Is Hybrid Timekeeping Software a Good Fit For Your Firm?

Time tracking needs no introduction to many professionals who traditionally have time-based billing structures. These days time-based billing structures are still prevalent in many professions. However, with the advent of new technologies and AI assistance, the benefits of time tracking go far beyond billing purposes. The crucial element to the effectiveness and therefore ROI of any timekeeping software is the reliability of the time data.

With so many different solutions available, it can be difficult to know which is the best fit for you and your firm. Here we discuss the different ways time keeping apps can work and how these can fit into daily workflow processes and tasks so that you can best assess based on your specific needs.

What is timekeeping software?

Inthe past for time-based billing, attorneys used a stopwatch, pen and paper handy on their desk at all times to record tasks. Lawyers would commonly break down their tasks into 6-minute increments, a practice that remains prevalent today. What has changed, however, is the way in which these were recorded. While there are certainly still places that use pen and paper – or, even more chaotically, post-it notes! – the majority of attorneys and law firms are now using more sophisticated, electronic methods.

Common types of timekeeping solutions include:

• Timesheet software
  This is a digital version of the traditional paper timesheet system. It eliminates physical paperwork and when integrated with other company software, it also eliminates double entry. The timesheet is organized to include all the key fields required for invoicing the work performed to expedite the invoicing process. Basic timesheet applications might just provide a structure for input while more sophisticated applications will help with recall/syncing of matter IDs, narratives, charge codes and other inputs.
• Digital start-stop timers
  These timers replace the manual ones that used to be prevalent on desktops. Individual timers can usually be set up all at once at the start of the day, or as you work, so that you can switch between tasks without having to reset the timer. The drawback is that this is still a very manual process that relies fully on the user to remember to activate/stop the timer running. This method seems the simplest, and is often well accepted by attorneys in practice, but has been shown to have the greatest room for error.

• Automatic, or passive, time-tracking
  These types of time tracking systems will automatically record time spent on tasks or projects. Some work as plugins to specific applications and create accurate logs of the user’s activity in those applications. These automated solutions don’t rely on user intervention to create logs, so they provide an accurate account of a user’s focus and activity. To ensure they are most effective, users should check that they will work across all the key programs/applications that they typically use in their daily work. To assess the fit for your use case, it’s also a good idea to check how the time data is presented and ensure it can easily be integrated into your law firm’s operations.
• User activity monitoring
  These systems will record active and idle times of employees. Some simply track working or idle durations, while others take screenshots or recordings of activities performed. This style of recording comes with the highest privacy concerns and can also be seen as a form of spying and lack of trust between employer and employees. When remote working was forced on many companies due to health regulations, there was a greater demand for this style of recording. In the long term, however, it does not seem to provide the same benefits to users or managers as other types of time tracking do.

What is hybrid timekeeping?

Most time tracking software solutions available offer a single style of time data gathering and input. Hybrid timekeeping is an approach in which the time tracking software brings together multiple styles of input into one interface. This allows users to choose the style of time entry that would suit them for any given project, task or day and it offers the flexibility to switch between them.

WiseTime® is a hybrid system that allows users to switch between computerized timesheet entry, automated time tracking logs and on the go input options. With patented automated tracking at its core, WiseTime worked with clients to implement manual entry options and timesheet capabilities to allow users to enter time in the way that works best for them.  The customer driven developments enhanced firm wide adoption which in turn has resulted in higher ROI for law firms. 

With WiseTime’s hybrid approach users can:

• Use automatically tracked time logs to create timesheet entries
• Use AI and machine learning to detect and categorize activities to the corresponding matter
• Generate a narrative activity summary using AI or write your own
• Create timesheet entries without automated logs for offline time such as court appearances or physical meetings
• Configure idle time prompts to aid with capturing and entering offline activities
• Enter time on the go as by using the mobile friendly timeline in your browser or the add-in for the Outlook app

What makes timekeeping software effective?

Reliable Data
To ensure you receive a good return on your investment, you need to ensure that the software can provide reliable data. This is mainly achieved by the elimination of human error, therefore lessening all reliance on users to start/stop timers or use memory to recall tasks as the primary source of truth.  

By allowing time records to be created automatically, users can intuitively switch between tasks and have accurate time logs without diverting focus to record task information and without compromising the accuracy of the data captured. Ensuring high levels of user adoption across the firm also plays a part in the data’s reliability. This is why it’s important to assess how the software will work with lawyers’ daily tasks when deciding what will be a good fit for your firm. 

Connection to other systems
If you are looking to mainly use it for billing purposes, it really pays off to link/connect it with other systems in the firm. This decreases double entry and increases the accuracy and availability of key data within the timesheet module such as matter IDs and charge codes. For example, a sophisticated sync will let users assign tasks to matters via a real time synced lookup of case files while ensuring closed matters don’t show up and can’t have time assigned to them. WiseTime even uses AI and machine learning to automatically match any identified keywords or matter ID to the correct case file in any automatically collected time records. This makes it easier for users to ensure their timesheet has all the information necessary for invoicing and expedites the billing process.

Insight into efficiency
Law firms are also increasingly using time tracking software to measure productivity and efficiency. By automatically recording tasks, it is easy to accurately account for unbillable hours as well as billable. This gives firms great insight into where improvements can be made. As AI and assistant tools become more prevalent, we may begin to see the decline of the billable hour in favor of fixed fee or project-based billing. Firms that create efficiencies within their workflows will be the ones to thrive in this environment.

Whether you are looking to maximize productivity or minimize the workload when it comes to timekeeping and invoicing, law firms can benefit greatly from time tracking software. To determine the best fit for your firm, do your homework to ensure that the software will let users work in a way that suits them, allows them to track commonly used applications and will interact well with other software or processes in the firm.

Learn more about hybrid timekeeping and how WiseTime and assess the fit for your firm by getting in touch here. We also offer 30 day obligation free trials so you can see for yourself how it can transform your practice.