Time Is (Lost) Money

Tempo offers some neat features: You can either track time in running minutes. Just start the clock and then enter tags or job codes on the fly. Or post your logs after the fact as in traditional time-sheet software. Tempo then takes that data and places it in a central online storage area that you can access later. And, assuming you upgrade to a pay version of Tempo, you can then analyze that information, compare one time sheet to another and accurately track data from various jobs. I must say nothing beats being able to see what my assistant Nick was up to every day. And over the course of several weeks his time sheets were definitely more accurate.

But as intriguing as Tempo was, it is still time-tracking software. It will take work to get your people to use it. Expect to spend a good couple of weeks getting folks to understand what is expected of them. And I would have them file both traditional invoices and log their live hours at least a couple of pay periods to get over the transition. Tempo can get pricey. For example, the code requires a $9-a-month upgrade version, which adds up if you have many employees.

I asked Tempo founder and President Stephen Lombardo about the invoicing upcharge, and he said the code originally was meant to be a time-tracking solution. Billing was not the primary focus. But as the product has grown, so has demand for certain services.