If you’re looking for an app to track your employees, you’ve probably seen that there are dozens and dozens of options. So what makes a good app? We’re here to share what you should look for in an employee tracking app, what features matter most, and what to avoid.

Using an employee tracking app can improve your business’s profitability, find inefficiencies in processes and within your labor force. It helps hold your employees accountable and give your leadership team additional insights in employee performance. It allows you to be more precise when quoting projects because you’ll have more accurate labor cost data to base estimates on. Employee tracking apps can truly change the way you do business.

👉Related: Ultimate labor tracking guide for business owners

Accurate GPS tracking

An employee tracking app is only as good as its accuracy. If you’re managing a labor force that is usually off-site and on-location at a job site, accuracy matters – especially if you have multiple job sites in close proximity.

For landscaping companies, construction companies, electricians, and other companies who might be working on multiple projects at any given time, it’s important that your GPS tracking is accurate and tied to clock-ins and clock-outs so you can properly determine how long crews are on-site and what the profitability is for the job.

This accuracy also adds an additional layer of protection for your business. If you have a customer disputing work done or time spent, GPS-tied labor tracking provides you with receipts for when your employees were there.

If the GPS tracking of an employee tracking app isn’t accurate or reliable, you’ll have a hard time connecting hours worked with specific projects and be no better off than paper time sheets turned in at the end of the week.

Real-time visibility

One of the greatest benefits of employee tracking apps is the ability to have real-time access to where your employees are. This provides a level of security for your employees. If you need to find out where they are quickly, say in the event of an emergency, you have immediate and accurate access to where your employee is so you can reach them quickly.

This also provides the opportunity for you to ensure that your employees have arrived at the job site safely, that they are where they should be, and that all employees are accounted for.

User-friendly design

Especially in labor-based businesses, user-friendly designs rank high in priority for using apps with your employees.

• You want something that is simple to use at all technology skill levels.

• You want something that doesn’t over-complicate the process of clocking in and out.

• You want multilingual support so all your employees can use the same app.

• You want efficient processes for clocking in and clocking out that don’t waste your crew’s valuable time.

The most important thing when selecting an app is finding one your employees will actually use. If they don’t know how to use the app or don’t like the app, the likelihood that they’ll use it consistently (or happily, anyway) is low. When you’re vetting apps to determine which one is right for your business, make sure that the interface is appealing to employees and doesn’t over-complicate things.

Multiple device support

Ensuring that the types of devices you and your employees use are supported is an essential step in this process. Think through how you will use the app.

• Do you need each member of your crew to be able to track their time individually?

• Can a foreman log their entire crew’s hours?

• For locations, do you need a crew location or individual employee locations?

These questions will help you determine what types of devices need support. If you’re using company-provided equipment, you’d have the opportunity to utilize the same type of devices across your team. But if your employees are bringing their own devices, you’re likely to run into a wide range of iPhones and Android phones of various models and ages.

You should also consider tablet and computer or web accessibility. Think through all the ways your crews may use the tracking app and make sure that the one you choose supports the needed functionalities.

Sensible pricing structure

Employee tracking apps should be designed to save you money, not to cost you more. While almost all apps will come at a cost, making sure that the cost is sensible is important. If the app is going to cost you more than it’ll save you, it might not be worth it.

Factors that you’ll want to consider include:

• How many employees will be using the app each month?

• How much does it cost per employee?

• Does pricing adjust as the number of employees adjusts?

• Is the price still sensible as your business scales up or down?

• How much time will it save you on payroll?

• What other areas of your business will the app affect costs?

Take a moment to calculate how much Labor Sync can save you and see how much more efficient it makes your payroll process.

Payroll integration

When your employee tracking app integrates with your payroll system, you’ll be able to streamline processes and save valuable time and money. Your office administrator or human resource team will be able to process payroll more efficiently than if they were using paper time sheets (or an app that doesn’t integrate), which helps lighten their load to be able to focus on other important tasks.

Many employee tracking apps integrate with common accounting and payroll softwares like Quickbooks, Foundation, Sage, ADP, Xero, Paychex, and Gusto. Make sure that the employee tracking app you choose integrates with your preferred platform for a seamless process.

Support

Customer service and technical support can make or break the successful implementation of starting to use an employee tracking app. From the initial setup of your account, through day-to-day use, customer service and technical support are your best friend.

Having a strong customer service team to help troubleshoot account and billing concerns and to help your team get started on the right foot is crucial. Having an equally strong technical support team to back up the functions of the app matters too. If you run into a technical issue or are having trouble accessing your data, the technical support team should be responsive and help you through your needs.

The best way to vet an app for these things is to read reviews in the app store and on their website, look at their website to see what kind of support forums and options are available, and even reach out to the company to see what kind of experience you have as a potential customer.

The bottom line is that you should do your research to see which employee tracking app will suit your business’s needs best. Make sure they’re a legitimate company with support and customer service to back up their app. Make sure their app is accurate and reliable. Make sure that it’s user-friendly enough for your employees to want to use.

Employee tracking apps can revolutionize the way your business operates, if they’re used the right way.