Toolbox, work processes and data: How we future-proof your TimeLog
What is TimeLog to you? A simple time tracking tool? The glue that holds your work processes together?
1. We focus on your work processes
In 2021, TimeLog celebrated 20 years anniversary. During the last two decades, the IT industry as a whole has moved from primarily pushing boxes to today focusing on implementation, change management and counselling.
Delivering a system supporting the customers’ work processes is often more important than having a technically perfect system.
Personal feedback in VIP user groups
That’s why TimeLog the past year has systematised and structured the way we collect and work with user feedback. This goes both for feature related feedback and feedback on how we can best support the specific work tasks you solve in or with TimeLog. E.g. when you track time, need reimbursement for expenses or submit your timesheet.
Some of the results of this is VIP user groups, Preview features and the product management platform Productboard.
In our VIP user groups, we meet online with users, show new initiatives or features and the group members share their feedback and ideas. If you want to be part of our VIP user groups, you can sign up via the website.
Preview features are available to all customers and are used to do beta releases for new features. The goal is that you can test new features when it suits your schedule, that you select when to implement them and you can provide the feedback, if you like.
Productboard is one of the leading systems when it comes to help product managers understand the customers’ needs and prioritise what to develop next.
We use the system to collect and prioritise wishes to new features based on customer feedback and market insights. In 2020, we made it possible to add receipts in PDF format, which is one of the examples of a new feature we added based on your and other customers’ feedback.
-> How TimeLog and other SaaS companies work with customer feedback in the product development
2. Data security and GDPR more important than ever
The world’s companies take giant digital strides. This means one thing: Data.
Okay, it means more than that. But data is an essential part of it.
Most companies start to realise that it’s not enough to have your own data policies, systems and security procedures under control. You also need to make sure that your partners and suppliers document their standards, policies and procedures for IT security.
The majority of your data is stored externally
Most companies have external data processing. It’s often salary management or bookkeeping that we outsource, or we access certain apps or programs through the cloud. This means that data processing takes place in one form or the other.
When you work with data, there’s always the risk of a security breach. And no matter if the breach or accident happens for you or your supplier, you’re responsible for the security.
Our GDPR work is assessed and approved by independent auditors
To meet the security demands, we’ve spent more than 550 hours the past year to secure and document that:
- Your data is safe
- We’ve the necessary systems, processes and procedures in place to support it
The results are that we in 2021 obtained both two declarations pertaining to GDPR and IT security: ISAE 3000 GDPR and ISAE 3402.
To you it means that:
- You know your data is safe
- You’ve documentation of our processes, systems and procedures
- All processes, documents and procedures are assessed and approved by independent auditors
- We must re-new the ISAE declarations every year, so you know they’re always up to date
3. Stability, stability, stability
If you jump on a plane, are you then most concerned about it taking of and landing on time, or if the food is of Michelin standard?
My guess is the first option. And it’s not much different with a tool like TimeLog. It must work. It also has to be user-friendly, intuitive and look good, but first and foremost, it must work and be stable.
That’s why we’re on a stability journey (to stay in that analogy). Until now, we’ve managed to reduce the number of errors in the system with +80% compared to how it looked a year ago. We’ve also decreased the number of monthly system errors from 263,000 to 3,900.
We’re not there yet, but the stability work is one of our top priorities in the coming years.
4. Professionalism and more resources
Both in relation to product development, how fast you receive answers to your questions and project cooperation, agility is the keyword.
That’s why we’ve increased the capacity in our development team from 16,000 to 30,000 hours a year, and tripled our Customer Success Team to have even more people ready to offer you the best service.
We’ve also expanded our product management team from three to seven people, so we can accelerate and faster turn good ideas into reality in the system. At the same time, all employees in TimeLog have been through a comprehensive training program and are educated in TimeLog’s key areas.
5. Intuitive user experience and design improvements
Nobody reads the manual
Software must be easy to use. Not many have the energy to read the manual. And it’s probably not the administrative tasks around time tracking, invoicing and project management that give you the most joy at work.
We know that. And we understand you.
That’s why we focus on improving the experience you get when you use TimeLog.
In August 2021, TimeLog launched a new, updated design.
Haven’t seen the new design yet? If you’re a customer, you can switch on the new design as a preview feature when you're logged in to TimeLog.
We continue to adjust and improve the design, so you get an even better user experience.
6. Mobile: Hours in, hours out. And ready for invoicing
If you’re in a company where you invoice your time, you know it’s essential to track and submit hours. With due care. 😉
The more simple it is to track time, the more often you do it, and the more exact data you get. (And form the company’s invoicing basis.)
Therefore, the latest two releases in our mobile platform were focused on:
- Making time tracking and mileage registration easy when you’re on the go
- Making it easy to submit hours for approval, so you can invoice them
When you open the mobile app, you can add your from/to address, use the app for navigation and automatically save your travel time.
When you day or week is over, you can submit your timesheet directly from the mobile. You can furthermore use the app to document and submit expenses and receipt via the camera, photos or PDF files.
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If we look into the future, the vision is Mobile first.
At least for everybody who primarily use TimeLog to track time, gain an overview of work time, mileage and expense management. So, in the not too far future, you can avoid logging into TimeLog via your computer. You can just use the app 😊.
7. Data without context are uninteresting
Companies today have endless amounts of data. But is 100 better than 1,000?
It depends on the context... What did the numbers look like last year? How do we perform compared to competitors? And much more...
You have a goldmine of data in your TimeLog system. Our target is for you to use the data in the right context no matter if you want to:
- Do reporting in TimeLog
- Gain the overview of selected KPIs like project margin or hour budgets
- Export data to combine them with data from other business systems
Data management and how we turn data into insights is a big focus area for TimeLog now and in the years to come.
API first
First big step related to data was to expand our REST API in 2021. With the new services, you can use most TimeLog data types and delete, update and fetch data.
8. New product packages to better support your company growth
First of all, the free version of TimeLog called Time doesn’t change. So if you’re happy about using Time and are satisfied with the limited feature set, you can continue using Time as you know it.
Invoicing and Projects turn into Starter, Growth, Professional and Enterprise
Then we have our other packages: Invoicing and Projects. They each come in three versions: Basic, Basic plus and Advanced.
The packages today are targeted two types of companies: Those who invoice and those who don’t.
In the future, you’ll experience that these packages change. The new product packages are: Starter, Growth, Professional and Enterprise, and we collect all fours under one name: TimeLog PSA.
We will grow with you and support you along the way
The target with the new packages is to make it simple to select the package that best suits the needs in your company. At the same time, it’s a scalable solution where the features in each version builds on top of the previous one.
TimeLog: Evolving people and organisations
Maybe you only work with customers on time and material in the beginning, and you don’t have offices in more countries. Then you can select our Growth package. If your company changes: You get customers in more countries, you start to work on fixed price projects as well as subscriptions … Then you simply change package, you don’t need to change system.
In the end of 2021, all new customers are introduced to TimeLog PSA and it is presented on our website.
If you’re an existing customer, the changes don’t happen from one day to another. But if you want to learn more about TimeLog PSA and the new product packages now, you’re welcome to contact Customer Success.
-> Experience TimeLog PSA, see the new packages and all features now
