Matt Bowd

Using this software allows us to accurately bill our clients.

Matt Bowd

vepeople.com

Can you tell us a bit about your company? What do you do?

We're a remote staffing provider with a strong focus on quality. We believe in creating partnerships with our clients and not just focusing on the bottom line. Having said that, we provide everyday staffing solutions to our clients in the areas of virtual assistance, digital marketing, web design and development, etc. VE People is an Australian owned and operated staffing solutions provider. Founded by CEO, Matt Bowd, in September 2013, VE People operates with a unique vision of creating harmonious and mutually beneficial engagements with a focus on long term relationships and high quality deliverables.

With the time usage reports, we become pretty much transparent to our clients as we are able to document how our staff manage their time.

How many staff do you have and where do they live? Are they in an office or working from home?

We have an internal team mostly based in the Philippines. It is composed of around 10 professionals of varying skill sets who work closely and collaborate on maintaining the VEP principles and managing the overall billable workforce of VE People. We also have a number of staff working virtually for our various clients.

Can you tell us how you use Time Doctor in your company and what the benefits are from using the tool?

Making use of a time tracking software is very beneficial for us, especially when we don't get to see our billable staff face to face. Without TD, it's difficult for us to know how our staff members spend their time, what their productivity level is, and what tasks they are covering. Using this software also allows us to accurately bill our clients as we get to measure the right project estimates and hourly expenses.

Any other tips or suggestions about using Time Doctor?

Time Doctor is not just useful for time tracking but is also very powerful when it comes to app integrations. We have yet to explore all of its new features but we're thrilled with the tool's capabilities

Do you have any stories about using Time Doctor in your company? Any examples of how you used it with your team and what happened?

For virtual staffing providers like us, one of the best attributes of TD is being able to download timesheets. With the time usage reports, we become pretty much transparent to our clients as we are able to document how our staff manage their time. Therefore, we gain solid trust from our clients as they get to see these reports as well. In the same sense, we get to strengthen our credibility because we're able to ensure that the staff are working as they should be. And oh, did I mention screenshots? By using these features, we're confident that the clients are paying for quality, not for some idle time or irrelevant activities manifested online.

It cannot be avoided that some clients will try to bargain by complaining that they are only getting half of the work they've designated to the staff. What we normally do is provide them the reports mentioned above. The detailed documentation should serve as a fair evidence of the work our staff are doing.

Time Doctor has been a great addition to our tool suite. Not only do we get transparency across our talent pool and internal team, we have an affordable service that we can offer our clients. Because it's affordable, we can absorb the cost at our end meaning our clients pay nothing extra for a great value-add!

What challenges did you have before that are now solved by using Time Doctor in your company?

  • Task management concerns
  • Productivity issues
  • Lack of timesheets and time usage proper documentation

What other software and tools do you use in your business that you can recommend?

Basecamp. It is a great tool to manage projects and work collaboratively with your team.
Google Apps. Most of these apps are very helpful and innovative.

What other advice can you give people about working with a remote team?

Working remotely may be a challenge for both the employers and the employees but as long as you work smart and honestly, it should be very smooth sailing. Software and Apps are great tools to increase productivity but always remember that the first things you need to succeed are the thirst for learning and the drive to keep going.