Logged vs Manual Time Tracking: The ROI of Automation

Many teams start their time tracking journey with spreadsheets. It makes sense at first -- everyone has access to Excel or Google Sheets, there is no additional cost, and you can customize the format to your needs. But as your team grows and compliance requirements increase, the hidden costs of manual tracking start to add up in ways that are not immediately obvious.

The Hidden Costs of Manual Tracking

Manual time tracking costs far more than most companies realize. Start with the direct time investment: if each team member spends 15 minutes per day filling in a spreadsheet, a team of 10 loses over 12 hours per week on administration alone. That is nearly two full working days spent on data entry rather than productive work.

Then consider the indirect costs. Managers spend hours each month chasing missing entries, cross-referencing project codes, and formatting data for reports. When audit time arrives, someone has to consolidate months of spreadsheets, verify formulas, and fill in gaps. One financial controller we spoke with estimated that annual audit preparation consumed three full weeks of work -- all because the source data was scattered across dozens of spreadsheets.

Time Saved with Automation

Automated time tracking with Logged reduces the daily logging time to under 2 minutes per person. The calendar interface pre-populates project information, smart defaults reduce repetitive input, and the system validates entries in real time so errors are caught immediately rather than discovered weeks later during review.

The bigger time savings come from downstream processes. Approval workflows that took hours of email back-and-forth happen in a few clicks. Monthly reports that required a day of manual compilation are generated automatically by AI. Export formats that match your accountant's or grant body's requirements are available instantly. Teams that switch from spreadsheets to Logged typically report saving 5 to 8 hours per person per month on time tracking administration.

Accuracy Improvements

Spreadsheets are remarkably error-prone. Research consistently shows that around 90% of complex spreadsheets contain at least one error. In the context of time tracking, common errors include wrong dates, incorrect project codes, calculation mistakes in totals, and entries in the wrong cells. These errors flow through to billing, compliance reports, and financial planning.

Logged eliminates entire categories of errors by design. Dates are set automatically, project codes are selected from a validated list, totals are calculated by the system, and entries are structured so they cannot end up in the wrong place. The approval workflow adds a human verification layer that catches the errors automation cannot. The result is data you can trust without spending hours verifying it.

Compliance Benefits

For companies claiming R&D tax credits like WBSO, or those subject to ISO audits, the compliance benefits of automated tracking are substantial. Auditors expect to see consistent records with clear audit trails, timestamps, and approval histories. Spreadsheets provide none of this natively -- you have to build and maintain these controls manually, and they are easy to circumvent.

Logged provides immutable audit trails, timestamped entries, approval histories with reviewer identification, and structured reports that match compliance frameworks. When an auditor asks to see how a specific entry was approved and when, the answer is available in seconds. Companies using Logged for WBSO compliance report that their audit preparation time dropped from weeks to hours, and their claim success rates improved because documentation quality was consistently higher.

Calculating Your ROI

The ROI calculation for switching from manual to automated time tracking is straightforward. Take the hours your team currently spends on time tracking administration -- logging, chasing, reviewing, reporting, and audit preparation. Multiply by your average hourly cost. Then subtract the cost of Logged. For most teams, the tool pays for itself within the first month.

But the real ROI goes beyond time savings. Better data leads to better decisions: more accurate project estimates, earlier detection of budget overruns, and optimized resource allocation. Higher compliance quality reduces audit risk and maximizes tax credit claims. And reduced administrative burden means your team can focus on the work that actually generates value. At five euros per user per month, Logged is not an expense -- it is an investment that compounds over time.