ActivTrak

What is ActivTrak

ActivTrak is a workforce analytics and productivity management software. It helps organizations understand how their teams work by collecting and analyzing user activity data. The main purpose of the tool is to provide insights into employee productivity, operational efficiency, and technology usage. Businesses use ActivTrak to identify workflow bottlenecks, optimize processes, manage remote teams, and ensure compliance with company policies. The software works by installing a small, silent agent on employee computers, which tracks application and website usage. This data is then presented in dashboards and reports for managers to review. The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. It focuses on providing data in a way that respects employee privacy, for example, by not recording keystrokes or accessing webcams.

ActivTrak Features

ActivTrak offers a range of features designed to monitor and improve workforce performance.

• Employee Productivity Monitoring: Get a real-time view of what applications and websites employees are using. This helps managers understand work habits and activity levels across the team.
• Time Tracking & Auditing: Automatically tracks work hours and categorizes time as productive, unproductive, or undefined based on company settings. This provides clear data on how time is spent during the workday.
• Productivity Measurement: Analyze trends in focus time, collaboration, and multitasking. This allows teams to set benchmarks and track progress toward performance goals.
• Performance Optimization & Coaching: Uses AI-powered insights to identify coaching opportunities. Managers can use this data to have constructive conversations with employees about their work patterns.
• Employee Engagement & Burnout Prevention: Monitors workload and utilization levels to detect early signs of burnout. This helps balance workloads and support employee well-being.
• Remote Workforce Management: Tracks productivity data regardless of location, providing insights into how remote and in-office teams are performing. This helps in making decisions about workplace policies.
• Technology Optimization: Reports on software application usage across the organization. This feature helps identify underused software licenses, reducing unnecessary costs.
• Workforce Planning: Provides data on team capacity and workload distribution. This helps managers allocate resources effectively and plan for future staffing needs.

ActivTrak Pricing Plans

ActivTrak offers several pricing plans to suit different organizational needs.

• Free Plan: A starting point for small teams or individuals who want to try the core features. It typically includes basic activity tracking for a limited number of users and a shorter data storage period.
• Essentials Plan: Designed for growing teams that need more detailed productivity insights. This plan usually offers longer data history, more comprehensive reports, and productivity classifications.
• Professional Plan: Aimed at larger businesses that require advanced analytics and integration capabilities. It includes features like team productivity goals, workload balancing, and integrations with other business tools.
• Enterprise Plan: A custom solution for large organizations with specific security, compliance, and support needs. It offers premium support, advanced security features, and tailored configurations.

ActivTrak Free Plan

ActivTrak provides a free plan that is a good option for small teams of up to three users. The free plan includes core functionalities such as activity monitoring, top applications and websites reports, and real-time activity dashboards. However, it has limitations. The data history is typically restricted to 30 days, and it lacks many of the advanced analytics, coaching insights, and integration features available in the paid plans. It serves as an excellent way to evaluate the software's basic capabilities before committing to a paid subscription.

How to use ActivTrak

Getting started with ActivTrak is a straightforward process.

1. Sign Up: Create an account on the ActivTrak website. You will need to provide a business email address.
2. Install the Agent: After signing up, you will get access to your dashboard. From there, you can download the ActivTrak agent. This agent needs to be installed on each computer you want to monitor.
3. Configure Settings: In the dashboard, you can classify different applications and websites as 'Productive' or 'Unproductive' to match your company's work policies. This step is important for accurate reporting.
4. Monitor Dashboards: Once the agents are installed and configured, data will start to appear in your dashboard. You can view real-time activity, productivity reports, and application usage summaries.
5. Analyze and Act: Use the reports to identify trends. For example, you can see which tools are used most, identify employees who might be overworked, or find opportunities to improve workflows. Use these insights to coach employees and make data-driven management decisions.

Pros and Cons of ActivTrak

Pros:

• Easy to Deploy: The software is simple to set up and the agent can be installed quickly across multiple computers.
• Privacy-Focused Monitoring: ActivTrak does not use invasive methods like keystroke logging or camera access, which helps build trust with employees.
• Actionable Insights: The dashboards provide clear, visual data that helps managers identify productivity trends and potential burnout without complex analysis.
• Cost Savings: The technology optimization feature helps businesses cut costs by identifying unused software licenses.

Cons:

• Potential for Micromanagement: If not used correctly, the tool can lead to a culture of micromanagement and employee anxiety.
• Limited Free Plan: The free version is very limited in users and data history, making it unsuitable for most teams.
• Configuration Required: The tool's effectiveness depends on properly classifying applications and websites, which can take time to set up initially.
• Advanced Features on Higher Tiers: Many of the most valuable features, like burnout detection and advanced integrations, are only available in the more expensive plans.

ActivTrak integrations

ActivTrak integrates with various business intelligence and workflow applications to provide deeper insights.

• Power BI and Tableau: Connect ActivTrak data to these BI tools to create custom dashboards and reports, combining productivity data with other business metrics.
• Salesforce: Correlate team activity data with sales outcomes to understand what behaviors lead to success.
• Microsoft Teams & Slack: Receive alerts and notifications about team productivity directly within your communication channels.
• Google Workspace & Microsoft 365: Gain insights into how teams use collaboration tools like Outlook and Google Calendar.
• Jira & Asana: Link productivity data to project management activities to see how time is spent on specific tasks and projects.
• Workday: Integrate with your HRIS to enrich employee data and streamline workforce planning.

ActivTrak Alternatives

• Hubstaff: A strong alternative that combines time tracking, employee monitoring, and payroll features. It is particularly popular with remote teams and freelancers for its robust time tracking and invoicing capabilities.
• Time Doctor: Similar to Hubstaff, Time Doctor focuses heavily on time tracking and productivity measurement. It offers features like optional screenshots and detailed task tracking, making it suitable for managing remote teams and ensuring accountability.
• Teramind: This tool is more focused on security and insider threat detection than pure productivity. It offers features like screen recording and keystroke logging, making it a choice for organizations in highly regulated industries.
• Prodoscore: Prodoscore calculates a daily productivity score for each employee by integrating with cloud-based business applications like G Suite and Salesforce. It focuses less on direct monitoring and more on measuring engagement with work tools.

ActivTrak API

Yes, ActivTrak provides an API for developers. The API allows you to pull raw and aggregated productivity data from your ActivTrak account into other systems, such as business intelligence platforms, data warehouses, or custom applications. This is useful for creating specialized reports or combining ActivTrak data with other business metrics.

To get an API key, you typically need to be on a paid plan (Professional or higher). The key can be generated within the ActivTrak dashboard under the integrations or settings section. You can find more information on their developer documentation page.

Here is a simple example of an API call using cURL to fetch user activity data:

curl -X GET 'https://api.activtrak.com/v1/users/activity' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json'

ActivTrak Affiliate program

ActivTrak does not offer a traditional public affiliate program where individuals can sign up for a link and earn commissions. Instead, they have a Partner Program designed for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), consultants, and technology companies who wish to resell or integrate ActivTrak's solution into their own offerings. Partners receive benefits like dedicated support, co-marketing opportunities, and preferred pricing. To join, you need to apply through the 'Partners' section on their website and meet their criteria. If you are an influencer or have a large audience and wish to collaborate, it is best to contact their marketing or sales department directly to discuss potential partnership opportunities.