For construction, contracting and field service companies, tracking employee time is a major priority. With teams spread out across multiple job sites, gaining visibility into hours worked and labor costs is critical for core operations like payroll processing, job costing, billing and more. However, general-purpose time-tracking solutions are often a poor match for the unique needs of builders and contractors. Specialized technology designed for construction and fieldwork is required for success.
When it comes to time tracking, two leading options are ExakTime and Buddy Punch. Both platforms aim to solve the challenges of tracking labor. However, while Buddy Punch offers generalized timekeeping across industries, ExakTime focuses solely on providing specialized solutions for builders, contractors and field services.
What is Time Tracking Software?
Time tracking software allows companies to track employee hours and tasks through digital means rather than paper timesheets. This automated system provides a centralized way to collect clock in/out data, monitor attendance, calculate pay and gain insights into productivity. General features of time tracking systems include:
- Clock in/out options – mobile app, computer portal, physical time clock, etc.
- Capturing data like GPS location, photos or notes on each clock event.
- Generating timesheets and reports.
- Integrating time data with payroll, accounting, ERPs, etc.
- Providing a dashboard to view reports and analytics.
The Importance of Time Tracking for Construction
Construction and field service businesses operate in a fast-paced, highly variable environment. Work needs to rapidly shift across multiple projects and locations on any given day. Teams and schedules are fluid. And margins are tight. This decentralized nature creates major time tracking challenges.
With workforces spread across temporary job sites, paper timesheets are inefficient and prone to error. Spreadsheets also fail to provide oversight of field teams or tie hours back to specific cost codes. To manage remote teams and maximize efficiency, construction firms need digital time tracking solutions purpose-built for their unique needs.
Innovative time tracking technology solves these issues and provides indispensable benefits:
- Verify Job Site Attendance: GPS-stamped clock-ins confirm workers are at the correct location without the need for on-site supervision. Reduces risk of time theft.
- Eliminate Time Theft: hoto capture on clock-in deters “buddy punching” by confirming which employees are clocking in. Strengthens payroll accuracy.
- Accurate Field Data Collection: Electronic time logs prevent payroll errors compared to paper sheets. Provides real-time data.
- Workforce Mobility: Smartphone apps enable clocking in/out from any location for a flexible workforce.
- Durable Equipment: Rugged, weatherproof time clocks withstand harsh field conditions and work offline. Reliable in any environment.
- Real-time Analytics: Dynamic reports provide visibility into workforce issues as they arise for rapid response.
- Labor Law Compliance: Detailed time logs give oversight into worker hours for adhering to regulations. Reduces compliance risks.
- Enhanced Productivity: Managers can identify inefficiencies by tracking time spent on projects/tasks. Optimizes teams.
- Complete Field Visibility: GPS tracking verifies the attendance and locations of field employees. Eliminates blind spots.
- Better Cost Management: Precise labor cost data from time logs leads to more accurate project bidding. Tightens budgets.
Construction leaders need technology built for the realities of their industry. Purpose-built time tracking systems deliver robust functionality while being easy for employees to adopt.
ExakTime Review
ExakTime is a leader in automated time and attendance systems designed specifically for construction and field service. For over 20 years, ExakTime has served the needs of decentralized workforces.
Key features include:
- Mobile App: The ExakTime mobile app allows workers to clock in/out via GPS-verified punch locations. Managers can review punch locations to confirm presence at the correct site.
- Rugged Time Clocks: For areas where phones aren’t an option, ExakTime provides rugged, industrial-grade time clocks. These collect and store time entries offline for syncing with the cloud. The clocks are durable and resistant to weather, dirt, drops and other field conditions.
- GPS Tracking: ExakTime’s GPS-enabled mobile time clock app provides real-time visibility into team location and activities across job sites without needing to be onsite. The software tracks employee locations via GPS on their mobile devices, syncing the data to the cloud, where it can be accessed and monitored from any location in real-time.
- Powerful Reporting: ExakTime provides 120+ reports with customization options. Key reports include timecards, attendance, job costing, overtime analysis and more. Data can be filtered and segmented as needed.
- Advanced Analytics: ExakTime’s advanced analytics provides customizable visibility into all aspects of employee time and activities. Interactive reports allow filtering data like punch records, regular/overtime hours, mobile response data and more based on your needs. Advanced analytics help construction businesses better understand their workforce, work hours and job tasks.
- Payroll Integration: Punch data flows seamlessly into payroll systems with pre-built integrations supporting leading platforms. This eliminates redundant data entry and the chance of errors.
With expertise tailored to construction challenges, ExakTime provides the most complete time tracking solution for field teams.
Buddy Punch Review
Buddy Punch is a software offering automated time and attendance tracking for all industries. It provides options for capturing hours worked with web-based software, mobile apps and text messaging. They also have options for employee scheduling, payroll and reporting.
Key features include:
- Web-Based Tracking: Employees can clock in/out and view schedules and reporting from any computer with internet access.
- Mobile Apps: iOS and Android apps allow clocking in/out from mobile devices via geofencing and facial recognition.
- SMS Text Tracking: Employees without smartphones can text clock in/out if they don’t have web access.
- QR Codes: Enables employees to clock in/out or log in by scanning a unique QR code via their device’s webcam, which automatically captures their picture for verification.
- GPS Tracking: Allows collection of location data for selected employees by making GPS sharing either optional or required for clocking in.
- IP Address locking: The IP Address Locks feature restricts punch in/out capabilities to only authorized IP addresses assigned per employee.
Buddy Punch offers general time and attendance tracking, but its platform does not have tailored capabilities designed specifically for the construction industry’s distinct needs and strict regulatory requirements.
Key Differences
While both Buddy Punch and ExakTime offer easy-to-use time and attendance tracking, there are key differences:
- Industry Focus: ExakTime develops its software specifically for construction and field service firms. Its features are designed around the needs of decentralized workforces. Buddy Punch serves all industries. While it can adapt to construction, the solution is not purpose-built.
- Mobile Tracking: Buddy Punch and ExakTime both offer GPS mobile apps for clocking in/out. However, Buddy Punch’s texting feature only works if cell service is available, whereas ExakTime’s rugged time clocks work no matter what.
- Durability: ExakTime’s military-grade time clocks withstand the environmental challenges of construction sites with metal casing, long battery life, cellular connectivity and resistance to dust and shocks. Buddy Punch uses only digital options, suitable for indoor settings but not as durable for the extremes of outdoor worksites or when there’s no cell service.
- Payroll Sync: Both systems integrate hourly data with leading payroll platforms. However, ExakTime has direct two-way sync with many construction payroll systems. Buddy Punch has fewer specialized integrations.
For field-based construction teams, ExakTime provides the most robust solution focused squarely on the needs of decentralized workforces. Buddy Punch, while very capable, is better suited for traditional office-based workforces.
Customer Support
In addition to purpose-built features, ExakTime also shines when it comes to customer support. ExakTime values each customer and ensuring their success is our top priority. We believe excellent customer service is the key to long-term client relationships. That’s why ExakTime offers an exceptional experience that helps customers get the most value from our solutions, including:
- An award-winning customer success team that guides you through setup, training and configuration.
- “Train the trainer” program trains your administrators and employees.
- Implementation manager assigned to your specific account.
- Co-authoring workforce management goals.
- Responsive support throughout the entire customer lifecycle.
- Custom development is available if needed for specialized use cases.
With extensive industry expertise, ExakTime’s support delivers an unmatched experience.
Choosing the Right Time Tracking Solution
For construction and field service companies, the time tracking solution selected is an important decision with far-reaching impacts. When optimized for your unique needs, it becomes an indispensable tool for increasing payroll accuracy, improving job cost visibility, maintaining compliance and providing data-driven workforce insights. Making the right informed choice leads to major gains in critical operations and overall profitability.
When selecting time tracking software, construction firms should consider these key factors:
Industry Expertise
ExakTime solely focuses on the specialized time tracking needs of the construction industry. We build our solutions specifically for builders, contractors and field service firms. This rigorous industry focus allows us to embed unmatched expertise compared to generic platforms. Our purpose-built approach means we intimately understand your daily realities, from remote teams to regulations. This deep construction specialization delivers significant advantages and better results. When you need proven construction-grade performance, ExakTime’s industry-specific solution is unmatched.
Offline Functionality
ExakTime’s rugged time clocks can operate without any internet connection, relying on cellular service to sync data. This maintains constant uptime and accessibility at any remote construction site, regardless of WiFi or data availability. Web-based software can be prone to failure on unstable connections. Staying online at poor-service job sites is imperative.
Unparalleled Data Security
ExakTime utilizes military-grade 256-bit AES data encryption both for data in transit and at rest. This is the same level used by financial institutions to secure transactions. Access controls, complex password requirements and role-based permissions provide additional layers of protection. Our redundant cloud infrastructure prevents outages while allowing remote wipe of data as needed.
Limitless Scalability
ExakTime is built on a cloud-native platform designed to scale up limitlessly as your needs grow, without performance degradation. We can easily support 500+ concurrent field employees across 100+ active projects from within our secure cloud infrastructure. There’s no need for you to maintain local servers. And our platform elasticity enables support of your largest projects as your business expands over time.
Payroll Integrations
ExakTime integrates directly with all leading construction payroll platforms. This allows seamless syncing of hours worked into payroll for processing. Specialized construction software integrations are key.
Job Costing
Look for proven results quantified through metrics from real construction clients. ExakTime delivers ROIs across operational efficiency, cost reduction and risk mitigation. From eliminating time theft to optimizing job costing accuracy to avoiding fines, our industry-specific solutions drive rapid returns.
Analytics
Robust real-time reporting provides complete visibility into field workforce productivity metrics, allowing businesses to identify issues as they arise for rapid response. Advanced analytics is crucial for construction. With ExakTime, you gain access to a comprehensive suite of reports that transform raw data into actionable insights to drive decision-making.
Why ExakTime?
Construction and field service businesses need a time tracking system that balances ease of use with robust functionality. ExakTime delivers on both fronts. Our innovative mobile app and rugged clock system are simple to implement yet powerful in capability. We provide industry-leading solutions at an affordable price point aligned with construction needs. When you require user-friendly innovation tailored for field teams, ExakTime is the superior choice for tons of reasons, including:
- 20+ years serving construction and field service firms.
- Rugged time clocks built to withstand the harshest job site conditions.
- Advanced GPS mobile app with geofencing and facial recognition.
- Tamper-proof photo capture prevents buddy punching.
- Real-time reporting provides complete workforce visibility.
- Direct integrations with over leading construction payroll platforms.
- Complete payroll processes automated, from clock-in to paycheck.
- Knowledgeablecustomer support tailored to construction needs.
By purpose-building its technology for decentralized workforces, ExakTime solves the unique time tracking challenges of construction and field service. Get started with a demo today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What features does ExakTime offer?
ExakTime specializes in automated workforce management solutions for construction and field service. Key features include rugged time clocks, GPS mobile apps, photo verification, robust reporting, geofencing and direct integrations with leading construction payroll platforms.
Can you use ExakTime without an Internet connection?
Yes, ExakTime’s rugged time clocks are designed to operate fully offline. The clocks store employee punch data locally and sync transactions when they regain cellular service. No WiFi or mobile data connectivity is required for employees to clock in and out.
Is ExakTime better than manual timecards?
Absolutely. By automating data collection from the field, ExakTime eliminates the delays and errors inherent in manual time tracking via paper. It provides immediate visibility into field workforce activities rather than waiting for timecards.