Choosing timesheet software for a small agency

Choosing timesheet software is a bigger decision than it first appears. The tool you pick shapes how contractors record their time, how managers approve it and how the numbers reach payroll and invoicing. For a small agency, it also needs to be simple enough that you are not spending your week administering the administration.

Here are the questions worth asking, whichever product you are considering.

Start with your process

Before looking at products, write down what you actually need:

• How many contractors, managers and admins will use it now, and in a year?
• Are timesheets weekly, monthly or a mix?
• Do contractors clock in and out, or enter hours at the end of the period?
• Who approves timesheets: people inside your agency, or at your clients?
• Do you handle expenses as well as time?
• Where does approved data need to go next?

This list becomes your checklist. It also stops you being swayed by features you will never use.

The contractor experience

Contractors are the largest group of users, and if they find the system awkward, timesheets will be late.

• Can they submit easily from a phone, without installing anything?
• Is it clear what is due and by when?
• Do they find out when something is approved or returned, and why?
• Can they record time as the week goes on, rather than from memory at the end?

Ask for a trial and submit a timesheet yourself, on a phone, as a contractor would.

The manager experience

Managers approve alongside their other work, so approval needs to be quick.

• Is there a single list of what is waiting for them?
• Can they see what they need to check without opening several screens?
• Can they return a timesheet with a reason?
• Can they chase contractors who have not submitted?

The admin experience

• How long does it take to add a contractor and assign them to a manager?
• Can you see who has and has not submitted for the period?
• Can you export approved timesheets in a format your payroll or invoicing process accepts?
• Is there a record of who did what, and when?

Access and data handling

You will be storing personal data about contractors, so ask how it is handled.

• Does each role see only what it should?
• Are organisations' records kept separate from each other?
• Who processes the data, and where? Is there a data processing agreement?
• How are payments handled? Does the provider store card details itself?

Read the provider's terms, privacy notice and data processing agreement before you sign up, and ask questions if anything is unclear.

Pricing that fits a small agency

• Is the price published, or do you have to ask for a quote?
• What is included, and what costs extra?
• How does the price change as you add contractors?
• Is there a free trial, and do you need a card to start it?
• How do you cancel, and what happens at the end of a billing period?

Work out what you would pay at your current size and at the size you expect to reach, so there are no surprises later.

Getting started

Finally, consider how much effort it takes to get going. A small agency rarely has time for a long implementation project. Look for a product you can set up yourself, with guidance, in a short session, and that lets you start at the beginning of your next timesheet period.

Where JN Tempo fits

JN Tempo is designed for recruitment agencies and contractor teams. Contractors submit from a phone browser, managers approve from one queue, and admins can see submission status and export approved timesheets. There is one published plan with 20 contractors included and optional extra capacity, and a 14-day free trial that does not need a card. Compare the plan on the pricing page or start a free trial.