Time Tracker for Zoho CRM — Documentation

Complete documentation for the Time Tracker extension, published by TechWave Solutions on the Zoho Marketplace.

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Installation Guide
  3. Administrator Guide
  4. User Guide
  5. FAQ
  6. Troubleshooting
  7. Release Notes
  8. Support
  9. Privacy Policy
  10. Terms of Service

1. Introduction

Time Tracker turns the hours your team spends on Deals, Leads, Contacts, and Accounts into clear, billable numbers — entirely inside Zoho CRM. Start a one-click timer or add time manually, attribute it to a person and a task, and Time Tracker automatically calculates hours and billable amounts using each person's hourly rate. A built-in Reports tab then rolls everything up into charts, breakdowns, and a CSV export.

There is no separate login, no external app, and no backend of its own — it runs inside your Zoho CRM, authenticated as the signed-in user, and all data stays in your own CRM organization.

Key features

  • Track time anywhere in CRM — one-click timers (start / pause / resume / end) or manual entry on Deals, Leads, Contacts, and Accounts, tagged to a person and a task.
  • Automatic billing — billable time is multiplied by each person's hourly rate, snapshotted per entry so future rate changes never rewrite past billing.
  • Reports & export — a dedicated Reports tab with date/user/module/task filters, charts, Top Project/Task/User breakdowns, and one-click CSV export.
  • Team-ready & private — one-click user sync, admin-controlled report access, and all data stays inside your own Zoho CRM.

Who it's for: agencies, consultants, event managers, professional-services firms, and any team that bills — or wants to understand — time spent on CRM records.

2. Installation Guide

2.1 Prerequisites

  • A Zoho CRM account with administrator privileges (permission to install extensions).
  • The extension works with the Deals, Leads, Contacts, and Accounts modules.

2.2 Installing from the Zoho Marketplace

  1. In Zoho CRM, go to Setup → Marketplace → All, or open the Zoho Marketplace and search for "Time Tracker" by TechWave Solutions.
  2. Click Install.
  3. Agree to the terms and choose who should have access — Install for all users, or for selected profiles.
  4. Confirm the requested permissions and complete the installation.

2.3 What installation creates automatically

Installing the extension sets up everything it needs in your CRM — you do not create these by hand:

  • Three custom modules that store the data:
  • Time Logs — individual time entries.
  • Time Loggers — the people who can log time.
  • Time Tracker Tasks — the tasks time can be logged against.
  • The Time Tracker panel on Deals, Leads, Contacts, and Accounts.
  • The Settings, Reports, and Sync New User components.

2.4 After installing

Installation only puts the tools in place — a one-time configuration makes them useful. Continue to the Administrator Guide (Section 3) to create your people, rates, tasks, and access settings.

3. Administrator Guide

This section is for the admin who sets the extension up for the team. Do these once, in order.

3.1 First-time setup checklist

  1. Create the Time Loggers. Open the Time Loggers module list view and click Sync New User. This creates one Time Logger record per active CRM user, owned by that user, marked as an internal user. (See 3.4.)
  2. Set hourly rates. The sync leaves Hourly Rate blank on purpose — a default of 0 would bill time at nothing while looking configured. Open each Time Logger record and enter a real rate.
  3. Add external people (optional). For contractors or freelancers with no CRM login, add Time Logger records by hand and leave Is Org User unticked.
  4. Enable the modules you want (Settings → Modules). Only Deals is enabled by default.
  5. Create tasks (Settings → Tasks), tagging which modules each applies to.
  6. Grant report access (Settings → Report access). Until you enable at least one person, no one sees the org-wide report — every user sees only their own time. This is intentional; it fails closed.
  7. Press Save settings. Steps 4 and 6 persist only when you save; tasks (step 5) save immediately on their own.

3.2 Settings

The Settings screen has three tabs and one Save settings button.

Important: Save applies to Modules and Report access only. Tasks save immediately as you add or deactivate them. Cancel discards unsaved Module and Report-access changes; it does not undo task changes.

Modules — a card per supported module (Deal, Lead, Contact, Account) with a toggle. Turning a module off hides the tracker on those records (users see a "not enabled" message) without deleting any data.

Tasks — existing tasks appear as pills showing which modules they apply to. The × on a pill deactivates a task (it isn't deleted; existing entries keep it). To add one, tick the modules it applies to, type a name, and click Add task — both are required.

Report access — controls who sees the org-wide Reports tab. Everyone enabled sees all users' time; everyone else sees only their own. Hover a name to see the email; search by name or email. If nobody is enabled, nobody gets the org-wide view.

3.3 Time Loggers, org users, and rates

A Time Logger is a person who can have time logged against them. Some are your own staff (they have a CRM login); others are external contractors. The Is Org User checkbox marks the internal ones.

Why this matters: one CRM user can own several Time Logger records (their own plus any external people they set up). The Is Org User flag identifies which record actually represents that CRM user, so the extension defaults the right person and scopes each person's reports correctly. Keep it ticked on staff records and unticked on external ones.

Each Time Logger also carries an Hourly Rate used to calculate billable amounts, and an Active checkbox — untick it to retire someone without losing their history.

3.4 Sync New User

The Sync New User button (on the Time Loggers list view) creates a Time Logger for any CRM user who doesn't have one, owned by that user and marked as an internal user.

  • When opened, it shows how many users are missing and lists exactly who it would create — it doesn't write anything until you click.
  • Deactivated CRM users are skipped, and deactivated Time Loggers count as existing (so a person you deactivated isn't recreated).
  • If a user shows an "already owns a record" warning, they have a Time Logger that isn't marked Is Org User (usually created before that field existed). Open that record and tick Is Org User rather than creating a duplicate.

4. User Guide

This section is for everyone who logs time day to day.

4.1 The Time Tracker panel

Open any Deal (or enabled Lead / Contact / Account). The panel replaces the plain "Time Logs" related list and shows:

  • Your name and initials (top right) — the user you're acting as.
  • The record you're on.
  • Three totals:
  • This record — all completed time on this record, by everyone.
  • Today — completed time you logged today, across all modules.
  • This week — the same, for the current week (Monday–Sunday).
  • The Start row, Logged By + Billable controls, any active timers, and the tabs (Logs, My today, My week, Manual entry).

"Today" and "This week" count entries you created, not entries where you were picked as "Logged By". If you log time on someone else's behalf, it counts toward your Today/Week but is credited to them in reports.

4.2 Logging time with the timer

  1. Pick a task (required).
  2. Check Logged By is the right person (defaults to you if your CRM user is linked to a Time Logger). Required.
  3. Tick or untick Billable (ticked by default).
  4. Click Start.
  • Pause banks the time and stops the clock; Resume continues it. You can pause/resume any number of times.
  • End opens a dialog for an optional description; the person is shown read-only (chosen at Start), and Billable is pre-filled. Click Log time to finish — the entry becomes Completed.

You can run several timers on the same record at once.

4.3 Logging time manually

Open the Manual entry tab for work you forgot to time or from another day:

  • Date (defaults to today), Hours and Minutes (at least one must be above zero), Description (optional), Task (optional here, unlike the timer), Logged By (required), Billable.
  • Click Log entry — it's saved as Completed immediately.

4.4 Reading your logs

  • Logs — completed entries on this record, by everyone.
  • My today / My week — your completed entries across all modules.
  • Filter by narrows any list to one person.
  • Each list shows a Total hours and Billable amount for what's displayed.

4.5 Reports

Open Time Tracker Reports from the CRM's left nav.

  • Filters: Period (Today, This week, This month, This quarter, This year, or Custom), From/To dates, User, Module, Task. Press Apply Filters after changing dates.
  • Tiles: Total time, Total earnings, Projects, Users.
  • Charts: an hours-vs-earnings overview (per person), a billable-status bar, hours by task, top 5 tasks, and billable amount by project.
  • Tables: Top Projects, Top Tasks, Top Users, Top Modules, and a full All activities list.
  • Export: the Export button downloads the current filtered rows as a CSV — generated in your browser, nothing uploaded.

Two limits: a report shows up to 2,000 entries per run (a banner warns if there are more — narrow the dates), and it can only show records your CRM profile is allowed to see.

5. FAQ

Can I edit or delete a time entry? There's no edit/delete button inside the widget, but you can open the Time Logs record in CRM and change or delete it there.

Does the task dropdown differ per module? Yes. Each task is tagged to the modules it applies to, so a Deal-only task won't appear on a Lead.

Why does a billable entry show $0.00? The person's Hourly Rate is blank or 0. Set it on their Time Logger record. Fixing the rate affects new entries only — past entries keep the rate frozen at the time they were logged.

Will changing someone's rate change past invoices? No. The rate is snapshotted onto each entry when it's logged, so history is never rewritten.

Why can't I see everyone's time in Reports? Only users enabled in Settings → Report access see org-wide data; everyone else sees only their own.

A timer was left running overnight — is that a bug? No. Timers accumulate from saved timestamps and don't stop automatically. End or pause them when you're done.

What happens to my data if I uninstall? The extension stops processing immediately. Depending on how it was installed, its modules and data may remain in your CRM until you remove them — this preserves your historical records.

Which modules are supported? Deals, Leads, Contacts, and Accounts.

Does the extension send my data anywhere? No. All data stays inside your Zoho CRM organization. See Section 9.

6. Troubleshooting

The task dropdown is empty, or Start won't work. Tasks only appear on the modules they're tagged for. Add or re-tag a task in Settings → Tasks.

The person dropdown is empty. No Time Logger records exist yet, or all are deactivated. Run Sync New User (Section 3.4).

Billable amount shows $0.00. The person's Hourly Rate is blank or 0 — set it on their Time Logger record. Past entries keep the rate they were logged with.

"Logged By" defaults to the wrong person. That CRM user probably owns more than one Time Logger record. Ensure Is Org User is ticked on their own record and unticked on the external ones.

Reports shows only my own time. You're not enabled in Settings → Report access. Ask an admin to enable you.

Reports is empty for a period I know has time. Only Completed entries count — running/paused timers don't appear. Check the date range and filters.

Charts look like plain bars instead of graphs. The charting library loads from an external CDN your network may block. The page falls back to simple bars automatically. An admin can allow cdn.jsdelivr.net in the widget's external-domain list.

Report totals look lower than expected. Either the 2,000-entry cap (a banner will say so — narrow the dates), or Zoho's record-sharing rules hiding records your profile can't read.

7. Release Notes

v1.0.0 — Initial release

Time Tracker brings one-click time logging, automatic billing, and reporting to Deals, Leads, Contacts, and Accounts — entirely inside Zoho CRM.

  • Timers & manual entry — start / pause / resume / end timers on any supported record, or log past time by hand.
  • Automatic billable amounts — hours × each person's hourly rate, with the rate snapshotted per entry so future changes never affect past billing.
  • Tasks & Time Loggers — module-tagged tasks and a people list that separates internal CRM users from external contractors.
  • Reports tab — date/user/module/task filters, summary tiles, charts (hours vs. earnings, billable split, hours by task, billable by project), Top Projects / Tasks / Users / Modules tables, and one-click CSV export.
  • Report access control — admins choose who sees org-wide data; everyone else sees only their own.
  • Sync New User — one click creates a Time Logger for every CRM user.
  • Settings — enable modules, manage tasks, and grant report access.

Supports Deals, Leads, Contacts, and Accounts. All data stays inside your Zoho CRM organization — no external servers, tracking, or cookies.

8. Support

We're happy to help with setup, questions, or issues.

  • Publisher: TechWave Solutions — Official Zoho Partner.
  • Email: support@techwavesolutions.net
  • Phone: +880 1733 687284
  • Website: https://techwavesolutions.net

When contacting support, please include your Zoho CRM edition, the module and screen where the issue occurred, and a screenshot if possible — it helps us resolve things faster.

9. Privacy Policy

Time Tracker runs entirely inside your Zoho CRM account and has no server or database of its own. It does not collect, receive, store, sell, or share your data, and it uses no analytics, tracking, or cookies.

Within your CRM, and only to provide its features, it reads and writes: the signed-in user's identity; the list of CRM users; the names/IDs of records you open or report on; time entries, time loggers, and tasks; and two org-level settings. All of this stays inside your own Zoho CRM organization and is owned by you.

To run, the extension downloads two JavaScript libraries — Zoho's Widget SDK (live.zwidgets.com) and the ApexCharts charting library (cdn.jsdelivr.net). These hosts receive only ordinary web-request metadata (such as IP address) when the files are fetched; no CRM data is sent to them. CSV export is generated in your browser and saved to your own device — nothing is uploaded.

Full policy: https://techwavesolutions.net/privacy-policy/#time-tracker-for-zoho-crm

10. Terms of Service

By installing or using Time Tracker, you agree to the extension's terms. In summary:

  • You receive a limited, non-exclusive, revocable licence to use the extension within your own Zoho CRM organization.
  • The extension depends on Zoho CRM and on two third-party JavaScript libraries; if those are blocked, some features may be degraded (charts fall back to a built-in style).
  • You own your data. It stays in your Zoho CRM; the publisher stores nothing and cannot access it.
  • The extension is provided "as is," without warranties. Because it calculates hours and money, please verify any figures before relying on them for billing or payroll.
  • You may stop using it any time by uninstalling.

Full terms: https://techwavesolutions.net/terms-conditions/#time-tracker-for-zoho-crm

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