It began under a manhole cover

Many years Thomas Bittmann, managing director of the DiTom channel technology GmbH from awls (Westf.), was on the search for a suitable possibility of seizing the time registration of its coworkers in the field service electronically. The high expenditure of time and the large error susceptibility with the collection over conventional time sheets were for him a Relikt from long past times. 

"I spent a lot of time trying to find a suitable solution that would meet our requirements. Unfortunately, there was no solution on the market at reasonable prices that would have allowed me to get an overview of my employees' activities at any time". describes Thomas Bittmann his research and experiences during the search for a suitable system. 

"clockin" - a name that fits

The only way to find a suitable solution was to develop it ourselves. He found the right development potential and IT know-how at a partner company in Münster. Together a project team started with the planning. Soon a name was found: clockin - derived from "clock" (German for clock) and "in" (German for log-in). "To clock in" - is a standing English term for the German "to check in" or "to stamp in" or "log in". In short, the perfect name for the idea of recording working hours to the minute using a smartphone app.

Valuable suggestions from the practice

Right from the start, the project team placed great emphasis on practical implementation. Together with the employees of the sewer technology, the basis for today's clockin was laid in months of detailed work. It quickly became apparent that the simple operation for the local staff was the proverbial be-all and end-all for the greatest possible user acceptance. The project team approached the best solution step by step with countless tests and app versions. 

The first version was launched live in summer 2016. At the same time, additional pilot companies were involved in the development. It quickly became apparent that the solution would be widely accepted and that there was a high potential for time savings and error reduction in the companies. The app was consequently extended to Android and Apple devices. The first inquiries from other companies followed and they became aware of the solution. The clockin team started the sales phase in early 2017 - earlier than planned - with resounding success. 

a spotlight on clockin

Just a few months into the official sales phase, clockin is already enjoying great popularity in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in summer 2017. The crowning glory will follow in November: clockin will receive the #DWNRW Award from the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Economic Affairs in Düsseldorf, Germany for its particular innovative strength and practical relevance from the Minister of Economic Affairs Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart. The public media begin to take an interest in clockin. Newspapers, TV, radio - the clockin team receives more and more inquiries and grows steadily.

The customer base is growing

It quickly becomes apparent that clockin is interesting for many more industries. In addition to the craft and construction industry, more and more companies from a wide range of industries are registering. Care services, farmers, real estate agents, security services and many more are beginning to use the advantages of clockin in their companies. Also in the manufacturing industry the first companies start using digital time recording. More and more medium-sized companies and also large international companies up to the DAX group contact the clockin team.

Der Funktionsumfang wächst

Time sheets have been replaced and are already successfully processed with clockin digital. It is becoming more and more apparent that there is still more to be digitized, which makes everyday work easier for the companies and especially for the employees on site. Be it the digital project note with photo documentation and dictation function, the digital customer signature under the project confirmation or the staff planning via app. The digital checklists are also quickly gaining popularity, as they replace all other paper forms with little effort.

clockin has established itself on the market as a start-up and is growing strongly. With a redesign of the logo and the website, clockin takes into account the dynamic and provides fresh impulses. With the new 'look', clockin underlines its ambitions to continue to develop its range of products and services with a clear, fair and transparent approach in cooperation with customers and partners.

The team is growing

clockin enjoys steadily growing popularity at home and abroad. Customers and interested parties particularly appreciate the personal service and the quick answers to questions. Accordingly, the clockin team continues to grow and is constantly looking for new team colleagues in the areas of customer service, sales, system development and marketing.

In December 2019 clockin was nominated for the Innovation Award Münsterland and made it into the top 3 startups at the award ceremony. This shows once again how much innovative power is slumbering in the Münsterland.

In early 2020, clockin's customer base continues growing diligently and more workers are needed. The team expands again and clockin has more capacity.

The corona crisis has shown that digitalized companies have a clear advantage. Here, at the latest, clockin was able to help some companies switch to digital time recording for home office and short-time work and take the first steps towards digitalization. Our résumé: Germany can go digital!

For the second time already, NRW Minister of Economic Affairs Pinkwart awarded the Startup clockin. This time the software company from Münster received the NRW Innovation Award 2020 of the ZENIT network with its simple solution for time recording and work documentation. Pinkwart praised the exemplary philosophy of the Münster-based company. Especially in view of the upcoming ECJ ruling on mandatory time recording, the start-up offers an intelligent solution for easy implementation.