About ECIT

ECIT is a leading provider of finance and IT services, aiming to simplify business operations for its clients by combining these two areas. ECIT has grown significantly since its founding in 2013, now employing 2,600 people across 10 countries, including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and others.  

Today, we explore their experience with Timeneye by speaking with Per Lolk, the managing director of ECIT Automate. This branch of ECIT offers a wide range of IT services to automate business processes, from administrative tasks to advanced AI and IPA solutions, and creating local apps. 

Per Lolk leads a passionate team of 12 people, including office staff, remote workers, and freelancers. Their mission is to improve their client internal operations by using Digital Assistants to automate repetitive tasks, so employees can focus on more important work. From data entry to invoicing and customer service, the Digital Assistant integrates easily into the company systems, making the workflow smoother. 

Finding the right tool to integrate with the tech stack 

"We use Microsoft Planner for our projects, so we needed a tool that would integrate well with the Microsoft Suite," Per shares.  

"Previously, we used a different time tracking tool, but its lack of integration with Microsoft 365 doubled our workload, making it inefficient. That's when we decided to explore other options," Per explains. "After a quick search for time tracking tools that work with Microsoft 365, I found Timeneye." 

As for any IT agency, finding a time tracking tool that would integrate with their tech stack was the main challenge. “We like the flexibility to track time directly inside the Microsoft Planner interface using the Timeneye browser widget or importing our plans into Timeneye. It empowers my team to find their optimal workflow, while ensuring accurate time tracking remains a priority. This means that each team member can choose the method that best suits their working style, whether it's tracking time as they go or logging it at the end of the day” Per says. 

Navigating the complexities of a rapidly expanding business, especially with new employees and diverse projects, is no small feat. When asked what convinced him to stick with Timeneye, Per recalls, "From the moment we began our trial with Timeneye, its easiness won us over. We loved how simple it was to set up new projects, break them into phases, and link them to clients. The interface is clean and organized, exactly what we were looking for". 

But that's not all. Per highlights an additional advantage, stating, "My top priority was to find a user-friendly time tracking tool, because if it's too hard, people won't use it. Timeneye is the ideal solution for us because it seamlessly integrates with our tech stack, and my team actually uses it." 

Keeping projects profitable and optimizing resources 

Since the early stages of its growth, ECIT Automate embraced Timeneye to seamlessly track time for diverse clients and streamline invoicing, and they’ve never looked back. Today, Timeneye is indispensable to their operations. As Per explains, “Every month’s end, I generate a detailed report for each project and export all time entries. We then integrate this data with our ERP system and Digital Assistant to create precise invoices for our clients. Timeneye is the backbone of our invoicing process because it serves as our source of truth for billing data” 

ECIT Automate offers a comprehensive range of IT services tailored for businesses, including the implementation of automation solutions such as the Digital Assistant, alongside maintenance and technical support. This requires them to adeptly manage both fixed-fee and time & material projects, balancing efficiency and cost-effectiveness. 

“Timeneye assists us in identifying significant time management issues, particularly with our maintenance tasks. Since we typically offer clients a fixed fee for maintenance, it is crucial that we manage our time efficiently to avoid unnecessary expenditure. By analyzing the time spent on these tasks, we can pinpoint areas where we might be over-allocating resources and make adjustments to improve efficiency. This ensures that we maintain profitability while delivering quality service to our clients" Per explains. 

Valuable reports in a click 

ECIT Automate uses Timeneye reports to gather actionable insights and make informed strategic decisions.  

"Every week, I generate a report to review the past week's performance, followed by a monthly overview," Per reveals. "The convenience of accessing these reports directly from my mobile phone allows me to keep a close eye on every project's progress. I can quickly identify any projects that may be getting out of hand or if any team members have missed logging their hours." 

ECIT Automate leverages Timeneye reports to uphold HR best practices. Per elaborates on their approach: "We utilize Timeneye for internal tracking, including holidays, sick days, and internal meetings. Additionally, it helps us monitor the hours we need to compensate contractors who occasionally join our team." 

Timeneye's intuitive time tracking and comprehensive reporting ensure that ECIT Automate remains both profitable and punctual. By integrating Timeneye for Microsoft 365, the onboarding process and daily interactions have become an effortless extension of ECIT Automate's existing workflow, enabling them to concentrate on pioneering innovative technology while delivering exceptional service to their clients.