Workpuls Teramind ActivTrak Hubstaff DeskTime Time Doctor RescueTime Kickidler Veriato Work Examiner
OVERVIEW
Price $6/user/month $6/user/month $7.20/user/month $7/user/month $7/user/month $9.99/user/month $6/user/month $9.99/user/month $150/licence/year $60/licence (lifetime)
Free trial 7 days 7 days No 14 days 14 days 14 days 30 days 7 days Yes 30 days
Ease of use Very easy Difficult Very easy Easy Easy Very easy Very easy Very easy Very difficult Easy
TRACKING METHODS
Unlimited (tracker working 24/7)
Fixed (defined working hours)
Automatic (when computer is connected to a specified network)
Manual (start/stop)
Project based (track time only on projects)
GENERAL MONITORING FEATURES
Stealth mode
App and website usage
Real-time monitoring
Offline time tracking
Attendance
Activity levels
Keylogger
Geolocation
Remote desktop control
Website/activity blocking
SCREENSHOTS AND RECORDING
Screenshots
Screenshots on demand
Screen recording
PRODUCTIVITY FEATURES
Productivity trends
Websites and apps labeling
Category labeling
Productivity alerts
ADVANCED SECURITY FEATURES
User behavior analytics
Data loss prevention
Advanced file and web monitoring
REPORTING
Productivity reports
Team reports
Timelines
Email reports
Access management
PLATFORMS
Web
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app
Mobile app iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android Android
Browser extension Chrome Chrome Chrome
Other Citrix, VMware Chrome OS
OTHER
Support Phone, email, online Phone, email, online Phone, email, online Email, online Phone, email, online, in-person Online Phone, email, online Email, online, Viber, Whatsapp Phone, email, online, support ticket Phone, email, online
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Integrations comming soon
API
Deployment cloud, on-premise cloud, on-premise, AWS, Azure cloud cloud cloud cloud cloud on-premise cloud, on-premise on-premise
Kronos Humanity Timeclockplus Tsheets Wheniwork Deputy Replicon Jibble EbilityTimeTracker OnTheClock BeeBole
OVERVIEW
Price(per month)Available upon requestFrom $2 per userAvailable upon requestFrom $6.40 per user+$16Free for up to 75 usersFrom $2.50 per userBasic plan:$30 for 5 users+$5 per additional userFrom $1.50 per employeeFrom $4 per user+$8From $2.20 per user$5.99 per user per month
Free trial30 days14 daysYes14 days14 days14 days30 days30 days,no credit card required
Ease of useDifficultEasyDifficultVery easyEasyEasyDifficultVery easyEasyEasyEasy
FEATURES
Timecard management
Scheduling
Shift Trading
Timesheets
Break time management
Real-time tracking
PTO Management
Payroll
Invoicing
Client billing
GPS tracking
Clock out reminders
Alerts
Manual time
PUNCH-IN METHODS
Web app
Mobile app
Time clock device
Time clock kiosk
Facial recognition
Fingerprint scanning
Geofencing
Group punch-in
REPORTING
Visual reports
Email reports
Time rounding
MANAGEMENT
Permissions
Manager approvals
Add time for others
Integrations
PLATFORMS
Web
Android app
iOS app
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app
OTHER
SupportPhone and onlinePhone and onlinePhone,chat and onlinePhone and chatEmail and onlineChat and phonePhone,email,chat and onlinePhone and onlinePhone,email,chat and onlinePhone and onlineOnline chat and video support in English,French,and Spanish
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Community forum
API
Workpuls Hubstaff Toggl TimeDoctor Harvest TimeCamp Timely Everhour Tick TMetric
OVERVIEW
Price (per month) $6 per user $5.83 per user $9 per user $9.99 per user $10.80 per user $5.25 per user $99 for 5 users $7 per user $19 for 10 projects $5 per user
Free trial 7 days 14 days 30 days 14 days 30 days Yes 14 days 14 days 30 days 30 days
Ease of use Very easy Difficult Difficult Very easy Easy Very easy Easy Difficult Very easy Difficult
TIME TRACKING METHODS
Manual
Start/stop buttons
Automatic time mapping
IN-DEPTH TASK AND PROJECT ANALYSIS
Screenshots
App and website usage
Activity levels coming soon
Real-time tracking
TASK AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project adding
Project templates
Project status
Task assignment
Task priorities
Budgeting coming soon
Mark billable/non-billable hours
Payroll calculation
Invoicing
ALERTS
Idle time reminders
Deadline alerts coming soon
Budget alerts coming soon
REPORTING
Client login
Productivity analysis
Email reports coming soon
PLATFORMS
Web
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app coming soon
iOS app Beta
Android app
Browser extension Chrome Chrome, Firefox Chrome Chrome Chrome, Firefox Chrome Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge
OTHER
Support Phone and online Email and online Email and online Online Online, email and phone Email, online and support ticket Email and chat Email and chat Email Chat
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Integrations coming soon
API
On-premise hosting

Time drains sneak up on you. 


It seems like it was just yesterday you made the decision to hire a virtual assistant, and now you have dozens of people across time zones working on different projects at different times. 


On the surface, you may be elated by how much time you’re saving by utilizing a virtual workforce. But the unsettling reality is that dozens or hundreds of hours of time might be getting consistently wasted due to your virtual team’s time management.  


After all, time is money, particularly when you have multiple people on the clock. 


The following article explores the importance of virtual assistant time management for large organizations, how you can improve their VA team's performance, and tools that make managing your team less time-consuming.

The Importance of Time Management

The same 24-hour clock binds all people and organizations, and those that make the most out of their time tend to rise to the top. 


If you're reading this article and already rely on -- are thinking about using --  virtual assistant services, we probably don't need to discuss the conceptual value of time management. 


However, it's easy to overlook the scale simple productivity tweaks can have on your business: shaving just five minutes off a repetitive process can unlock  thousands or even millions of dollars in annual revenue for many enterprise-level organizations. 


Time management is essential if you are managing large teams of virtual assistants. Time, attendance, vacation, breaks, and other activities can become daunting to manage effectively . And, if left unchecked for too long, thousands of hours of valuable time can slip through the cracks. 


How to Optimize the Management of Virtual Assistants 


The key to virtual assistant time management is finding a balance between keeping your virtual assistants as productive as possible while ensuring all the important tasks they’re doing don’t diminish in quality. 


A simple enough equation, but one that can be challenging in practice.


The bulk of wasted virtual assistant time stems from poor planning, lacking direction, and inadequate screening. It's a tall order to ask an entire virtual team to deliver perfection when effective systems and structures are absent  .


Yes, productivity software can help you optimize your virtual assistant time management; but optimization also depends on a strong, consistent foundation. 


This means time management shouldn’t be thought of in isolation or quick fixes a shortcut is not a time management hack. 


Proper virtual assistant systems and structures aren’t built on cutting corners – they are built on the most effective way to complete tasks, clarity on time required, and then constantly benchmarking performance.



One clear final deliverable

Better management and productivity in your business start with explicitly defining what that perfect final deliverable is in concrete and “un-mess-upable” terms.


When you know what the final outcome must look like, it makes charting the path to get there clearer, more efficient and less prone to time slippage.


So, before pushing a new process to your virtual assistant team, start by demonstrating what the final deliverable must look like, then break down the process to get there into a simple step-by-step list. 


Each step should have a concrete completion point before moving to the next. And, when each is followed to a tee, the final outcome expected will be near-guaranteed every time. 


The right person for the job

Proper time management begs the question, for whom? It all starts with having the right virtual assistant for the job.


Determine which skill sets the current task requires, and delegate those specific tasks to a virtual assistant with the most complimentary skillset. 


There are hundreds of different virtual assistant jobs and a “one size fits all” approach is inevitably going to lead to extreme inefficiencies.


For example, a research-savvy virtual assistant will be best for tasks that require finding the information you need. In contrast, if it’s real-time customer service you need, that’s the specialty you need to hire for.. 


Devise the perfect plan

Dwight Eisenhower once said, "planning is everything, the plan is nothing." 


In other words, a plan isn’t worth much until it’s proven to work. An excellent virtual assistant plan not only teaches your virtual assistants what to do, but how to think.


Getting feedback on how your virtual assistants perceive each step involved with completing their work requires opening a feedback loop. 


Have a friend or another member of your team perform the step-by-step list themselves before handing it over to a virtual assistant. Give them the same onboarding context as you would your virtual assistants. Once complete, analyze whether your plan worked as expected, solicit feedback and refine before putting it into action via your virtual assistant team. 


You should know your process backward and forwards before taking it to virtual assistants, and then consistently testing and iterating as new performance data enters the fray. 

 

Data is your friend


To truly understand how effective your virtual assistants are, you need data on your side. 


Data lets you objectively understand how virtual assistants use their time and their productivity levels. No more relying on hunches or assumptions.


Productivity software such as Insightful makes it possible for businesses to monitor individual and team productivity over specific periods (such as the time when a new cohort of virtual assistants joined your team), benchmark top performers (to understand why they excel, and why others aren’t), and support employee overall wellbeing. 



Final Thoughts


At the end of the day, every aspect of your virtual assistant workforce comes down to processes, even the process of how you evaluate time management. 


Employee productivity monitoring tools with a user-friendly KPI dashboard, like that of Insightful, allow you to gauge virtual workforce performance while simultaneously maintaining a feedback loop to enhance it. 


The objectivity of the data you get from the virtual assistant software cuts through the noise that comes with a hustling and bustling virtual assistant workforce to accurately see how effective and efficient your processes are.



This continuous flow of real-time data that software like Insightful provides makes it easier for organizations to model and reward best performers based on their productivity. 


It drives employee and team growth, via data-backed transparency that helps virtual assistant teams gauge their own performance.


By letting the data speak for itself, organizations are able to see bottlenecks and average task accomplishment rates so that they can better help their virtual assistants stay healthy and motivated. 



We’ve reserved a 7-day free trial for you….

Want your hybrid or remote team to be more productive?

Claim your free 7-Day full feature trial of Insightful today. Insightful’s actionable work insights make your team more productive, efficient and accountable.

Ready to Take Full Control Of Your Workplace?

Try the simplest solution today…

Start Free Trial