Recognizing the size and scope of their projects demanded more payroll efficiency and project transparency, Gurtz Electric sought to eliminate paper processes and insufficient spreadsheets they used for timecard collection and payroll and improve how they tracked T&M for time and materials contracts.

Electricians and foremen at Gurtz would report their timecards by submitting paper tickets and updating Excel files, typically on a weekly basis and when they had connectivity in the field. Next, the accounting department would review the information submitted and manually enter it into their payroll system. Not only a tedious, two-day process, this method also lacked cost codes, making it difficult to know if projects were performing over budget. Gurtz leadership knew a more efficient and accurate method was essential to their continued success.

A particular challenge Gurtz Electric wanted to solve was the limited view that project managers and executives had into the number of hours being spent on a job and how that time was allocated. Their timesheets in Excel (without cost codes and submitted weekly) made it difficult for the team to identify labor overages if they happened. This disconnect also restricted their insight into performance and hindered their ability to improve future bidding and project execution. Only by implementing a solution that allowed valuable transparency and more timely insight into labor and budget spend could Gurtz Electric achieve better project profitability.

Gurtz Electric knew that having one software allowing them to simplify multiple processes and eliminate paper use would speed up their timekeeping and payroll processes, and improve overall project management and accounting practices. The team sought out a single, flexible solution that anyone on the team could quickly and easily use–whether in the field or office, in accounting or project management, or using the application on a computer or a mobile device.

The Gurtz team discovered products featured at the NECA Convention & Trade Show and were interested in learning more about Rhumbix. Following a software demo and evaluation, Gurtz Electric realized that Rhumbix was completely in line with the contractor’s mission to eliminate paper processes. The solution would also be easy to implement because the timekeeping process would mirror the spreadsheet process that Gurtz’s field and accounting teams were familiar with, yet allow numerous improvements, such as the ability to track cost codes and integration with the company’s accounting software.

Gurtz Electric knew that people are often averse to change, so they wanted a user-friendly timekeeping application that the field would eagerly and easily adopt. With options to use a web and mobile app, Rhumbix delivered the flexibility Gurtz’s field and accounting teams needed to accomplish tasks in a timely manner and with greater detail of cost codes.

The Gurtz Electric team has been able to do so much more than reducing paper and saving time, which satisfies key software implementation goals. Rhumbix Timekeeping & Payroll has allowed the accounting department to reduce the payroll processing time by 75% by removing manual entry and delayed reporting from the field. Nearly 80% of the company’s payroll is managed via Rhumbix, and they are moving toward having 100% because the solution is so efficient.

Rhumbix Time & Materials Tracking gives Gurtz Electric all the detail they need in one platform. They can cost code their labor to see on a daily basis how projects are performing. Moreover, they take that information and build up historical data around their jobs, which allows them to compare estimates to actual work performed and see how categories break down. Project managers and executives at Gurtz Electric appreciate this new level of visibility into where they are performing on point, where they have weaknesses, and how to improve future estimates and processes leveraging this knowledge.