ExakTime Mobile–Time Clock App

ExakTime Mobile for Android is ideal for construction crews, contractors, and field service crews in need of location verification with every clock-in.

What You’re Really Getting

This app addresses a common issue in all field-based businesses – who is working where, when did they reach there and what they are doing. It adds locator information to every punch, so you don’t have to guess if your guys arrived at the Maple Street site or the downtown job. When somebody clocks in outside of allotted perimeters, the geofencing sends an alert in real-time. Additionally, the FaceFront Biometrics photo verification prevents the age-old “buddy punching” scheme. This is where one person clocks in for another worker.

The crew clock-in feature enables supervisors to punch in an entire crew at once. This comes in handy when you have 8 people starting at 6 am. Our site diary application allows you to keep tabs on hundreds of cost codes and work activities. Moreover, you can attach field notes, either as text or photos or even audio recordings. The software stores your notes offline until you are connected to the Internet once again. The feature that supports many languages allows companies to leverage diversity in the workforce. The dashboard for real-time labor reporting enables managers to see who is currently clocked in, where they are and which cost center employees are charging time to in real-time.

ExakTime has capability to integration into more than 100 payrolls and accounting packages that push time card data directly into your workflow. The compliance toolkit has clock-out questions (like injury report and meal break confirmation), and the «shift scheduling» + all notifications keep everyone in sync.

The Battery Drain Reality

The GPS tracking feature, known as GeoTrakker, is resource hungry. Users increasingly note that the tracking does drain battery power too quickly. This is a specific issue for crews working a 10 hour shift without access to chargers. Worse still, the GPS tracking will automatically stop once the battery is drained to 20%. This may cause a gap in your position data at a vital time. Some users may not find the interface as intuitive as other newer competitors, though that differs from person to person.

The pricing model adds complexity. Although the mobile app downloads totally free, you’ll just need to purchase ExakTime’s separate cloud-based time tracking software to get all the management features. The fact that you have to upgrade is not clearly communicated up front and this frustrates businesses that expect to get complete functionality from the free download alone. This app has no in-app purchases and ads. But the extra software you’ll need is quite costly.

Who Should Clock In

ExakTime Mobile is great for businesses with 10 or more field workers. They already struggle with incorrect timesheets, bad payroll, or workers claiming time from the wrong jobs. The features “photo ID verification” and “equipment tracking” make it especially useful for companies that manage high-value assets or have worker’s comp issues.

For companies that are mainly interested in «compliance tracking» to the letter and would like to see real costs and have deep integration into payroll, investing in battery management may be well worth the investment – notwithstanding the risk of management headaches. Single operators or teams of three to five workers should consider less battery-intensive alternatives such as Workyard or Timeero. They are not required to purchase any software.