Looking for a better way to manage your employee time cards? This article covers how timecard apps work for construction and templates you can use to get started.

How do I track my construction worker’s time?

There are many ways you could potentially track work performed on a construction site. Here are some of the most common:

#1. Punch cards

Punch cards are used by physical time card machines that employees can punch in and punch out when they go on and off the clock. This method of time tracking has been used for decades and relies on analog methods for collecting time card information.

Drawbacks of punch cards: While punch cards are easy enough to use, they can create additional work if the information needs to be copied manually into an accounting or payroll system later on. With most companies relying on digital technology to power their operations, punch cards are not the fastest way to get time card data into the computer. 

Another drawback can be buddy punching, which is one form of time fraud where employees punch in for someone else when they are running late or need to clock out early. This may not seem like a huge issue, but it can add up over time if hours are misrepresented.

#2. Excel Spreadsheets or Google Sheets

Another simple way to track workers time is through the use of spreadsheets. This method of time tracking allows employees to input their time into a shared spreadsheet or personal spreadsheet that gets emailed to their manager.

Drawbacks of spreadsheets: While spreadsheets are fast and free to use for most businesses, they can become error prone and lead to additional manual tasks. If a spreadsheet is lost or overwritten by accident, it can be hard to recover information that has been lost. This method can also create manual work if you also need to compile multiple spreadsheets into one document and then transfer that data into an accounting system.

#3. Apps and Software for Time Tracking

Another way to manage time cards is through the use of time tracking apps and software. This method of time tracking was designed to alleviate the pain points mentioned with using paper forms or spreadsheets. 

Software solutions and apps provide a digital interface for employees to enter their time using a computer, mobile phone, or tablet device. Many of these time tracking apps are simple, easy-to-use, and affordable for most companies’ budgets. 

By digitizing the information, data can sync automatically to payroll and accounting systems to pay employees on time and ensure digital records are stored securely in a centralized cloud-based system. Continue reading for more information on construction timecard software.

Is there an app for time cards?

There are many time card apps available to construction companies and contractors. With a construction project management app that supports time cards, you can save time, ensure accurate data is collected from the field, and minimize time card buddy punching.

Here are some of the core features that you can expect to find in a time card app:

Mobile forms

This feature allows you to create form fields that you need employees to fill out with their time cards. You can customize the form fields based on the type of work, employee category, over time status, and much more. Mobile forms allow you to require fields, helping to ensure that nothing is missing and you don’t have to track down the information again. Data can often times be captured offline and then synced to the cloud once an internet connection becomes available.

Notifications and alerts

For time card apps for construction, another useful feature is the notification and alert that gets sent out for the daily or weekly timesheet that is due. This makes it easy for employees to remember and an alert is sent out to their mobile device letting them know of the upcoming task and overdue tasks.

GPS Tracking 

Another helpful feature for time card apps is the ability to track a location using GPS on the mobile phone. With the app downloaded on employees mobile devices, you can require that they clock in and clock out once they have reached the exact job site. This can minimize buddy punching, increase accountability for data accuracy, and ensure that work was performed at the correct location for the client.

Reporting and Analytics

One other feature that is common with time tracking is the ability to report on data from the field. This can be useful in construction projects to give a real-time view of hours worked. Many time card apps can also work in conjunction with daily reports, so that all of this information is rolled up in a timely manner and becomes more visible to stakeholders. Analytics reports can be run to spot potential delays, allowing information collected from the field to be used in dashboards and analytics reports.

You can find the GoCanvas time card app for the construction industry by following the link below. Contact our team any time to learn more about time card apps for construction and how they work together with our full suite of apps for the construction industry and contractors.

What is the best app for timesheets?

There are many great apps available to manage construction timesheets. The best app for your business is going to depend entirely on what business problems you need to solve. Here are two questions to ask:

How does the timesheet app work with my existing business process?

You may want to consider if you need timecard apps in addition to other apps for construction. In that case, you can eliminate time card solutions that are stand alone and only do basic time tracking.

In this scenario, solutions like GoCanvas would allow you to manage multiple types of apps like work orders, inspections, safety apps, and more — all from a single platform for mobile forms and apps. 

How does the timesheet app connect to my existing data ecosystem?

Another consideration is to determine if you want your timecard app to integrate directly with your accounting system or existing tools. For example, GoCanvas offers an integration to tools like QuickBooks or Sage, so you can collect data from the field and sync in real-time to the other cloud-based tools you already use today.

Understanding how you want to use time card information for your business can help you decide on which time card app makes the most sense. With many features and functionality to consider, it’s best to map out your business challenges and evaluate all of your options. 

For more information on GoCanvas, contact our team here and we can answer any questions you may have about time cards and mobile apps.

The construction industry and contractors benefit when they deliver excellent customer service and make it easy for customers to do business. That’s why more companies are investing in technology, relying on mobile apps that can streamline customer interactions and improve productivity for workers.

Research from Gartner explains that “customer loyalty depends on how easy you make it for your customers to do business with you.” The key takeaway from the study is that companies who make business interactions effortless for their customers will have a competitive advantage.

Using apps for contractors, companies can work toward strengthening the customer experience. The short and long term benefits to a business include:

• Repeat Business –  More likely to work with you again.
• Referrals – More likely to recommend you to their network.
• Reviews –  More likely to leave positive assessments of your business online.
• Competitive edge – Stand out from the competition.
• Increased revenue – More business for you and your company.

When used as part of an overall strategy to build the customer experience, apps for contractors can improve your business’s internal efficiency and help create a more seamless customer experience.

How Digital Forms Improve Customer Interactions

Apps for contractors are designed to transform how you do business with customers.

Traditional paper forms create manual work for your employees, and it gives your business and the customer very limited visibility into the work being performed. Savvy contractors are instead relying on digital forms and communications instead of paper, so they can provide greater transparency for the customer. With apps for contractors, the entire process is handled digitally.

How it works

Our contractor apps enable you to streamline your process by digitizing the paper forms you use. Digital records reduce the time your team spends completing standard forms and allow them to be more productive. Mobile checklists can be completed in the field on a smartphone or tablet and shared immediately. Our apps for contractors eliminate the duplication of effort and the possibility of clerical errors that often occur when generating routine daily, weekly, or monthly reports. Routine reports are generated from digital data, enabling you to collect, process, analyze, and share information in minutes.

Apps for contractors help to increase transparency and communication with customers, suppliers, and the home office. Real-time data reporting will help you streamline and integrate every step of your business process, from the initial contact with your customer to invoice and payment processing. Additionally, by digitizing your data with apps, the information you need is at your fingertips, whether in the office or the field.

From Quote to Cash

With GoCanvas’ apps for contractors, you can streamline the quote or estimate, invoice digitally, process payment, and easily share digital reports detailing all of the transactions. Digital data ensures that calculations are accurate and error-free by removing the need for duplication of entries. In addition, GoCanvas apps ensure that your sales team and field service representatives always have the latest pricing information when data is pulled from the cloud to their mobile device on-site.

Digital Quotes and Estimates

Using apps like our digital estimate template, you can turn your paper estimates into dynamic digital forms that simplify the bidding process. Our mobile digital estimates app is an intuitive, easy-to-use, and comprehensive app that eliminates inefficient duplication of paperwork, reducing costly errors, and increasing your profitability.

With our digital estimates app, data such as prices and parts is auto-populated into the form, reducing time and errors. As a result, your field representatives can quickly and accurately calculate material and labor costs and provide estimates immediately. In addition, because data is stored in the cloud, estimates can be shared, reviewed, and updated instantly anytime or anywhere.

Digital Invoicing 

Digital Invoices with GoCanvas help to simplify the invoice process for your field technicians and enable them to generate professional, branded invoices directly from their mobile devices. Field representatives can collect and enter pertinent data on the site, automatically calculate costs, and create invoices immediately before leaving the location. 

In addition, data can be integrated with your accounting and inventory software (QuickBooks or similar systems) to eliminate the need to duplicate data entries manually.

Payment Processing

Finally, when the job is over, GoCanvas provides digital payment processing in our app that integrates directly with Square to enable you to collect payments quickly and immediately.

Invoices along with detailed digital reports are produced rapidly on-site, and payment processing is at your fingertips. Our apps for contractors can improve your cash flow, eliminating the need to create and send paper invoices and wait for the client’s payment. Customers will prefer this experience, giving them the ability to review documents digitally and pay securely through a credit card.

Strengthen the Customer Experience and Win More Business

GoCanvas apps for contractors are powerful tools that can help you strengthen the customer experience and provide the digital interactions that customers have come to expect in today’s digital era. Using GoCanvas templates and digitizing your paper forms, your field representatives and technicians can improve the accuracy and efficiency of customer interactions. 

Through powerful integrations, you can enable your teams on-site and in the field with the latest information and give them the ability to quickly and easily perform work digitally. This saves time for your workers, creates efficiencies for your business, and creates an effortless experience for the customer. Contact us any time to learn more about the GoCanvas suite of tools for contractors.

What is a material schedule in construction?

The material schedule in construction is a document that lists all of the building materials that are required to complete the project. Material schedules are often organized based on the category for the building, with different schedules for each component. The material schedule often will include additional information such as the quantity, description, unit price, total price, and other relevant information related to the building materials.

How to prepare a material schedule in construction

For complex construction projects, there are enterprise software solutions that allow you to create a material schedule. But if you don’t have a large IT budget for technology, there are many low-cost alternatives for preparing a material schedule in construction that can help with project management. One such option to consider is using the GoCanvas material schedule template that can be built using our no-code platform for mobile forms and apps.

Why you should avoid Excel templates for a material schedule

Excel templates are available for material schedules, but this is not always the best option for businesses today. Excel is a powerful tool for analysis, but not always the right tool for every job. Some of the pitfalls of Excel templates include:

• Human error. Information can be overwritten by mistake and it becomes hard to recognize these errors when dealing with larger volumes of data.
• Incorrect calculations. It can be difficult to perform calculations in Excel and a formula error can lead to incorrect pricing calculations that are hard to notice.
• Lost data. If documents are stored locally on your PC, it’s always possible that the document gets inadvertently lost or destroyed before you can save it.
• Data is not dynamic. Most of the time in Excel the information being input is updated at a given point in time. Should prices change, the data has to be manually updated, and this can be time-consuming to keep up with.

Your contracting business can’t afford to waste time or lose money – Excel templates can become a hidden cost and drain on your business. That’s why contractors are turning to mobile apps and forms that create business efficiencies and cost savings.

Top Reasons to use GoCanvas for Material Schedule Templates

GoCanvas templates are simple for anyone to use. Using our drag and drop editor, you can create digital documents that can be used for all types of construction forms. 

Instead of using paper sheets, Google Sheets, or Excel, you can convert these documents into digital forms and apps that elevate your business operations. This can be material schedules, work orders, contracts, safety reports, and any other important documents your business uses throughout all phases of a project. Some of the top reasons to use GoCanvas templates include:

• Secure, cloud-based data. Ensure best practices are met for data collection, using secure mobile forms and apps that digitize key business information. Ensure material schedules are accessible by anyone that needs them in real-time.
• Integrations with other apps. Once your information is digitized, you can enrich this information with data from any other cloud-based apps your business already uses. Dynamically populate pricing information in real-time to ensure the material schedule created always has the current numbers.
• Automatic report generation and sharing. Generate reports, gather signatures, and share documents automatically via PDF templates for material schedules.

• Customizable form fields. Customize the form fields based on your unique business needs and do it all without any coding required. Create separate material schedules for different projects or customize the type of information that is included.
• Embracing mobile technology. With mobile apps and forms, you can keep track of material design and parts shipments no matter where you are. Work offline from any remote location and have any information sync back to the cloud once you are able to access the internet again. 

Going digital with GoCanvas can save your construction business time and money, increase productivity, and create a competitive advantage.

Download the free material schedule template

When it comes to construction management and placing purchase orders, it can be difficult for builders to stay on top of everything that a construction project and building contract require. Use this template provided by GoCanvas to help with scheduling construction projects and tracking building materials. GoCanvas customers have found that by going digital they can save time and lower costs with apps designed for the construction industry. Management can use this app to ensure the appropriate material resources are tracked and available. The app is designed to be a planning tool to ensure the complete delivery of your construction project to your client on time through proper site preparation.

Get started with this template or simply request a demo to see how it can work for your business.