Five Ways the Cloud Improves Workforce Productivity
New cloud-based solutions are making it easier for many companies to optimize workforce productivity. Specifically, cloud-based time tracking and management software can help you keep your workforce busy, without bogging them down with busy work, and provide you with the transparency you need to hold them accountable. Here’s how:
They’re in the cloud: A 100% cloud-based solution offers numerous benefits, including easy implementation, fast startup and anywhere, anytime access. They remove the hassle and costs of periodic upgrades and maintenance, because everything is delivered efficiently and transparently in the cloud. Productivity increases as IT staff is relieved of administrative and maintenance tasks required for managing on-premise equipment and software. And because cloud solutions are accessible anywhere with a browser and Internet connection, your workforce can be just as productive on or off-site—even on the road—whenever they need to get work done.
They deliver automation: Automation is essential for maximizing your employees’ productivity. When you eliminate manual tasks with automated solutions, you free up employees to focus on revenue-generating activities. Many cloud solutions automate business-critical processes, eliminating menial, time-consuming tasks that drain resources and waste money. For example, tracking employee hours on paper timesheets is extremely inefficient, leading to hours spent gathering timesheets, entering hours manually into payroll systems, and finding and fixing errors. According to the American Payroll Association, it can take up to 7 minutes for supervisors to check a single timecard. Imagine doing this for hundreds of employees! With the always-online cloud, manual, paper-intensive processes are out of the picture.
They provide transparency: A wise person once said, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Cloud-based employee time tracking software gives you better visibility into how your employees are spending their time and how productive they actually are. A time tracking solution with integrated resource utilization and expense management capabilities can boost productivity further by helping to improve overall project management and delivery.
They improve scheduling: Companies lose money every day that resources aren’t fully utilized, and risk losing talent by overloading employees. Poor scheduling can impact productivity and result in revenue leakage from costly overtime payments. Online, collaborative software solutions that provide real-time insight into skill sets and availability help you source projects efficiently, ensure talent is never left on the bench and help you avoid over-taxing staff with too many responsibilities. When project management is closely tied to time and resource management, you have a more holistic view of your resource pool so you can plan effectively.
They encourage collaboration: With greater transparency into real-time time and expense data, projects run more smoothly. Instant accessibility to the information they need means employees can collaborate and work productively with their team members at all times.
Time and expense management solutions aren’t the only productivity applications that are finding a home in the cloud, but if you’re just beginning to dabble in cloud-based tools, they’re a great place to start.
