This article aims to show that timesheet software is more than a tool for digital timekeeping. We will explore how a time tracking solution can improve teamwork in your organisation, speed up digital transformation, drive better decision making and, most importantly, nurture the relationship between you and your employees.
Everyone is used to seeing terms like ‘team alignment’ and ‘better collaborations’ when speaking of SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions. Virtually, every piece of cloud-based software offers these benefits regardless of the industry it's addressing. But are you utilising these features effectively?
When speaking of timesheet software specifically, it may be unclear how could collaboration and alignment prospects be leveraged. The insights provided by this tool are focused on either the payroll or the management, not everyone at the company.
However, this is not true. And in this article, we will prove that time tracking SaaS is a great tool for bringing everyone together in pursuit of mutual goals.
What is Timesheet Software?
Timesheet software is a digital version of traditional paper timesheets. Both are used for the same purpose: tracking employee hours. However, it often offers other features too. Such as time off, holiday accruals and keeping track of workflows for adjusting payrolls. The key difference is that paper timesheets are less reliable. They are prone to getting lost, take a long time to process, are highly susceptible to human error and employees forget to fill them out.
A timesheet software keeps all your data centralised in one place. It is easily accessible via a browser or a mobile app and can generate custom in-depth reports within seconds. Best time tracking solutions are also easily integrated with other software, such as payroll systems. This means that you don’t have to insert timesheet data into your payroll software manually. When two solutions are integrated, they will be uploaded there automatically.
Digital Transformation is a Mindset
Digital transformation is one of the buzzwords we hear across every industry. Yet many people cannot define it when asked. In short, digital transformation means the adoption of technology to increase the effectiveness of business processes through collecting more data.
However, many make the mistake of thinking of digital transformation as a one-off thing. In reality, it’s a process, a mindset even. Onboarding multiple solutions and keeping them siloed won’t drive changes.
Adopting solutions and tying them together, on the other hand, will not just result in more in-depth insights but also create better visibility across the different departments. It is vital for creating better team alignment.
Working Towards Mutual Goals
Digital transformation is the adoption of digital solutions that tie different business procedures and teams into one. It creates a mindset of working together on different elements of a process aimed at achieving mutual goals.
Where does timesheet management fit into digital transformation? We are about to explain that.
The Impact of Timesheet Software on Your Team
Time tracking systems are assumed to be of use for the management and payroll departments only. However, they play a role in the day-to-day lives of other staff too.
Logging time spent executing a task gives each team member closure on how long they need on specific jobs. It allows them to allocate their time better when they have an estimate based on previous experience. Knowing how much time certain processes take will allow them to plan better. This is especially handy when dealing with repetitive tasks, e.g. weekly system updates.
This can also hint to an employee what their weaknesses are, where they struggle and what hinders their productivity. But these are individual benefits - let’s talk about the impact timesheet software has on your team.
Improved Alignment and Visibility
As we’ve already covered, a centralised document system is one of the key traits of SaaS software. Another factor prevalent in cloud-based solutions is that they can be accessed, used and edited by multiple users in real time.
A tracking system for edits makes it easy to track who was the last person to make changes. And it enables reverting if the data has been overwritten. The combination of these two features is what helps SaaS systems nurture better alignment and collaboration.
A timesheet SaaS keeps the entirety of your team in the loop. It provides visibility on who’s working on what and how long it’s taken them. Our Project product even offers a feature for submitting expenses related to the tasks executed. It is complete with easy submission of receipts. In summary, having a centralised hub for time keeping creates full visibility among your teams on the workload across the organisation and budget expenditures.
Smarter Work Distribution
This visibility, in turn, enables alignment. Transparency leads to identifying successes and shortcomings in processes across the entire organisation, not separate departments. Our system specifically also shows who’s currently on holiday or has an upcoming time off, allowing better planning of communications and work allocation.
Additionally, this provides insights into employees’ performances and skill sets. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each worker allows the management to create better teamwork strategies. Their focus should be not just on letting people showcase their expertise but also on having an opportunity to improve on areas they lack.
Automation Builds Trust
Automating internal processes means less human error. It’s an especially effective trust-building tool in areas affecting the employees directly.
As an example, let’s look at holiday management. Automating approval of holiday requests and holiday accruals calculations takes a lot of work off the manager’s hands. It’s important to recognise that it’s not the manual approval process that causes delays. It’s rather manually determining whether the annual leave request clashes with the existing ones.
This often leads to the employees being left hanging for days on end. What’s worse, it doesn’t guarantee their request will be approved. All it causes is frustration, resentment and loss of trust. And it all could be avoided if you simply digitised the process.
Streamlining Employee Expenses
Management of employee expenses is a known pain point in any industry. There are many hoops to go through for both, the management and the worker. All to ensure they are compensated on time and correctly.
Delays and mistakes in the process are common. Unfortunately, they can have a long-term negative impact on relationships too. In the worst scenarios, they can even lead to legal issues. This is why we focus on making submitting, calculating and approving employee expenses quick and error-free.
Here’s a formula for establishing a trust-driven relationship with your employees through expense management:
Easy submission + quick approval + accurate reimbursement = happy employees, who know they’re taken care of.
Summary
SaaS solutions can have a huge impact on how your company operates from within. Whether a CRM or a timesheet management system, every cloud product can create team alignment and drive digital transformation when utilised correctly.
Timesheet software, although not often perceived as such, is a powerful tool. It can improve both, the performance and relationships in your organisation. And this is the secret juice of every successful company: seamless collaborations and mutual goals.
Are you ready to take your teamwork to the next level? To embrace digital transformation and the accelerated growth it offers? Book a demo today and we will aid you in your journey.
