Daily App: Timecard Pro Maximizes Billable Hours

For solution providers, service organizations, law firms and any business that banks on billable hours, Timecard Pro for Android and for iOS can help squeeze out every available penny. For $2.99 per Android device and $3.99 per iPhone or iPad, the app makes easy work of clocking in and out and being reminded when appointments draw near.

Using the app is easy and intuitive for the most part, but we got stuck on an interface foible when first firing it up. Naturally, no billing app can do its job without first being given a job rate. But creating a job is done by clicking on a button labeled "Cards." The company said this was shortened from "timecards," and that an update coming soon will make the feature more discoverable by putting an "Add a Job" button on the Jobs menu. Nomenclature aside, an otherwise intuitive UI centers around a large, round button for clocking in and out of the selected job and for stopping the clock for breaks. Switching jobs can be done with two taps; one to bring up the jobs list and another to select the desired job. it also supports clocking into more than one job at a time.

Each specific job can have its own labor rate, and carry options to prompt for notes when clocking out and for adding those notes and/or revenue earned to an email report. Alternatively, employee names can be entered as "jobs," each with the employee's hourly rate of pay. This permits employers to clock employees in as they arrive. Rates default to whole dollars (plus dozens of other currencies), but also can have decimals. There's also a per-job option for kicking over to separate daily or weekly overtime rates. A reports page displays data for all jobs, including clock-in and -out dates and times, number of breaks and total revenue earned. Data can be exported for single or multiple pay periods and emailed along with text or CSV files.

The tool also provides a calendar for reviewing past jobs, and for creating and tracking current and upcoming appointments, employee shifts and other revenue-generating events with pop-ups. Shifts and other billable hours can be added manually, for cases where a device failed or was lost or left at home. The app and data within can be secured with a numerical lock screen. Timecard Pro was released for iOS in 2011; the Android version made its debut earlier this month.

PUBLISHED FEB. 7, 2015