Whether you’re a freelancer or small business owner, Plutio offers an intuitive platform for time tracking, invoicing, proposal creation, project management, and more.
So how do you use the Plutio time tracking feature?
In this article, we’ll cover how Plutio time tracking works, its drawbacks, and introduce five time tracking tools that you can use instead. We’ll also highlight four smart tips for efficient time tracking.
Table of Contents
- How does Plutio time tracking work?
- Drawbacks of Plutio’s native time tracking feature
- Top 5 tools for Plutio time tracking
- 4 no-nonsense tips for successful time tracking
Let’s get started.
How does Plutio time tracking work?
Here are two ways you can track time in this business management software:
- Timer: Use the play pause button to track time.
- Timesheet: Fill in the form to enter a time entry for a task.
Now, let’s take a detailed look at how you can track time through each way:
1. Timer
You can use the general timer or the task timer to track time for your tasks.
A. General timer
Here’s how the general timer works:
a. To start a timer:
- Go to Timesheets and click on the + New button at the top right.
- Select Start timer.
b. To pause the timer:
- Navigate to Timesheets and find your task under Running timers.
- Click on the Pause button to take a break.
c. To stop the timer:
- Navigate to Timesheets, under Running timers, find your task and click on the Stop button.
- Now, check all details and press Complete time entry.
B. Task timer
To track time using the task timer:
- Open the task you want to track time for and click the play button.
- Click it again to stop the running timer.
Here, 5 denotes the task timer:
2. Timesheet
Here’s how you can track your time and visualize time entries in a timesheet:
- In your app, go to Timesheets.
- Click on the + New button at the top right.
- Fill in the form to manually log time.
Additionally, timesheets appear in two places:
- Main timesheet: Provides a complete overview of time tracked anywhere in the workspace.
- Project timesheet: Shows only time tracked within a project.
But that’s not all this business management tool is capable of doing.
Here’s a glance at some of the key Plutio features:
- Easily send an invoice, track when they are opened, and get paid through various payment methods.
- Efficient client management to build strong client relationships.
- Create eye catching proposals with the drag-and-drop editor.
- Project templates, custom field, and more to efficiently manage projects.
- Dashboard and Client Portal to track performance metrics.
- Share Wikis (knowledge base) to keep your team members updated.
Now, these features might be sufficient to manage your business, but its time tracking feature can be severely lacking. Let’s take a look at some of its limitations.
Drawbacks of Plutio’s native time tracking feature
Sure, Plutio’s native time tracking system covers the basics of time tracking. However, this business management software does just that – basic time tracking.
For instance, if a user starts the task timer for Task A but ends up binging Netflix instead of working on it, Plutio won’t be able to track it.
Moreover, timesheets can be prone to human error and time theft, making them an unreliable method of time tracking.
Some other things that Plutio’s time tracking falls short in are:
- Doesn’t support automatic time tracking.
- Lacks employee management features like screenshots and website tracking.
- Doesn’t offer employee productivity reports based on tracked time data.
So, why not use a dedicated tracking tool that supports everything Plutio lacks and more?
Top 5 tools for Plutio time tracking
Here are five tools that you can integrate with Plutio to track time:
1. Time Doctor
Time Doctor is a game-changing time tracking and productivity management tool used by large corporations like BBB (Better Business Bureau) and small businesses like Thrive Market.
It offers a comprehensive list of features as well as integrations and is available across platforms like Mac, Android, Linux, and Windows.
With Time Doctor, you can use both manual and automatic time tracking features to track time for your tasks.
To track time in the manual or interactive mode:
- Create a new task.
- Press the play button to start tracking time.
- Select the stop button to pause or stop working for the day.
Time Doctor also offers an automatic time tracking mode. It starts tracking work hours as soon as you start your computer or during specific hours and has minimal impact on a user’s daily routine.
Time Doctor Integration with Plutio
Time Doctor’s Chrome extension lets you easily track time in your Plutio app.
To do so:
- Download the Time Doctor app.
- Create a Time Doctor user account and sign in.
- Install the Time Doctor Chrome extension.
- Once installed, you will see a play button on the opened task in Plutio.
It’ll look something like this:
Let’s explore other amazing things you can do with Time Doctor.
Other key features
Here’s a detailed look at Time Doctor’s leading features:
A. Idle time tracking and distraction management
Time Doctor tracks the idle time of employees, i.e. when there is no keyboard or mouse activity detected during the set work hours.
It stops tracking time and gently nudges the user with a pop-up notification to focus on their task. Employers can also configure how long the timer should run when there is no activity.
Note: Time Doctor isn’t a keystroke logger. It only verifies if there’s any mouse or keyboard activity.
B. Comprehensive productivity reports
Time Doctor’s detailed productivity reports for each employee can help you analyze productivity, identify concerns, etc.
Here are some reports that you can generate:
- Attendance report: Check whether an employee is present, late, partially absent, or absent in real-time.
- Project and tasks report: View how much time your team takes to complete a specific project or task.
- Hours tracked report: Track how many hours an employee spent working for a selected period.
- Web and app usage report: View how much time an employee spends on any site.
C. Payroll management
Time Doctor’s payroll management feature lets you effortlessly generate payroll and client invoices based on the tracked hours. You can customize the pay rate and payment method for each employee.
Additionally, you can manually upload your payroll as a CSV file to Wise, PayPal, ADP, or Gusto to make a quick batch payment.
D. Screencasts
The screencasts feature takes screenshots of your employees’ work screens so admins can see what they’re working on. This way, managers get better insights into employee time and computer use.
Note: To protect employee privacy, you can blur or delete screenshots with sensitive information like passwords.
E. Productivity ratings
Time Doctor’s productivity ratings functionality enables managers to rate the websites and apps based on their relevance with work.
They can use this advanced feature to categorize websites and desktop apps as:
- Productive.
- Unproductive.
- Unrated.
- Neutral.
Moreover, you can configure these ratings for any app or website, and they will be implemented across departments, the entire company, or specific team members.
F. Other integrations
In addition to Plutio integration, Time Doctor’s Chrome extension allows you to track time across multiple apps (50+).
Here are some key integrations:
- Project management software: Asana, Jira, Zoho Projects, and Trello.
- Customer support: Freshdesk, Zendesk, etc.
- Communication and collaboration tool: Zapier, Slack, Google Workspace, etc.
- CRM: Pipedrive, Salesforce, Zoho, etc.
Explore other tools that you can integrate with Time Doctor.
Also, learn about other features of this spectacular tool.
Pricing
Time Doctor’s basic plan starts at $7/user per month. It also offers a 14-day free trial that doesn’t require any credit card information.
User ratings
- G2: 4.4/5 (270+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (390+ reviews)
2. Monitask
Monitask is a cloud-based business productivity solution that helps businesses track and monitor employee productivity through online timesheets, detailed reports, online app usage, and more.
Key features
- Offers an easy-to-use time tracker.
- Online timesheets to track time, calculate payments, and bill your clients.
- Screenshots to see what team members are doing during work hours.
- In-out board to analyze the productivity and performance of employees.
Pricing
Monitask’s plans start at $4.99/month per user. It also offers a 10-day free trial.
User ratings
- G2: 4.4/5 (10 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (80+ reviews)
3. RemoteTeam.com
RemoteTeam.com is an all-in-one operating system that provides HR solutions like automated payrolls, time-tracking, document management, and more. It’s suitable for micro businesses, agencies, contractors, and freelancers.
Key features
- Time tracking app to track all of the team’s work.
- Easily create, manage, and send invoices.
- Dashboard to manage payroll, time-off, business taxes, local holidays, and local employment.
- Ability to customize PTO policies to fit the team better.
Pricing
RemoteTeam.com pricing starts at $14.99/person per month.
User ratings
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
4. Toggl Track
Toggl Track is a SaaS time tracking solution suitable for small to medium-sized businesses and offers task management and timesheet features.
Key features
- One-click timers to track time on any website or app.
- Create summary, detailed, and weekly reports and export them as a CSV or PDF file.
- Use dashboards to track progress, forecast timelines, and budgets.
- Time audits to find unassigned time entries or ones that seem too short or too long.
Check out our comprehensive Toggl Track review.
Pricing
Toggl Track offers a free plan for up to five users. The paid ones start at $10/user per month.
User ratings
- G2: 4.6/5 (1400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (1700+ reviews)
5. Clockify
Clockify is a time tracking and timesheet tool that allows business owners to track and monitor employee time and attendance, productivity, and billable hours.
Key features
- Simple time tracking and timesheet functionality.
- Calendars to visualize how your day looks and edit tracked time.
- Detailed reports to see tracked time by day, activity, and user.
- Offers iOS and Android mobile apps to track time from anywhere.
Read more about Clockify in this in-depth review.
Pricing
Clockify supports a free plan with limited features. Its paid plans start at $4.99/user per month.
User ratings
- G2: 4.5/5 (110+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (2900+ reviews)
Implementing a new tool in your workplace might be challenging. Let’s look at a few tips that can help you make the most out of this change.
4 no-nonsense tips for successful time tracking
Here are four smart tips to help you efficiently track time:
1. Explain the importance
You can highlight benefits like how tracked data can help employees identify their productive hours. And project managers can track project progress and estimate realistic deadlines, leading to overall smoother team management.
Most importantly, emphasize how time tracking can make them more efficient and productive.
2. Get a user-friendly software
While picking a Plutio alternative, look for software that not only streamlines your business workflows but also is simple and engaging.
For example, filling in timesheets can be tedious and may take up a good amount of your time. Instead, use automatic time tracking tools to eliminate the need to start and stop the timer every time.
3. Make it a habit
Employees may forget to track time, decreasing the reliability of the data. To avoid this, you need to remind them to track time correctly or update project time logs regularly.
You can also offer rewards like lunch coupons or movie tickets for employees who track time regularly.
4. Explain all the features
Your employees might be reluctant to track time from the fear of the unknown. That’s why you should explain all the features of the software.
However, instead of just briefly demonstrating how the time tracking features should be used, try to give detailed instructions.
You can provide a step-by-step walkthrough of the software and show them all the features. This will give your team a general idea of how things work and they’ll be able to use it without any reluctance.
Wrapping up
Plutio can help you efficiently manage your entire business. But when it comes to time tracking, it can be lacking.
That’s why you need a dedicated time tracking tool to track your work hours. Time Doctor’s state-of-the-art features like idle time tracking, comprehensive reports, and screencasts can do a lot more than basic time tracking.
So why not sign up for Time Doctor’s free trial and track time on Plutio with ease?
