Influence profitability by implementing online timesheets

March 1 2018 | By: Steve Johnson In: Financial reporting | Managing resource

Online timesheets

Online timesheet facilities from powerful project management systems are a world apart from old-style paper systems. There are far easier to use, for a start:

They validate the data you enter, speeding up the process, prompting the user along the way and preventing many types of error.
Data can be entered from multiple devices – Windows, Mac, web browser, iPhone and Android – so the convenience element enables data to be updated on the fly from wherever the user happens to be.

Motivating users to enter time data

Managers using Synergist tell us of the feedback they receive from their teams, and it is remarkable how consistently we hear about motivation levels being transformed as soon as users realise the benefits they themselves receive from the system.

Knowledge is empowerment. Client service teams and project managers quickly discover how the system speeds up their work, gives them better control, makes their decisions smarter and helps them steer their decisions to ones that give improved client service yet increase employee productivity and profitability. Their office time management soars, making the individual more productive and valuable. Suddenly, entering timesheet data is given a new context for them.

Ways that profitability can be increased

Some examples:

Feature creep

Many businesses suffer from clients asking for ‘small tweaks’ for free, causing feature creep and reduced profitability. But implementing a system reduces this problem. Every request is logged, increasing project transparency and clarity. Any issues arising are openly discussed with the client, reducing frustrations. Employee productivity delivers improved margins pretty much overnight.

7 ways to profitability

Saving staff time

Improved staff utilisation

Continuous job health monitoring

Better-informed decision making

Better resource scheduling

Improved estimating accuracy

Better management of the new business pipeline

Knowing when to let a client go

It happens: a client becomes – for whatever reason – difficult to work with. But without clear data, how can you be sure that they are not profitable for you? The same applies to turning away new work. Having the data to hand about current, past and similar projects enables you to make objective decisions.

So much flows from online timesheet data and office time management. Increased profitability is one of the most-reported outcomes mentioned to us by Synergist users.