The 4 Best Time Tracking and Billing Software Built for Consultants

In order to estimate hours and stay on budget, consultants need to track their time accurately. Without proper time tracking, projects can run over time, go over budget, and or overall hurt the company’s bottom line.

In this article, we look at the benefits of integrated billing and time tracking software. We also highlight the top four software options and give tips on how to choose the best one for your business.

The Power of Integrated Time Tracking and Billing Software

Integrating a time tracking software and billing software helps with several project management elements:

• Hitting deadlines: Keeping projects on time.
• Improving T&M management: Improving understanding of time and material resources.
• Managing progress: Visualizing project’s progress clearly and adjusting hours or budget based on real-time data.
• Simplifying budgeting: Improve your future budgets by collating data.
• Invoicing clients: Simplifying clients invoicing with phases and with markups.
• Managing teams: Understanding the team’s progress and productivity with clearly tracked hours.

What Should Consultants Look for in Time Tracking and Billing Software?

When evaluating time tracking and billing software for consultants, you need to ensure that it is easy to use. Busy employees need to be able to input their hours quickly and efficiently. 

Choosing a cloud-based system also helps make time tracking easy for employees. Even when employees or subcontractors are out in the field, they can access cloud-based software to submit time daily. Submitting timesheets every day makes the data more accurate, and managers can view the data in real time.

Top 4 Time Tracking and Billing Software for Consulting Firms [2024]

1 - Aldoa

Aldoa is built for environmental consulting firms, so its time tracking and billing features are optimized for consulting projects. Timesheets are linked to each project's phases and tasks. In other words, employees are clearly linked to their assigned tasks. This feature enables project managers to improve estimations and compare performance with ease. 

Tasks are connected to the project phases, and the time spent on each task. With that information, billing clients becomes easier. Aldoa also allows managers to make fast adjustments to spending if projects go over budget. In this way, Aldoa protects the company’s bottom line. 

Aldoa’s full, line-to-line QuickBooks integration also improves bookkeeping and accounting. When managers analyze that data, they can view the time spent by phase, paystubs by employee, and the markup sent to the client.

Standout features:

• Easy time tracking with templates
• Comprehensive task management
• Links tasks to time spent
• Generate and bill invoices
• Real time data
• Reports and Dashboards
• Line to line integration with QuickBooks

2 - Toggl Track

Toggl Track aims to reduce time spent on admin. It allows employees to track time quickly with integrations and a browser extension.

With Toggl Track, managers can bill clients based on the accurate hours that employees have submitted. These hours can be downloaded as client-facing invoices. Toggl Track also has a QuickBooks integration for accounting and dashboards to assess project profitability based on employee hours.

3 - TimeCamp

TimeCamp’s main time-tracking features include a tagging system, one-click timers, and project imports. Once employees submit their hours, project managers can review and approve them.

Managers can set adjustable rates for each employee, and then push timesheets to bill. TimeCamp’s integrations can send invoices to QuickBooks, PayPal, or other accounting and payment systems. Invoices can be exported by pdf, email, or link. 

4 - Harvest

Harvest provides an intuitive timesheet solution with timers so that employees can track how much time they’ve spent on tasks. It also enables employees to connect Harvest to their calendars so they can accurately see how they spend their time. Their customizable notifications ensure people don’t forget to track their time.

For billing, Harvest integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, PayPal, and Stripe to improve accounting and payments. Tasks can be added to the invoice with billable hours.

How to Choose the Right Software for Your Needs

When analyzing different timesheet and invoicing software options for consultants, you need to consider a few key differentiators:

• An intuitive interface is crucial for employee adoption. If the tool is difficult to use, then employees will put off inputting hours making the data less accurate. 
• It should be easy for managers to use, approve timesheets, and create reports based on real-time data.
• Key integrations with accounting, payment, and other tools can increase productivity.

To help with choosing a software, schedule a free demo to see how the tool will apply to their business. Asking questions about usability, number of clients, support, training will help the team to evaluate if the solution will solve the issues that the company is currently facing.

Ditch the Timesheets, Embrace Aldoa!

Aldoa goes beyond simple timesheets and embraces consultants’ whole project management process with task tracking, invoicing, and expense tracking.

Increase productivity, decrease manual errors, reduce costs, and make budgeting and management easier with Aldoa.

Case Study: How Aldoa Automated Timesheets and Billing for RMS Environmental 

RMS Environmental was facing internal operational challenges with both billing and timesheets. As the business grew, so did administrative difficulties. Then RMS Environmental discovered Aldoa’s all-in-one solution with automated timesheets, built-in invoicing, and project management tools. 

Aldoa’s ability to manage project deadlines, track timeframes, and integrate financial management all within one platform made managing the business easier. 

RMS Environmental’s founder estimates that: “Aldoa saves 3-4 hours of administrative work per week, translating to approximately $1,000 in savings weekly.”

See How Aldoa Can HelpYour Business: Book A Free Demo Today

Discover how Aldoa can improve your environmental consulting firm’s timesheets, invoicing, and task management.

Book your free demo here.