7 Best Professional Services Time Tracking Software & Tools
Time tracking is often an employee’s least favorite thing – but it’s also one of the foundational processes for agencies.
Professional services time tracking software aims to simplify time management for teams and their project managers. It supports forecasting capacity planning and scheduling by providing reliable insights on resource availability.
There are many different types of available solutions, but it’s impossible to explore them all. This is why we’ll present the best available tools with key features, benefits, and downsides.
Professional Services Time Tracking Software: Top Benefits
According to a McKinsey research on time tracking, 85% of effective time managers reported receiving significant support in scheduling and allocating time. On the other hand, only 7% of ineffective managers reported the same.
One of the best ways of supporting your time management process is to implement effective software. Here are just some of the potential benefits:
- Managing billable hours per employee
- More accurate time entries
- Improved estimations for future projects
- Less time spent on repetitive tasks
- Increased accountability and engagement
- Streamlined client invoicing
Key Features of Time Tracking Software
Whether you’re looking for a specialized solution or comprehensive resource capacity planning software, here are some key features to look for:
- An integrated timer that can capture entries in real-time
- Automatic time tracking, i.e., by converting resource bookings into hours
- Native integration with client invoicing to streamline the process
- Increased accountability and engagement
- Detailed reporting with insights into billable vs non-billable time
- Support your capacity building plan with utilization insights
You can also check out our article on what are PSA tools and why they’re so important.
Top 7 Time Tracking Software Solutions for Agencies
Check out our list of the top time tracking and creative project management tools with a wide range of features for professional services agencies.
1. Productive – The Top Agency Management & Time Tracking Tool
Productive is an all-in-one agency management tool. It’s designed to support agency workflows in businesses of all shapes and sizes, including marketing agencies, design and creative agencies, development companies, and consultancies.
The fact that Productive is agency-focused means that the whole ecosystem fits together so that there are fewer tools we have to pull together in order to do what we need to do.
Learn how Productive helps business workflows become more predictable and consistent.
Productive’s biggest strength is in providing a single platform for high-level planning and daily workflows.
With features that include everything from project and time tracking, resource capacity management, and budgeting, Productive can become your agency’s single source of truth.
Let’s explore its key features in more detail.
Try Productive’s all-in-one time tracking software
Time Tracking
Productive’s Time Tracking provides a simple process for managing your time enties.
OPTIMIZE HOW To TRACK BILLABLE HOURS AND MANAGE WEEKLY TIMESHEETS
For employees, Productive offers various ways of inputting time:
- Timer: You can run it from the platform, or place it on your desktop with a widget.
- Manual: Add entries from tasks, or pin your most frequently used services.
- Automatic: Sync entries with resource bookings to fully automate the process.
Project managers have:
- Simple approvals: Accept an entry or request additional information.
- Locking: Lock sheets for editing after a specified amount of time.
- Bulk editing: Adjust billable time or transfer entries to different services in bulk.
- Time off management: Manage employee leave and sick day requests.
Find out more about the best time tracking practices with Productive:
Resource Planning
For an agency, some of the main capacity planning challenges include: identifying resources, efficient allocation, and reliable forecasting.
BALANCE WORKLOADS WITH RESOURCE SCHEDULING
Productive’s Resource Planning feature helps address them all. Create a responsive resource plan, allocate and reallocate teammates, and turn on heatmaps to get insights into workloads.
Then, go to the Profitability view and check your key capacity planning metrics over time: profit margins, revenue, and budget burn.
Tentative bookings and placeholders can be used to account for unique resourcing needs, such as external staff of unconfirmed projects.
GET INSIGHTS INTO BILLABLE PROJECTS
Finally, visualize and forecast your billability across various metrics. This helps you make informed business decisions for your agency.
That’s a key thing that we get out of the reports that really feeds into our utilization and resourcing. If we know we’re doing 30% on internal projects, then we know we’ve got the capacity to take on more client work.
Project Management
With Productive, you can streamline a variety of project and task-related processes.
PRODUCTIVE HELPS YOUR PROJECTS STAY ON SCHEDULE
The Project Management feature includes:
- Multiple project views
- Gantt chart
- Project templates
- Custom task fields
- Workflow Automations
- And more
To learn more, check out our guide on how to handle the agency project management process.
Budgeting
At the heart of Productive is the Budgeting feature. Build budgets for all kinds of client engagements, set up your hourly rate, use recurring budgets or split up complex budgets into phases, and monitor your project financial management.
PRODUCTIVE DELIVERS CUSTOMIZABLE REPORTS
With the Reporting feature, you can easily convert data into visualizations, create custom dashboards, and share them via email.
Billing
Productive supports essential project accounting features, integrating them with your time tracking workflows.
- Billing: Pull time tracking and budgeting data to create brand-friendly invoices. Attach your timesheets, set up invoicing reminders, and view all unpaid invoices.
- Purchase Orders: Manage your external expenses, track payments, and keep a close eye on your delivery dates. Create detailed reports and automate them to Slack or email.
- Integrations: Connect Productive with popular accounting software such as Xero, QuickBooks, and Exact.
GET ACCURATE BILLING AND STREAMLINE YOUR BILLING PROCESS
Pricing
- Plans start with the Essential plan at $9 per user per month, which includes essential features such as budgeting, project & task management, docs, time tracking, expense management, reporting, and time off management.
- The Professional plan includes custom fields, recurring budgets, advanced reports, billable time approvals, and many more for $24 per user per month.
- The Ultimate plan has everything that the Essential plan and Professional plan offer, along with the HubSpot integration, advanced forecasting, advanced custom fields, overhead calculations, and more for $32 per user per month.
Productive offers a 14-day free trial, so you can decide if it’s the right time tracking software for your professional services agency.
Optimize Agency Time Tracking
Streamline the time tracking process for employees and managers and get visual reports with Productive.
2. Toggl Track – A Good Time Tracker for Agencies
Toggl Track is a time tracking app from the provider Toggl. Other available solutions include project management and HR tools.
Key features:
- Timesheet management
- Valuable insights
- Calendar view
- Client invoicing
SOurce: Toggl TRACK
Toggl Track is a highly rated tool for billable and non-billable hours tracking. Users enjoy that the tool is simple, fuss-free, and nice to look at. As a specific downside, a Capterra review states:
I sometimes forget that the stop watch is running. I wish Toggl was built in as a Chrome extension so it’s more visible on my desktop while I’m working.
In comparison, tools like Productive offer a desktop widget to simplify tracking.
Similarly to other specialized software, Toggl Track performs its main purpose well. For more advanced agency management, consider a comprehensive tool for managing billable hours vs actual hours.
3. Clockify – A Small Business Time Tracker
Clockify is a free time tracker for unlimited users, suitable for freelancers, startups and agencies.
Key features:
- Timekeeping
- Charts & dashboards
- Time off management
- Simple scheduling
Source: CLOCKIFY
Users frequently praise Clockify for being user-friendly and simple to use. On the other hand, some reviews mention that the user interface could be more modern and visually appealing. Overall, Clockify is a great time tracking software for agencies that won’t break the bank, but for advanced features for project and resource management, alternatives should be considered.
4. TimeCamp – A Good App for Automatic Time Tracking
TimeCamp is a time tracking app that offers pricing plans for agencies of all sizes, including a free forever basic plan.
Key features:
- Automatic time tracking
- Budgeting
- Invoicing
- Expense management
source: timecamp
Users on Capterra mention enjoying this time tracking tool in combination with Trello. Positive reviews state that the automatic time tracking feature is great and that the tool helps them optimize agency performance. However, some downsides include difficulties with editing entries or transferring them to different activities. In short, TimeCamp can be a good choice in combination with a more robust project management software.
5. ClickTime – A Finances and Time Tracking Tool
ClickTime is a software solution for time tracking, time off management, capacity requirement planning, and expense tracking.
Key features:
- Track time & time off
- Email reminders
- Project budgeting
- Capacity planning
source: clicktime
Users appreciate ClickTime’s comprehensive capabilities in simplifying time and resource management tasks. Despite its user-friendly interface, some reviews note that the design could be improved to make it more engaging. Additionally, some users find the pricing to be somewhat high for the value it provides.
6. Time Doctor – A Good Option for Remote Teams
Time Doctor is software for consultants and other professional services that helps manage employee hours and team performance.
Key features:
- Integrated timer
- Offline time tracking
- Idle detection
- Productivity tracking
source: time doctor
Time Doctor can be a good choice for agencies that frequently work with contractors or have fully remote teams, as it offers advanced productivity and activity tracking. However, some employees don’t enjoy this time tracking solution, as they find the idle alerts and screenshots disruptive, and others feel micromanaged. If you want a solution that teams will love, you might want to consider a Time Doctor competitor.
7. Replicon – A Modular Software Solution
Replicon offers a variety of software tools on a single platform. This includes time tracking, attendance management, PSA, and knowledge management.
Key features:
- Customizable features
- Project cost management
- Billing & time analytics
- Expense tracking
source: replicon
Users on Capterra frequently praise Replicon’s customer service as one of its best points. Although Replicon is definitely a robust tool for time tracking and financial management, there are some notable downsides. This includes “trying to figure out which modules would be useful and how to configure it” (Source: Capterra), as well as the implementation process, which might require some workarounds. If you’re on a time limit, consider an integrated Replicon alternative.
8. Harvest – A Solid Tool With Client Invoicing
Harvest is a time tracking and client billing tool that helps you keep track of time across various devices.
Key features:
- Real-time insights into costs
- Invoicing & online payments
- Time reports
- Third-party integrations
source: harvest
Users overall find Harvest easy to use, with a user friendly interface, and good overview of how your teams are spending their time. However, consider a G2 review that notes:
I find the tool a bit too simple at times and would like to have more flexibility.
You can’t go wrong with Harvest for managing employee time and billable rates, but for a more robust project progress tracking solution, consider Harvest alternatives.
Tips for Choosing the Right Time Tracking Software
- User interface: Make sure to consider your tool’s user interface. Good design can support adoption across teams and alleviate frustrations during the entire process. Even if a tool has complex features, it should be visually appealing and modernized.
- Scalability: This signifies that a software offers customizable plans depending on your needs, or that the vendor is dedicated to improving their solution. Both are important for supporting your agency’s growth.
- Comprehensiveness: An all-in-one tool can be a great solution to standardizing your data, unifying workflows, and cutting down tech stack costs. Additional features can help you discover new ways to optimize processes and drive productivity.
- Customer service: Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of good customer service. It help you minimize workflow disruptions and optimize your operations by applying feedback and offering quality workarounds.
Having that relationship with you guys, being able to get responses quickly and knowing that it gets heard is a big benefit for us. You’re not just another customer where you request things and it gets lost in the backlog. There have been many different things we’ve recommended over the years, and we’ve seen those get released in weeks, sometimes months after. For us, that makes us feel good as a customer.
Takeaway: Finding the Best Timesheet Apps for Agencies
Professional services time tracking software brings many benefits to your business operations. Although it’s an essential for any successful agency, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ensure that the process is as pleasant as possible for all parties.
The best software for managing your time should be user-friendly, offering customizable workflows that fit all agency types. Another thing to consider is scalability and comprehensiveness. Will you be able to use the same tool in the upcoming years?
If the answer is no, maybe you should consider a more robust tool to save yourself the hassle in the future.
If you’re interested in an all-in-one tool for time tracking and agency management, book a demo with Productive.
Connect With Agency Peers
Access agency-related Slack channels, exchange business insights, and join in on members-only live sessions.
