Migrate from Quickbooks Time - A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Migrate from QuickBooks Time to Flowace: The "Why" Behind the Move

You've taken an important step in exploring better workforce management solutions for your business. While QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) has been a reliable time tracking tool, especially for organisations already in the QuickBooks ecosystem, the needs of modern teams have evolved. Migrating from QuickBooks Time to Flowace isn't just about switching platforms. It's about upgrading to a comprehensive productivity management system designed for today's hybrid work environment.

Let's be honest: QuickBooks Time excels at what it was built for: time tracking and payroll integration. But if you're here, you probably need more. You need deeper insights into how work actually gets done, not just how many hours were logged. You need analytics that help you spot bottlenecks before they become problems. You need a system that respects your team's autonomy while giving you the visibility to make informed decisions.

Flowace delivers on these fronts with several compelling advantages: modern productivity analytics that go far beyond simple time tracking, intelligent activity monitoring that shows you what's happening without micromanaging, customizable workflows that adapt to how your team actually works, and comprehensive reporting that connects the dots between time, tasks, and outcomes.

This guide walks you through the entire migration process, from planning your transition to celebrating your first week with your new system. Whether you're managing a small business or coordinating multiple departments, you'll find practical, step-by-step instructions that minimise disruption and maximise success.

Pre-Migration Checklist: Laying the Groundwork

Success starts with preparation. Rushing into migration without proper planning is like starting a road trip without checking your map. You might eventually get there, but you'll waste time and energy along the way. Here's your comprehensive pre-migration checklist:

Audit Your Current Data: Start by identifying exactly what you need to carry over from QuickBooks Time to Flowace. This typically includes your employee roster with assigned roles, active jobs and customers (which will map to projects in Flowace), and any custom fields or categories you've created. Take a moment to evaluate: Do you really need to migrate that project from three years ago? Focus on what will serve your team going forward, not everything you've accumulated.

Set Up Your Flowace Account: Make sure you have admin credentials for your Flowace workspace and complete the initial setup steps. Configure your organization structure, establish time zones for different locations if applicable, and set your standard work schedules. Think of this as preparing the foundation before you move in the furniture. Getting these baics right makes everything else easier.

Inform Your Team: Change management starts with communication. Your team needs to understand not just what's changing, but why it matters to them. Here's a sample announcement you can personalize:

Subject: We're Upgrading Our Time Tracking: Welcome to Flowace

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share some exciting news. Starting [date], we're transitioning from QuickBooks Time to Flowace: a more comprehensive productivity platform that will make all our lives easier.

Why we're making this change:
- You'll get better insights into your own productivity patterns
- The interface is more intuitive and takes seconds to learn
- We'll have smarter project tracking that actually helps you manage your workload
- Less time spent on administrative tasks, more time for meaningful work

We'll be rolling this out gradually with full support every step of the way. Thanks for being flexible as we make this positive change together.

Looking forward to this upgrade together!

Assign a Migration Champion: Designate someone to own this process; ideally someone who's detail-oriented, has admin access to both platforms, and can dedicate focused time to the transition. This person becomes your go-to troubleshooter and helps field questions so you're not doing everything yourself. Clear ownership prevents the "I thought you were handling that" moments that can derail migrations.

The Data Migration Process: A Phased Approach

Breaking this into digestible phases keeps you sane and maintains momentum. Here's your roadmap:

Phase 1: Exporting Data from QuickBooks Time

QuickBooks Time provides several export options through their reporting interface. Follow these steps carefully:

Example 1: Exporting Employee Data

1. Log into QuickBooks Time with administrator privileges
2. Navigate to Manage > Users
3. Click on the Reports tab
4. Select "User Report" and customize to include all necessary fields (name, email, employee type, assigned jobs)
5. Choose your date range (typically "All Time" for a complete export)
6. Click "Export to Excel" or "Export to CSV"
7. Save the file with a clear naming convention: "QBTime_Users_Export_[Date].csv"

Example 2: Exporting Job/Customer Data

1. Go to Manage > Jobs & Customers (or Projects, depending on your QuickBooks Time setup)
2. Click "Export" in the top right corner
3. Select all active jobs/customers you want to migrate
4. Download the CSV file
5. Label it clearly: "QBTime_Jobs_Export_[Date].csv"

Example 3: Exporting Time Entry Data (Optional) If you need historical time entries for reference:

1. Navigate to Reports > Timesheet
2. Select your date range (most organizations export the last 3-6 months)
3. Choose "Detailed" report format
4. Include columns for employee, job/customer, date, hours, and any relevant notes
5. Export to CSV and save as "QBTime_TimeEntries_Export_[Date].csv"

Pro Tip: Export your data during off-hours or over a weekend when usage is low. This ensures you capture a clean snapshot without active entries being modified during the export.

Phase 2: Preparing Data for Flowace

This is where the magic happens. Raw exports rarely import perfectly—they need some love and attention first.

Clean Your Employee Data:

1. Open your user export in Excel or Google Sheets
2. Verify every email address is properly formatted (no extra spaces, valid domain names)
3. Map QuickBooks Time user types to Flowace roles:

• • Administrator → Admin
  • Manager → Manager
  • Employee → Member
  • Silent User (Silent Tracking)

4. Remove any terminated employees you don't plan to include
5. Ensure column headers match Flowace's import template (download from Flowace's help center)

Transform Job/Customer Data into Projects:

This requires a bit of strategic thinking. QuickBooks Time's "Jobs" will become "Projects and Tasks" in Flowace. Here's how to structure them:

1. Review your jobs list and decide on your project hierarchy
2. For service businesses: Each customer might become a project with tasks or sub-tasks for different service types
3. For project-based work: Major jobs become projects with phases as tasks
4. Create clear, consistent naming conventions
5. Identify which team members should be assigned to each project

Common Pitfalls to Avoid:

Inconsistent Data: If "Johnson & Associates" appears sometimes as "Johnson and Associates" or "Johnson & Assoc," standardize everything to one format. Inconsistency causes duplicate entries and confusion.

Missing Required Fields: Flowace requires email addresses for users and names for projects/tasks. Scan your spreadsheet for any blank cells in these critical columns and fill them in before importing.

Special Characters and Formatting: Remove problematic characters like extra quotation marks, line breaks within cells, or unusual symbols that might cause import errors.

Over-Migration: Don't migrate everything just because you can. That client from 2019 you haven't worked with since? Leave them behind. Focus on data that's actually relevant to your current operations.

Phase 3: Importing Data into Flowace

Now comes the satisfying part—bringing your prepared data into your new home.

Example 1: Importing Users

1. Log into Flowace as an administrator
2. Navigate to Admin Settings > Members
3. Click the upload icon or "Import Users" button
4. Select your cleaned CSV file
5. Map the CSV columns to Flowace fields (the system will often auto-detect these)
6. Preview the import to catch any issues
7. Click "Complete Import"

For detailed instructions and video guidance, visit: https://help.flowace.ai/en/article/how-to-upload-users-in-bulk-163cmzr/

Example 2: Importing Projects

1. Go to Projects and Tasks in your Flowace dashboard
2. Click the three-dot menu and select "Upload"
3. Upload your prepared project CSV
4. Verify that client names, project names, task names, and assigned team members are correctly mapped
5. Review the preview carefully. Thhis is your last chance to catch errors before they're in the system
6. Complete the import

Pro Tip: Import in stages if you have a large dataset. Start with a small batch of 10-20 records to test your formatting, then proceed with the full import once you're confident everything maps correctly.

Troubleshooting Common Import Errors

Error: "Email Address Already Exists"

What it means: Someone with that email is already in your Flowace system, perhaps from an initial test setup.

How to fix it: Either remove that person from your import file or update their information directly in Flowace rather than through bulk import.

Error: "Required Field Missing"

What it means: There's a blank cell in a column that Flowace requires, like email, project name, or task name.

How to fix it: Open your CSV, use your spreadsheet's filtering function to find empty cells in required columns, fill them in, save, and try the import again.

Error: "User Not Found for Assignment"

What it means: You're trying to assign a project or task to someone who doesn't exist in your Flowace system yet.

How to fix it: Always import users before importing projects. If you've already imported users, double-check that the names or emails in your project file exactly match what's in your user list.

Post-Migration Configuration & Onboarding

Getting the data into Flowace is only half the journey. The real win comes when your team embraces the new system and starts using it effectively. Here's how to make that happen:

Team Onboarding: Setting Everyone Up for Success

Create a Smooth First-Day Experience:

Your team's first interaction with Flowace sets the tone for everything that follows. Make it count.

Welcome to Flowace Orientation:

Consider hosting a live kickoff session (30-45 minutes) covering:

• How to log in and set up their profile
• The key differences from QuickBooks Time (position these positively: better dashboard, smarter insights, more helpful data)
• How to track time on projects and tasks
• Where to find their productivity insights and what they mean
• How to use the desktop app
• Who to reach out to with questions or concerns

Record this session so team members who can't attend live can watch it on their own time.

Share Resources:

Send everyone links to Flowace's help articles and tutorial videos. A quick-reference guide or cheat sheet (even a simple one-pager) can be incredibly valuable during the first week.

Highlight What's Better:

Help your team understand the tangible improvements they'll experience:

• Smarter Dashboard: Instead of just seeing hours logged, they'll see patterns, focus time, and productive vs. unproductive periods
• Better Project Visibility: Clear views of what they're working on and how much time different tasks actually take
• Custom Workflows: Streamlined processes for leave requests, manual time entries, and expense approvals
• Privacy and Respect: Configurable monitoring that respects personal boundaries while maintaining necessary accountability

Schedule Hands-On Training:

One 45-minute group training session where people can ask questions in real-time is worth a dozen help articles. Keep it interactive, demonstrate actual workflows, and address concerns as they come up.

Setting Up Flowace Features That Go Beyond QuickBooks Time

This is where Flowace really differentiates itself. QuickBooks Time tracks time; Flowace helps you understand and optimize how work happens.

Custom Alerts:

Create intelligent alerts that help you catch issues early:

• Low productivity patterns that might indicate burnout or roadblocks
• Late attendance trends that need addressing
• Unusually high idle hours that could signal technical issues or disengagement
• Suspicious activity patterns that warrant investigation

Navigate to Admin Settings > Custom Alerts and configure triggers based on your team's needs.

Custom Workflows:

Build multi-step approval processes for:

• Leave requests (with different approvers based on department or leave type)
• Manual timesheet entries (ensuring accuracy before payroll)
• Expense submissions (routing to appropriate managers and finance)
• Overtime approvals

Go to Admin Settings > Workflows and create processes that match your company's policies.

Custom Work Categories:

Define what "productive work" means for your organization:

1. Create categories like Communication, Documentation, Design, Development, Research
2. Rate apps and websites based on their productivity value
3. Customize these ratings by team, individual, or across the company
4. Use these categories to understand how time is distributed across work types

Raw Activity Logs:

One of Flowace's most powerful features especially for team leaders who need audit trails. The raw activity logs track activities with one-second precision, allowing you to:

• Compare captured screenshots with recorded activities
• Investigate discrepancies or concerns with concrete data
• Verify work patterns during specific time periods
• Provide evidence-based feedback during performance reviews

This feature is controlled through permissions and is enabled by default for administrators.

Screenshot Monitoring:

Unlike QuickBooks Time (which doesn't offer screenshots), Flowace gives you flexible visual monitoring. Navigate to Screenshot Settings and configure:

• Screenshot frequency and timing (specific weekdays, time ranges)
• Which teams or individuals need screenshots vs. those who don't
• Blur settings for privacy-sensitive applications
• Retention periods for captured images

Many organizations find they can use less frequent screenshots when they have better activity analytics—quality over quantity.

Integrations:

Connect Flowace with your existing HRMS and business tools. Navigate to Admin Settings > Integrations to connect with platforms your team already uses, creating a seamless ecosystem rather than another siloed tool.

Pilot Group Recommendation

Before rolling out company-wide, test with a small, diverse group for one week. Your pilot group should include:

• 5-10 people representing different roles and seniority levels
• A mix of office, remote, and hybrid workers
• Both tech-savvy and less technical team members
• Someone who was skeptical about the change (their buy-in will be valuable)

Ask your pilot group to:

• Use Flowace exclusively for the pilot week
• Provide daily quick feedback (a simple Slack channel works well)
• Report any confusion, bugs, or feature requests
• Compare their experience to QuickBooks Time

Use their feedback to refine settings, improve training materials, and address concerns before the full rollout. Pilot participants often become your best advocates during the wider launch.

QuickBooks Time vs Flowace: Comparison & Key Advantages

Here's an honest comparison to validate your decision to switch:

Frequently Asked Questions

"Will migrating disrupt our daily operations?"

Not if you follow this guide's phased approach. The beauty of modern SaaS migration is that everything happens in parallel. Your team can continue using QuickBooks Time while you set up and test Flowace. You choose your cutover date: whether that's a gradual team-by-team rollout or a clean Monday morning switch. Most organizations following this methodolgy experience zero downtime and minimal confusion.

"What happens to our QuickBooks payroll integration?"

This is an important consideration. If payroll integration was your primary reason for using QuickBooks Time, you'll need to evaluate your options. Flowace offers time tracking data that can export for payroll purposes, and integrates with several major payroll platforms. However, if you're deeply embedded in the QuickBooks ecosystem specifically for payroll, consider whether the enhanced productivity features in Flowace justify adjusting your payroll workflow. Many organizations find the trade-off worthwhile, but it's a decision to make consciously.

"Is our time tracking data safe during and after migration?"

Absolutely. Any data you export from QuickBooks Time remains secure in your exports and on your local systems. QuickBooks also maintains your data according to their retention policies, so you're not losing access to anything. Flowace uses enterprise-grade encryption for data at rest and in transit, with regular security audits and compliance with major data protection standards.

"How is Flowace's approach to monitoring different from simple time tracking?"

This is the core philosophical difference. QuickBooks Time answers "how many hours?" Flowace answers "how are those hours being used?" and "what patterns indicate productivity vs. roadblocks?" Instead of just knowing someone worked 8 hours on Project X, you understand whether those were focused, productive hours or fragmented, interrupted time. This context helps you support your team better rather than just measuring their time.

"What if our team resists the change?"

Resistance usually comes from fear of the unknown or feeling surveilled. Address this head-on with transparency. Explain that Flowace is about helping them work better, not watching them harder. Share specific examples: "You'll be able to see your own focus time patterns and identify when you're most productive" or "The analytics will help us redistribute workload more fairly." Involve team members in the pilot phase so they feel ownership rather than imposition.

"What support is available if we encounter issues?"

Flowace provides multiple support channels:

• Live chat support during business hours (typical response under 2 hours)
• Email support with 24-48 hour response time guarantee
• Comprehensive video tutorials and documentation at help.flowace.ai
• Dedicated onboarding specialist for the first 30 days
• Migration assistance service where a specialist can walk you through the process in real-time

You're not alone in this transition.

"Can we try Flowace before fully committing?"

Yes. Flowace offers a 7-day free trial with complete access to all features. We strongly recommend running a pilot with a small team before migrating everyone. This validates that Flowace meets your specific needs and gives your migration champion time to become confident with the platform. Try before you buy, pilot before you launch.

"Should we cancel QuickBooks Time immediately?"

Not necessarily. Many organizations run both systems in parallel for 1-2 weeks to ensure everything transferred correctly and everyone's comfortable with Flowace. Then cancel QuickBooks Time at the end of your billing cycle to avoid unnecessary charges. Coordinate your migration completion with your billing date for cost efficiency.

Conclusion: Your Upgrade Journey Starts Now

Congratulations on making it through this comprehensive guide. You've just equipped yourself with everything needed to successfully migrate from QuickBooks Time to Flowace—from initial planning and data preparation, through the actual migration, to team onboarding and advanced feature setup.

You're not just switching tools; you're upgrading your entire approach to understanding and optimizing how work happens in your organization. Your team will benefit from a more transparent, respectful system that helps them understand their own productivity patterns. You'll gain insights that simple time tracking could never provide—insights that help you make better decisions about workload distribution, resource allocation, and team support.

The path from QuickBooks Time's straightforward time tracking to Flowace's comprehensive productivity intelligence is well-marked, well-supported, and well worth taking.

Ready to see what productivity intelligence looks like for your team? Start Your Free Trial →

If you have questions at any stage, whether you're still in planning mode or knee-deep in data imports, our support team is here to help. Reach out via live chat in your Flowace dashboard, email us at support@flowace.ai, or explore our comprehensive help center at https://help.flowace.ai/en/

Welcome to Flowace. We're excited to help you understand not just when your team works, but how they work best.

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Updated on: 31/12/2025