Time Tracking - Capture Time in Xeppo

Time Tracking - Capture Time in Xeppo!

Time can now be captured against Clients, Groups, Activities and Projects. This allows a practice to gain insight into their cost-to-serve a client or client group, and evaluate the time spent on projects and activities. Xeppo's landing page has now been update to include snapshot of the time you have recorded for the day, the week to date, last week and the month to date.

Time captured can also be allocated against a Job and Task in Xero Practice Manager. In the latest release, time entries can be synced back to XPM, reducing the need to leave Xeppo to timesheet for a billable task.

In addition, Estimated Duration can be added into Activities and Projects to enable practices to compare estimated vs actual time. 

This article covers:

• Requirements to use and access the Time Tracking features in Xeppo
• How to add and edit time against Clients, Groups, Activities and Projects
• Capturing Estimated Duration within Activities and Projects
• Advanced time search options in the Activities App
• Syncing time to jobs and tasks in your connected Xero instance(s) - XPM 2-way sync available now
• Analytical insights with Xeppo Insights in Power BI
• FAQ's and troubleshooting

Pre-requisite Requirements

To have this feature enabled for your practice please see the criteria below and the next steps to enable this feature:

• The practice must be on the latest Xeppo agreement and pricing model
• The user must have a Professional user licence
• If syncing time to XPM, the data sync capabilities enabled for the Xero suite and the settings configured

To understand more about the requirements, or if you already meet the requirements and would like Time Tracking enabled, please send us an email to [e-mail].

Add, View and Edit Time

Time can be captured against a Group, Client, Activity or Project. From within any of these areas simple select the Time tab. From here you will then be able to add a new time entry, view previous time entries and edit time entries. The views and functions are outlined below.

Time from a Client or Group record

Use the Client Selector to update the view of the Time Summary grid below, pivoting the view to show previous time entries for either the entire group, or a specific member of the group. The default shown will be dependent upon if you have selected the Time tab from a group or client record. 

The Time Summary grid will show time entries for the Client or Group selected. Details viewable and editing options include:

• The user who recorded the time and date.
• If the time is attached to the client or group directly, activity or project and the name of the client or group it relates to.
• Project name and activity title will be populated where applicable.
• The time recorded is displayed in HH:MM format.
• Whether or not the time recorded was billable.
• If it relates to a job and task in XPM, and if it the time entry has been synced to the source connector.
• Edit or delete time entries if required. Note this function will not be available if the time has already synced to your source connectors. You can still make these changes in XPM which will then return the changes back to Xeppo.
• Drag and drop headings to easily segregate the entries. For example, you can look at the view for the whole group, but group the time entries together for the different entities rather than just a singular list.
• Filter data in the grid by selecting the funnel icon to display additional filters.

Selecting Create Time Entry will display the form to capture a new time entry.

Details captured here are:

• The entity type and group or client that the entry relates to - this will be prepopulated based on where you have Create Time Entry from, but can be changed if it relates to a different entity type, client or group.
• The date and amount of time recorded. Enter the time in HH:MM format or click on the clock icon for incremental selections if you prefer. Alternatively, if you type .5, this will display as 30 minutes.
• Where related jobs and tasks are available from XPM, select these if applicable. Note if not configured in the settings, these drop down boxes will not display.
• Use the billable check box to indicate if this time is billable.
• A notes section is provided for you to capture any other detail you may want to add relevant to the time record.
• Select Save once you have entered the necessary detail.

Time from Activities and Projects

Once an Activity or Project has been created, the Time tab will be available where you can capture, view and edit time that relates to that specific Activity or Project. There is not a client selector as any time shown here relates to the entity tied to the Activity/Project.

The Time Summary grid will show time entries for the Activity or Project you are within.

Details viewable and editing options include:

• The user who recorded the time and date.
• If the time is attached to the client or group directly, activity or project and the name of the client or group it relates to.
• Project name and activity title will be populated where applicable.
• The time recorded is displayed in HH:MM format .
• Whether or not the time recorded was billable.
• If it relates to a job and task in XPM, and if it the time entry has been synced to the source connector.
• Edit or delete time entries if required. Note this function will not be available if the time has already synced to your source connectors. You can still make these changes in XPM which will then return the changes back to Xeppo.
• Drag and drop headings to easily segregate the entries. For example, you can look at the view for the whole group, but group the time entries together for the different entities rather than just a singular list.
• Filter data in the grid by selecting the funnel icon to display additional filters.

Selecting Create Time Entry will display the form to capture a new time entry.

Details captured here are:

• The entity type and the title of the current activity or group you're in - this will be prepopulated based on where you have Create Time Entry from, but can be changed if it relates to a different entity type, client or group.
• The date and amount of time recorded. Enter the time in HH:MM format or click on the clock icon for incremental selections if you prefer. Alternatively, if you type .5, this will display as 30 minutes. 
• Where related jobs and tasks are available from XPM, select these if applicable. Note if not configured in the settings, these drop down boxes will not display.
• Use the billable check box to indicate if this time is billable.
• A notes section is provided for you to capture any other detail you may want to add relevant to the time record.
• Select Save once you have entered the necessary detail.

My Time

When logging into Xeppo, you will now see a Time Summary as part of the landing page, providing that this is enabled and you have the appropriate uses licence and permission. This is designed to give you a quick snapshot of the time you have recorded for the day, week to date, last week and the month to date. Clicking any of the tiles will direct you to the Search Time page in the Activities App.

Please note that on this landing page the weekly snapshots use a period of Sunday to Saturday, and monthly snapshots represent a calendar month.

Estimated Duration

Estimated Duration, can be entered for both Activities and Projects, and is also compatible with templates.

• Activities: Estimated duration can be entered in hours and minutes, or calculated automatically based on the start and end time entered. Xeppo will only automatically calculate the time when there is less than 24 hours difference between the start and end time, and can be overridden. The field is available on the Edit tab.
• Projects: Estimated Duration can be entered in hours under the Details tab, the field is located on the left hand side.

Within a Project Time Tab, you can view the estimated Project duration, and the combined Activity estimated time from the Activities within the Project. You can also view the actual time recorded so far, and how much time is remaining. The remaining time is calculated based on the estimated project time, however, if no time is recorded in the estimated project field, this will be calculated based on the estimated activity time.

Syncing Time with XPM

A 2-way sync option is available for practices that use Xero Practice Manager. The 2-way sync allows a user to:

• Select a Job and Task from XPM when creating a time entry in Xeppo. Note that you must be allocated to the Job in XPM. Please see the FAQ's at the end of this article for troubleshooting.
• Have the time entry automatically sync entry back to XPM for time sheeting and billing purposes.

How does it work?

• The 2-way sync happens automatically every day at approximately 7pm ACST, however you can sync manually if you require the sync to be performed sooner. This is done via Activities App > Admin > Settings > Time Sync and selecting the Sync Now option next the relevant XPM site(s) you wish to sync.
• Users can see if the time entry has been synced to XPM from the indicator in the Sync Status column.
• Prior to being synced, a time entry can be edited or deleted from Xeppo.
• After being synced, you will not be able to edit or delete a time entry from Xeppo. If you need to alter these entries, this can be done in the source system, which will then be reflected back in Xeppo.
• As always, if you have an feedback please send it to [e-mail]. We welcome your input and it's value in developing our features.

Below explains what users will be able to successfully Sync time from Xeppo to XPM.

Time Sync Configuration

For jobs and tasks from Xero Practice Manager to be available in Xeppo to have time allocated against, configurations must be completed.

To display jobs and tasks for selection when adding a new time entry. First complete the configuration by switching on those that you wish to have available. To set this up, go to the Activities App > Admin > Settings > Time Sync. Use the toggles to make your selections.

A standard 3 month time sync window has been introduced, meaning that in the background, Xeppo will always sync changes to time entries for a rolling 3 month period, for connectors with time sync enabled. Where there is a need to sync entries for a longer or custom period, this can be done through the Activities App > Admin > Settings > Time Sync. Applicable connectors will have a Sync Now option, allowing you to sync time entries for custom time frame. This feature is also useful for turning on Time Sync initially.

The above assumes your data sync function is already enabled and you are simply enabling the time sync for your Xero instances, and you have the relevant permissions to access the settings area.

Search Time Entries

You can search time across all entities in the Activities App. Go to Activities App > Time > Search Time. You will also find advanced searches in the same menu for Search Billable Jobs and Search Billable Tasks.

In here you can:

• Use the filter and display options to build custom searches and views
• Save views
• Export data

Powerful Reporting at your Fingertips!

Xeppo has a range of reporting options to help you understand where time is spent in your business, including:

• Cost-to-serve and profitability of clients
• Staff productivity and profitability
• Internal tasks vs client work
• Estimated vs actual duration for tasks workflow to pinpoint where these may be taking longer that usual or is inconsistent across team members
• Overlaying your staff costs, charge out rates and FTE and client revenue to auto calculate all of the above!

If you want to know more about our Insights Premium or custom reporting options, send your enquiry to [e-mail].

FAQ's & Troubleshooting

Q: Why can't I see the time tab in my view of groups, clients, activities or projects?

A: Possible Cause	Next Steps
The time tracking feature has not been enabled for your practice	See Pre-requisite requirements (in this article) to have the time tracking feature enabled and how to contact Xeppo to express your interest in this feature.
You don't have Professional user licence in Xeppo	Speak to the person who is the administrator of your Xeppo portal to discuss the licence type required for your role.
You have a Professional user licence but don't have the capabilities enabled	Even with a Professional user licence, practices have control over users permissions and capabilities. Speak to the administrator of your Xeppo portal to discuss the permissions and capabilities required for your role.

Q: I'm trying to edit or delete a time entry. Why are those options not available?

A: Where a Job and Task is listed against the time entry, and this has been synced back to  XPM, you will not be able to make any changes to the time entry in Xeppo. You can still make changes to these records in your systems, which will then be reflected in Xeppo. If you are making a change in XPM that was more than 3 months ago, you will need to do a manual sync to cover that period.

Q: I can create a time entry but can't pick a job and task from my Xero connectors?

A: If the drop down boxes are not visible at all, it means the settings have not been configured. See the section on Time Sync Configuration in this article.

Another reason could be related to permissions stemming from XPM.  For example:

• You do not have the permissions/capabilities or are not allocated to the Job in XPM
• There are no jobs or tasks for the entity
• Your user email for Xeppo and your user email for XPM do not match