How Time-Tracking Software Can Help Freelancers Find and Retain More Clients

Many freelancers don’t realize that time-tracking software such as Controlio are about more than just tracking hours spent working. Instead, time-tracking and employee monitoring tools can give freelancers the edge they need to find and retain more clients.

Sound like a bit of a stretch? Keep reading to find out exactly how freelancers can leverage time-tracking to grow their business.

Demonstrate Professionalism and Accountability

Trust is an expensive commodity between freelancers and clients who tend to want assurances that their projects will be handled efficiently and billed fairly. Time-tracking software gives freelancers a way to do just that by documenting work hours clearly and consistently while offering a breakdown of tasks and time spent on them.

The unprecedented transparency of time-tracking makes it perfect to improve trust, and gives freelancers a way to demonstrate their professionalism and accountability. It can make proposals to clients more compelling, and reduce their hesitation when working with freelancers for the first time.

Improving Pricing and Estimates

Accurate pricing is key when trying to attract and retain clients, and is largely linked to how much time each project requires. If freelancers underestimate the time requirement, they risk undercharging and making less than they should - while overestimating it makes their services less competitive.

The historical data from time-tracking will make it easier to come up with a reliable estimate for how long it will take. Not only will this enable freelancers to improve their pricing, but it will also let them set more realistic deadlines.

Preventing Overcommitment by Managing Workloads

Many freelancers end up overcommitting because they fail to judge their workload accurately. This leads to delays, missed deadlines, declining quality, and frustrated clients - which is not good for retention.

The data analytics from time-tracking gives freelancers a way to visualize their current workload and available time when taking on simultaneous projects. That will allow them to avoid biting off more than they can chew and manage their workloads more effectively so they don’t end up losing clients.

Enhancing Focus and Productivity

Using time-tracking software allows freelancers to understand their own work patterns, and use that knowledge to enhance focus and productivity. For example, freelancers can identify peak periods of productivity then work on optimizing their workflows. Or, they could identify common distractions and find ways to eliminate them.

By improving focus and productivity, freelancers will be able to complete tasks more quickly and produce higher quality work - both of which will improve client satisfaction. The more satisfied clients are, the more likely they are to send freelancers repeat work, or even recommend their services to others.

Conclusion

In short, leveraging time-tracking software such as Controlio is a great way for freelancers to increase their value and appeal to prospective and existing clients. In the long term, time-tracking can help build a strong foundation of trust, reliability, and quality - all of which will help build a sustainable and stable freelance business that is able to deliver what clients need.