Whether you find yourself using a dedicated time keeping app or just a basic clock in/out recording system, the right basic timesheet template can be big boon to your workflow. Using a good template can make your timesheets easier to read and interpret, saving hassle when it comes to billing for time worked, or during your payroll process. Having your work timesheets set out in an uncluttered and organised fashion will let you garner some great reporting insights into how time is being spent in your business. In many ways, time is just like money – you’ve got to spend it to make it! Taking a moment to find the right timesheet template for your team will yield long term benefits for your workflow.
Excel Timesheets
If you are looking for a timesheet template which is going to be easy for your team to adjust to using, a simple Excel timesheet template might provide you with a flexible option. Excel is a program most people will have at least a very basic understanding of due to how common products from the Microsoft Office suite are, from schools and at home as well as in the office. You may even already have access to the product if your team make use of office tools like Word or PowerPoint. Excel’s wide recognition and relative ease of use will let your team adjust quickly to a new timesheet process, as well as allowing you a wide and flexible range of different timesheet templates to choose from.
Why Should You Use Excel Timesheet Templates?
Excel timecard templates are easy to implement for most teams – Excel is a widely used and recognised program as well and provides versatile functionality for your spreadsheet requirements. If you are looking for a quick fix, Excel will likely be your go-to choice, especially if your team already use other programs in the Microsoft Office suite.
What Are the Downsides of These Templates?
The thing about using a spreadsheet program for timesheets is that it will cater to more general needs. If your team has unique timesheet requirements you will likely find more effective options in services like online time tracking software. Further, Excel in particular has the downside of being part of a paid offering, whereas Google Sheets can provide essentially the same functionality for free.
Google Sheets Timesheet Templates
It’s free, its easy to use, and it easy to get your team access to be able to edit and contribute to the same document. Google Sheets functions in a very similar way to Excel, and will likely be as intuitive to use for those who have basic spreadsheet experience. If you are looking for a timesheet solution on a budget, using a template in Google Sheets will let you take care of your basic needs without adding to your expenses. A monthly timesheet template in Google Sheets is probably the simplest solution to your time tracking requirements. It’s only when you are trying to get more out of your tracking than simply using it for invoicing or payroll that other options become more attractive.
Why Should You Use Google Sheets Timesheet Templates?
There’s no arguing about the positives of a product being free! It’s the price tag that gives Google Sheets an edge against Excel, which is arguably a stronger overall product, but depending on your situation and needs, might be more costly than is worthwhile.
What Are the Downsides to These Templates?
Google Sheets suffers from many of the same shortfalls and limitations as Excel. A simple spreadsheet template might be serviceable forgiving organising your teams time logging, but it won’t providing the reporting insight that might give you big value in terms of improving your time management practices. Neither will it have as big an impact on streamlining your billing processes as many paid software services can.
Time Tracking Apps
Time tracking apps provide the highest value of your options for timesheets. Many time tracking apps can make your time recording process less of a hassle by providing some degree of automation to your time keeping. Organising your data for reporting purposes is done for you, and the reporting insights you can gain from the reports features of many time tracking apps will let you make well informed time management decisions as well as keep tracking of the comparative value per unit of time for various tasks or projects. The best time keeping software services will cater to multiple time tracking platforms – having an iPhone time tracking app linked to your office time tracking service lets you manage your time both in and out of the office.
Why Should You Use Time Tracking Timesheet Apps?
Making time keeping as simple and easy as possible for your workers is critical to having an effective time tracking process. Time keeping can be a chore, especially if you have numerous tasks and need to track time against each task individually. It’s something we recognise the value of, but we rarely enjoy actually doing it. A good time tracking app provides ease of use and an intuitive, fast learning curve for getting your team going quickly with the change is processes.
What Are the Downsides of These Apps?
Quality has its price, and there isn’t any real doubt about the comparative quality of a dedicated time tracking app against basic spreadsheet time recording. Furthermore, the needs of different industries are not necessarily always in line with one another, so it’s important to be careful when considering a time keeping app – you want to make sure the service you pick is catering to the unique requirements of your business.