Last updated: 2025-12-02
Timer and Time Log
Timer and Time Log
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- Overview
Overview
SmartOffice's timer lets users record the amount of time they spend
working with a contact.
Details of the time spent, along with any notes the user wants to record,
are entered in the SmartPad.
Starting the Timer
To start the timer, do one of the following:
-
While [viewing
a contact](/help/pro/contacts/and/businesses/-/viewing/and/editing/contacts/and/businesses), select Menu > Advanced Options > Start
the Timer.
-
From any [calendar
view](/help/pro/smartcalendar/-/getting/oriented), select Menu > Advanced
Options > Start the Timer.
When the contact search dialog box opens, [search
for and select the appropriate contact](/help/pro/contacts/and/businesses/-/searching/for/contacts/and/businesses).
Tip: To access the timer
quickly, add a button for it on the [Custom
Button Bar](/help/pro/navigation/-/custom/button/bar).
The timer contains stop and pause/play buttons, as well as a Notes field.
To use the timer:
-
Click the pause/play button to pause
and resume the timer.
-
Use the Notes field to record any important
information you collect during the session.
Stopping the Timer
When finished working with the contact, click the stop button. Stopping
the timer does several things:
-
Creates
a task: SmartOffice creates a Call-type task linked to the
contact, with the user as the primary participant. The task, which
can be viewed in the calendar,
is automatically marked Done.
-
Creates
a SmartPad entry: A Call Scheduled entry is added to the contact's
SmartPad to indicate that a task was created.
-
Opens
the Time Log Entry dialog box: This gives the user the chance
to [create a time
log entry](/help/pro/time/log#Creating_a_Time_Log_Entry) in the contact's SmartPad.
Creating a Time Log Entry
The Time Log Entry Details dialog box opens when the user click's the
timer's stop button.
To create an entry, complete the fields as follows, and then click the
OK button:
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Contact: By default, this field
displays the contact that was selected when the timer was started.
To view details about the contact, click the contact's name. To search
for and select a different contact, click the Contact
hyperlink (for more information, see [Searching
for Contacts and Businesses](/help/pro/contacts/and/businesses/-/searching/for/contacts/and/businesses)).
-
**Start
Time**: This field displays the time at which the timer was
started. The field can be edited.
-
Duration:
This field displays the number of minutes that elapsed before the
user stopped the timer. If the session lasted less than a minute,
the field displays a value of 1. Note that the number of minutes entered
here cannot be greater than the number of minutes remaining in the
day (as calculated from the start time).
-
Opportunity: This field appears
only when the user has access to the SmartOpportunities
module and the contact is linked to one or more active opportunities.
Select an opportunity to associate with the time log entry with that
opportunity.
-
Description:
This field allows the user to record any pertinent information about
the session. Any notes entered in the timer window previously appear
here.
-
Record
Tags: (Optional) Select any record tags that are applicable
(for more information, see Record Tags).
The selected tags will be applied to the SmartPad entry created for
this task.
If no time log entry is necessary, click the Cancel
button. SmartOffice will still create a task and a SmartPad entry for
the task, but any notes recorded in the timer will be lost.
Viewing Time Log Entries
A contact's time log entries are visible in the SmartPad
and are marked with the keywords Time Log.
Another way to view a contact's time log entries is to open the contact,
and then select Menu > Activity
Options > Time Log to open the
Time Log dialog box.
