Solution
Work reports and time recording
Staff record hours, materials and photos directly on their phone, and the customer signs on site. The work report goes into invoicing and payroll without retyping. You invoice days rather than weeks after the job, and no more hours go missing.
Who it is for: For construction, trades, service and installation businesses with staff working in the field.
Starting point
How the process runs today
After the job, a work report is filled in on paper, often not until Friday and from memory. In the office it is deciphered, typed up and assigned to the order. Materials are missing, signatures are missing, queries cost time. The invoice goes out late and is more likely to be disputed.
What it costs
- Hours and materials are forgotten and never invoiced.
- The office spends days typing up and chasing.
- Invoices go out late and cash flow suffers.
- When an invoice is disputed, there is no proof with photo and signature.
Process
What the process looks like afterwards
01
Job
Jobs arrive on staff phones from the ERP or the planning system.
02
Recording
Time, materials, photos and notes are recorded on site, even without a signal.
03
Signature
The customer signs on the device and receives the work report by email.
04
Review
The project manager checks and approves, with anomalies flagged.
05
Invoicing
Invoice and payroll data are created in the ERP from the approved work report.
Integrations
Which systems are connected
Orders, items and staff come from your ERP. Approved work reports go back there as services and wage types.
- ERP and accounting
- Abacus
- bexio
- Sage
- BMD
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Banking and payments
- QR-bill
- Calendar and collaboration
- Microsoft 365
Make or buy
Off-the-shelf or custom?
Off-the-shelf software is enough if
- You only record working time, with no materials and no link to an order.
- An industry solution already covers your work report.
- Your ERP has a mobile recording option that is good enough for your people.
Finished products for this case: AbaClock and AbaCliK, bexio with time tracking, industry solutions such as Sorba or Hero.
Custom is worth it if
- Your work report has particular features: measurements, checklists, daywork, surcharges.
- Several companies or subcontractors work on the same orders.
- Recording has to work offline and be very simple.
- Invoicing and payroll should follow from the work report with no step in between.
Effort
Price range and duration
- Price range
- CHF 20'000 to 55'000
- Duration
- 8 to 14 weeks
Non-binding estimate, excl. VAT.
What drives the effort
The effort depends on the content of your work report, the surcharge rules and the connection to invoicing and payroll.
The price becomes binding after the fixed-price discovery phase.
Your case in numbers
- Hours per year tied up
- 960
- Cost per year today
- CHF 67'200
- Possible saving per year
- CHF 57'100
816 hours freed up for other work
Rough calculation based on your figures. Not a quote.
Work reports and time recording
Frequently asked questions
Does recording work on site without a signal?
Yes. Work reports are stored on the device and transmitted as soon as there is reception again. Photos and signatures included.
Do our staff need an app from the App Store?
Usually not. Recording runs as a web app that can be installed on the home screen like an app. That avoids app store approval processes and works the same on iPhone, Android and tablet.
When do you advise against custom software?
Whenever a standard product covers 80% of the case and the remainder is not a competitive advantage. For accounting, simple appointment booking or a small shop, there are good off-the-shelf solutions. We will tell you so in the intro call. Custom software pays off where several systems have to work together or your process departs from the norm.
Let us talk about your case.
20 minutes are enough to find out whether a custom solution is worth it for you.