why wouldn’t you adopt a time tracking solutions for your business?