The 6 Criteria for Good Timesheet Software for IT Services Companies
Choosing timesheet software for an IT services company is not the same as choosing a generic time tracking tool. The IT services business imposes specific constraints that most market tools ignore: managing consultants staffed at client sites, billing by daily rate, producing signed monthly activity reports (CRA), managing multiple simultaneous clients, and regular team rotation. A tool designed for internal teams tracking their own projects doesn't cover these needs.
After discussions with IT services company directors, production managers, and engagement managers, we identified 6 discriminating criteria for evaluating timesheet software in the specific context of IT services companies.
1. Compliant and Signable Activity Report Export
The Activity Report (CRA) is the contractual document that triggers billing for staffing engagements. Timesheet software for IT services companies must be able to generate a monthly CRA in PDF format, structured by day, with working days, absences, and public holidays clearly identified. The CRA must be signable -- ideally with integrated electronic signature -- and exportable in one click. Without this feature, the billing process remains manual, generating delays and errors.
In practice, a poorly formatted or late CRA can delay billing by an entire month. For a consultant billed at EUR 550/day, that's a cash flow delay of at least EUR 11,000.
2. Multi-Client and Multi-Engagement Management
An IT services company simultaneously manages dozens of engagements with different clients. Each consultant may change engagements every 3 to 12 months, or even work on multiple engagements in parallel (shared time). The timesheet software must support a Client > Engagement > Consultant structure with start and end dates per assignment.
The consolidated view is equally important: the production director must be able to see at a glance which consultants are on engagements, which are between assignments, and which CRAs are awaiting validation.
3. Fast Consultant Onboarding
Consultants at IT services companies change engagements regularly. Each new assignment potentially involves a new time entry tool if the client imposes theirs, plus the company's own tool for internal tracking. The timesheet software must therefore be extremely simple: a consultant who arrives Monday morning must be able to log their time Monday evening without training.
Key takeaway: The adoption rate is the invisible criterion that conditions all others. Sophisticated but complex timesheet software won't be used by consultants. And an unfilled CRA is an unbilled CRA.
4. Validation Workflow
In IT services companies, timesheet validation follows a precise circuit: the consultant enters data, the manager validates, the CRA is generated and sent to the client for signature. Some companies add a validation step by the engagement director or the sales manager. The software must support this workflow with automatic notifications, reminders for late submissions, and clear status tracking (draft, submitted, validated, signed).
Without a validation workflow, the production manager spends the first weeks of each month manually chasing consultants. For a company with 30 consultants, that's easily 2 to 3 days of administrative work each month.
5. Link to Billing
The timesheet is the source of truth for staffing billing. The software must automatically calculate the billable amount from the number of days logged, the contractual daily rate, and any special conditions (waiting days, monthly caps, overtime surcharges). Ideally, it generates a pro forma invoice or exports to the billing software.
Key figure: IT services companies that automate the timesheet-to-billing link reduce their average billing delay from 12 days to 3 days, according to field feedback. On annual revenue of EUR 2M, shortening the billing cycle by 9 days improves cash flow by an average of EUR 50,000.
6. Price Per Consultant
An IT services company's business model relies on the margin between the daily rate billed to the client and the consultant's loaded cost. Every euro of fixed cost erodes this margin. The price of timesheet software per consultant per month is therefore a structural criterion, especially for smaller companies where unit margins are tighter.
A tool at EUR 15/consultant/month across 30 consultants represents EUR 5,400/year. At EUR 5/consultant/month, it drops to EUR 1,800/year. The difference funds three days of consulting -- that's not negligible.
Analysis of 4 Solutions: Boondmanager, Timmi, Toggl, Mataee
Boondmanager: The Complete ERP for IT Services
Boondmanager is the best-known solution in the French IT services ecosystem. Launched in 2010, it's a complete ERP that covers the full lifecycle of an IT services company from end to end: CRM, staffing, timesheets, billing, expense reports, HR reporting. It's the historic tool of the sector, used by several hundred IT services companies in France.
What works well:
- Complete functional coverage: Boondmanager covers the entire value chain of an IT services company, from first commercial contact to billing. The timesheet is just one module among others, perfectly integrated with the rest.
- Native CRA: monthly CRA generation is native, with PDF export, validation workflow, and electronic signature. This is the tool's core business.
- Bench tracking: periods between assignments are identified and tracked, with activity rate indicators per consultant.
- Advanced reporting: production dashboards, utilization rates, revenue per consultant, margin per engagement. Key IT services indicators are natively available.
- French ecosystem: French-language support, French legal compliance, understanding of market specificities (Syntec convention, CRA, fixed-price staffing).
What may be problematic:
- Complex onboarding: Boondmanager is an ERP. Feature richness comes at a price: the tool is dense, the interface is busy, and initial configuration takes several days. For an 8-person company, that's a significant time investment.
- High price: the pricing is that of an ERP, not a simple timesheet tool. Starting at EUR 15-20 per user per month (volume-based sliding scale), the total cost for a small company is substantial, especially if only a fraction of features are used.
- Structural rigidity: configuration follows a precise logic (opportunities, engagements, assignments) that doesn't always adapt to the informal processes of small organizations.
- Dated interface: despite regular updates, the ergonomics remain those of a traditional business software, not a modern application. Younger consultants notice.
Scores by criterion:
| Criterion | Score |
|---|---|
| CRA export | 5/5 |
| Multi-client / engagements | 5/5 |
| Fast onboarding | 2/5 |
| Validation workflow | 5/5 |
| Billing link | 5/5 |
| Price per consultant | 2/5 |
Timmi (Lucca): The Timesheet Integrated into the HR Suite
Timmi Temps is the timesheet module of the Lucca suite, a French publisher specializing in HR and administrative tools (Figgo for leave management, Cleemy for expense reports, Pagga for payslips). The approach is modular: you subscribe to the building blocks you need.
What works well:
- Modern, polished interface: Lucca invests heavily in ergonomics. Timmi is visually pleasant, entry is smooth, and the user experience is above market average.
- Native HR integration: if you already use Lucca for leave (Figgo) or expense reports (Cleemy), adding Timmi creates a coherent ecosystem. Absences automatically flow into the timesheet.
- Configurable validation workflow: multi-level validation circuit, automatic reminders, notifications. The process is clear and traceable.
- Good adoption: the intuitive interface facilitates consultant onboarding. Entry is fast and requires no training.
What may be problematic:
- HR orientation rather than IT services: Timmi is designed for time tracking in the HR sense (hours worked, absences, overtime), not in the IT services business sense (client CRA, daily rate, staffing billing). The Engagement > Client > Daily Rate structure isn't native.
- Limited CRA: CRA export exists but is less refined than Boondmanager's. Customizing the format to match each client's specific requirements is limited.
- No native billing link: Timmi manages time, not billing. Moving from validated timesheet to invoice requires an export and reprocessing in another tool.
- Per-module pricing: the price of Timmi alone is reasonable, but if you add Figgo, Cleemy, and Pagga, the bill rises quickly. The total cost of the Lucca suite can exceed that of Boondmanager.
Scores by criterion:
| Criterion | Score |
|---|---|
| CRA export | 3/5 |
| Multi-client / engagements | 3/5 |
| Fast onboarding | 4/5 |
| Validation workflow | 4/5 |
| Billing link | 2/5 |
| Price per consultant | 3/5 |
Toggl Track: The World Leader in Time Tracking
Toggl Track is the most widely used time tracking software in the world, with over 5 million users. Its strong point: ruthless simplicity and a massive integration ecosystem. But Toggl was not designed for French IT services companies.
What works well:
- Extreme simplicity: one click to start a timer, one click to stop it. Manual entry is equally smooth. It's the tool with the best adoption rate in teams.
- Integrations: over 100 native integrations (Jira, Asana, Slack, Google Calendar, etc.). If your consultants use these tools at the client site, synchronization is seamless.
- Solid reporting: reports by project, client, or person, exportable as PDF or CSV. Filters are powerful and visualizations clear.
- Competitive pricing: free version for small teams, paid plans starting at USD 9/user/month. The feature-to-price ratio is excellent for pure time tracking.
- Native mobile app: iOS and Android, functional even offline.
What's missing for IT services companies:
- No CRA concept: Toggl generates hour reports, not activity reports in the format expected by French clients. No structure by business day, no mention of absences, no signature.
- No staffing management: the concept of an engagement with daily rate, assignment dates, and end client doesn't exist. You can simulate it with projects and tags, but it's makeshift.
- No link to IT services billing: the daily rate x days worked calculation isn't native. Moving to an invoice is entirely manual.
- Timer-level granularity: Toggl is built around the timer (start/stop), which generates entries by the minute. In IT services, the relevant granularity is the half-day or full day.
- No French specificities: no management of French public holidays, no Syntec convention, no concept of bench time.
Key takeaway: Toggl is an excellent generalist time tracking tool, but using it to manage timesheets for a French IT services company is like using a screwdriver as a hammer: it works if you force it, but it's not designed for it.
Scores by criterion:
| Criterion | Score |
|---|---|
| CRA export | 1/5 |
| Multi-client / engagements | 3/5 |
| Fast onboarding | 5/5 |
| Validation workflow | 2/5 |
| Billing link | 1/5 |
| Price per consultant | 4/5 |
Mataee: The Timesheet Designed for Services Companies
Mataee is a time tracking SaaS designed for services companies: IT services firms, consulting firms, engineering offices. The approach is intentionally focused: do one thing and do it well, rather than covering the entire value chain like an ERP.
What works well:
- Native Client > Engagement > Phase structure: the data model is designed for services companies. You create a client, assign engagements, break them into phases if needed. The structure matches the daily reality of an IT services company.
- Ultra-fast entry: the 15-minute pill entry system allows consultants to fill their timesheet in under 30 seconds. This is a decisive adoption factor when managing 20 or 50 consultants.
- Immediate onboarding: the interface is intuitive enough for a consultant to log their time from day one, without training. This is a structural advantage when rotations are frequent.
- Monitoring dashboard: consolidated view of current engagements, consumed budgets, assigned consultants. The production director has a clear view of production status.
- Accessible pricing: pricing positioned for small and medium organizations, below that of industry ERPs.
What may be problematic:
- Young product: Mataee is a young tool. The integration ecosystem is still limited, and some advanced features (integrated billing, public API, electronic CRA signature) are on the roadmap but not yet available.
- Not a complete ERP: Mataee doesn't cover CRM, predictive staffing, expense report management, or payroll. If you're looking for an all-in-one tool, this isn't the right option.
- No native mobile app: entry is done via browser (responsive), which works on mobile but doesn't offer the experience of a dedicated app.
- CRA features evolving: CRA generation is functional but less mature than Boondmanager's, which has a 15-year head start on this specific point.
Scores by criterion:
| Criterion | Score |
|---|---|
| CRA export | 3/5 |
| Multi-client / engagements | 4/5 |
| Fast onboarding | 5/5 |
| Validation workflow | 3/5 |
| Billing link | 2/5 |
| Price per consultant | 5/5 |
Comparison Table: The 4 Tools Against the 6 Criteria
Here is the summary of scores assigned to each timesheet software on the 6 criteria specific to IT services companies. Each score is out of 5 points.
| Criterion | Boondmanager | Timmi (Lucca) | Toggl Track | Mataee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRA export | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Multi-client / engagements | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Fast onboarding | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Validation workflow | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Billing link | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Price per consultant | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Total /30 | 24 | 19 | 16 | 22 |
Indicative Pricing Grid (per consultant/month, excl. tax)
| Solution | Entry level | Standard plan | Full plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boondmanager | ~EUR 15 | ~EUR 20 | ~EUR 25 (complete ERP) |
| Timmi (Lucca) | ~EUR 8 | ~EUR 12 | ~EUR 18 (Lucca suite) |
| Toggl Track | EUR 0 (free) | ~EUR 9 | ~EUR 18 (Enterprise) |
| Mataee | Free trial | See pricing | See pricing |
Prices are indicative and vary based on volume, options, and current promotions. Check the official websites for exact pricing.
A few observations on this comparison table:
- Boondmanager dominates on pure business criteria (CRA, billing, workflow). That's logical: it's a specialized IT services ERP with 15 years of maturity. The price reflects this functional depth.
- Toggl is penalized by its generalist positioning. The tool excels at pure time tracking, but it wasn't designed for the French IT services context. The absence of native CRA is a dealbreaker for serious use in staffing engagements.
- Timmi positions itself in between: better than a generalist tool on workflow and compliance, but less complete than an IT services ERP on billing and CRA. Its strength is ergonomics and HR integration.
- Mataee offers the best price-to-adoption ratio: immediate onboarding, accessible pricing, adapted business structure. Its youth shows in CRA and billing features that are still in development.
Key takeaway: The "best" timesheet software for IT services companies doesn't exist in absolute terms. The choice depends on your size, organizational maturity, and what you expect from the tool: a simple timesheet or a complete ERP.
Verdict by Profile: Which Solution Based on Your Company Size?
5 to 15 Consultants
Context: you're a young IT services company or a growing organization. The founder often wears multiple hats as sales, manager, and production director. Processes are still informal, staffing is managed on an Excel file or in the founder's head, and CRAs are produced manually each month.
Priority need: a simple tool that consultants actually use, that generates CRAs painlessly, and that doesn't cost a fortune.
Our recommendation: Mataee or Timmi
At this size, Boondmanager is often oversized. The configuration time and monthly cost aren't justified if you only use the timesheet module. Toggl doesn't cover CRA needs.
Mataee provides the immediate onboarding and accessible pricing that a small IT services company needs. Timmi is a solid alternative if you already use Lucca for leave or expense reports. The choice between the two depends on your existing ecosystem.
Concrete example: A 10-consultant IT services company that moves from Excel to a structured timesheet tool reduces the time spent on monthly CRA production by an average of 60%. Over 12 months, that's the equivalent of 3 to 4 days of administrative work recovered by the director.
15 to 50 Consultants
Context: you've structured your organization with one or more managers, an identified sales process, and probably an administrative or HR manager. Consultants are spread across 10 to 30 simultaneous engagements. Production monitoring is a daily concern.
Priority need: a tool that structures the validation workflow, offers a consolidated production view, and facilitates the link to billing.
Our recommendation: Boondmanager or Mataee
At this size, the validation workflow becomes critical. Manually chasing 30 consultants for their timesheets is no longer viable. Boondmanager provides the functional depth needed -- native CRA, complete workflow, integrated billing -- with a configuration investment that's justified given the volume.
Mataee remains a relevant option if your priority is consultant adoption and you manage billing in a separate tool. The choice depends on your integration needs: a single tool (Boondmanager) or an excellent timesheet tool connected to your existing stack (Mataee).
50+ Consultants
Context: you have a structured organization with engagement directors, managers, an administrative department, and a CFO. Processes are formalized, margins are tracked per engagement, and production reporting is a strategic management tool.
Priority need: a business ERP that covers the entire chain (CRM, staffing, timesheet, billing, reporting) with advanced management indicators (utilization rate excluding leave, net margin per engagement, sales pipeline).
Our recommendation: Boondmanager
Beyond 50 consultants, the question is no longer choosing a timesheet tool but an IT services ERP. The timesheet is just one building block of a larger system. Boondmanager, with its complete functional coverage and maturity in the French market, is the natural choice. The investment in configuration and training is substantial, but it's amortized by scale.
Other ERPs or custom solutions can also be considered. At this size, a precise needs assessment with personalized demos is essential before any choice.
Key figure: The cost of a poor tool choice increases with company size. Migrating 50 consultants from one tool to another takes 3 to 6 months of transition and an estimated hidden cost between EUR 15,000 and EUR 30,000 (training, double entry, lost productivity). Better to invest in the right choice from the start.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing
Choosing timesheet software for an IT services company is a structural decision. Before committing, ask yourself these concrete questions:
1. Is my priority adoption or functional completeness? If your consultants don't fill their timesheets today, the first goal is adoption. Choose the simplest tool. If adoption is achieved and you're looking to optimize the CRA-to-billing chain, go for a business ERP.
2. Do I want a timesheet tool or an ERP? If you already have a CRM, a billing tool, and an HR solution, you're looking for a timesheet that integrates with your stack. If you're starting from scratch or your stack is aging, an integrated ERP can simplify your daily operations.
3. What is my real budget per consultant? Calculate the total annual cost (consultants x monthly price x 12), add the initial configuration and training cost. Compare it to the current cost of your manual process (compilation time, billing errors, late CRAs).
4. Do my clients have specific CRA format requirements? Some large accounts impose a precise CRA format. Verify that the software allows export customization or is flexible enough to adapt.
5. What is my growth trajectory? If you plan to go from 15 to 50 consultants in the next 18 months, choosing a tool that scales is preferable to a lightweight tool that will need to be replaced quickly.
6. Can I test in real conditions? Most solutions offer a free trial. Use it with your real consultants, on your real engagements, for at least two weeks. That's the only way to measure real adoption.
Timesheet software is the daily tool for every consultant in your IT services company. It's also the source of truth that feeds your billing, production reporting, and margin management. Take the time to choose the one that matches your reality today and your ambition for tomorrow.