Administrators can configure the Smart Support Time Tracking add-on from the Smart Support settings area. These settings control how time tracking behaves, whether manual time entry is allowed, how timers work, and how time data appears in reports.
Time Tracking also includes reporting and analytics views that help administrators review support effort across tickets, agents, and date ranges.
License requirement
The Time Tracking add-on requires an active license before its main features are available.
When the license is active, the add-on can register:
- The ticket Time Tracking panel
- The Time Tracking settings tab
- The Time Tracking admin page
- Time Tracking analytics reports
If the license is inactive, administrators may see a notice asking them to activate the Time Tracking license.
Opening Time Tracking settings
To configure Time Tracking:
- Go to Smart Support in the WordPress admin area.
- Open Settings.
- Select the Time Tracking tab.
- Review and update the available options.
- Click Save Settings.
Only users with administrator-level access should manage these settings.
Enable Time Tracking
The settings screen includes an Enable Time Tracking option.
This option is intended to control whether Time Tracking is active for the support system.
When enabled, Time Tracking features are available according to the add-on license and user permissions.
When disabled, Time Tracking should not be used by agents.
Allow Manual Time Entry
The Allow Manual Time Entry setting controls whether agents can add time manually.
When enabled, agents can use the Add Manual Time option inside the ticket Time Tracking panel.
When disabled, agents should rely on the timer controls instead.
Manual time entry is useful for teams that need flexibility, especially when support work may happen outside the ticket page.
Auto-Start Timer
The Auto-Start Timer option allows the timer to begin automatically when an agent opens a ticket.
When this option is enabled, the timer starts automatically if:
- An agent opens a ticket page.
- No timer is already running for that ticket and agent.
This can help teams capture time more consistently, especially when agents often forget to click the Start Timer button.
The add-on also attempts to stop a running timer when the agent leaves or navigates away from the ticket page.
Billable tracking
Time Tracking supports billable and non-billable time entries.
This allows teams to separate time that should be charged to a client from time that is tracked internally.
Manual entries include a Billable checkbox. Reports can then summarize:
- Total time
- Billable time
- Non-billable time
This is useful for agencies, freelancers, support retainers, and paid support services.
Default Billable Status
The settings screen includes a Default Billable Status option.
This setting is intended to define whether new time entries should be billable by default.
For teams that mostly provide paid support, setting entries as billable by default can reduce manual work. For internal support teams, non-billable may be more appropriate.
Require Description
The Require Description setting is intended to require agents to describe the work completed for a time entry.
Descriptions are useful for:
- Billing review
- Internal auditing
- Understanding ticket history
- Reviewing agent work
- Explaining why time was logged
Good descriptions should be brief but specific.
Examples:
- Reviewed customer issue and tested plugin conflict.
- Checked logs and confirmed payment gateway error.
- Replied with troubleshooting instructions.
- Escalated issue to development team.
Timer rounding
The settings screen includes a Timer Rounding option.
Timer rounding is generally used to round logged time to a preferred interval.
For example, teams may want to round time to:
- Exact time
- Nearest minute
- Five-minute intervals
- Fifteen-minute intervals
This can be useful for billing consistency and simplified reporting.
Time format
The Time Format setting controls how tracked time is displayed.
Depending on configuration, time may be shown in formats such as:
- Minutes and seconds
- Hours, minutes, and seconds
- Decimal-style time
A consistent time format helps agents and administrators read time reports more easily.
Decimal places
The Decimal Places setting is intended for controlling how decimal time values appear.
For example, this may affect whether time is shown as:
- 1.5 hours
- 1.50 hours
- 1.500 hours
This is especially useful when time data is used for billing, exports, or reports.
Minimum time entry
The Minimum Time Entry setting defines the smallest amount of time that should be allowed for a manual or tracked entry.
This helps prevent very small or accidental time logs.
For example, a team may not want entries shorter than one minute or five minutes.
Maximum time entry
The Maximum Time Entry setting defines the largest amount of time that should be allowed for a single entry.
This helps prevent mistakes such as accidentally logging extremely long sessions.
For example, if an agent forgets to stop a timer, a maximum limit can help reduce inaccurate records.
Allowed User Roles
The Allowed User Roles setting is intended to control which user roles can track time.
This can be useful if only certain users should record support work.
For example, you may allow time tracking for:
- Administrators
- Support managers
- Support agents
And restrict it for users who should not manage ticket work.
Time Tracking admin page
The Time Tracking add-on includes a dedicated admin page under the Smart Support menu.
This page allows users to review logged time across tickets.
The page can be filtered by:
- Ticket ID
- Agent
- Date From
- Date To
This makes it easier to find time entries for a specific ticket, agent, or reporting period.
Summary totals
The Time Tracking page includes summary totals such as:
- Total time
- Billable time
- Non-billable time
These totals help administrators quickly understand how much support work was completed during a selected period.
Time Tracking analytics
When the add-on is licensed and active, Time Tracking adds a dedicated tab to Smart Support analytics.
To view analytics:
- Go to Smart Support > Analytics.
- Open the Time Tracking tab.
- Select a date range.
- Review the available charts, summaries, and tables.
Available analytics data
The analytics view may include:
- Total tracked time
- Billable time
- Non-billable time
- Average time per ticket
- Time by agent
- Time by ticket
- Daily time trends
- Timer versus manual time totals
These reports help support managers understand how time is being spent across the team.
How administrators can use Time Tracking reports
Administrators can use Time Tracking reports to:
- Identify tickets that required the most effort
- Review agent workload
- Compare billable and non-billable support time
- Understand support demand over time
- Improve staffing decisions
- Review client support usage
- Detect repeated or complex issues
- Support billing and internal reporting
Recommended configuration
For most teams, a good starting configuration is:
- Enable Time Tracking.
- Allow manual time entry if agents work outside the ticket screen.
- Enable billable tracking if your team provides paid support.
- Require descriptions if time entries are used for billing or audits.
- Use timer rounding if you need consistent billing increments.
- Set reasonable minimum and maximum time entry limits.
- Limit access to support agents and administrators.
Time Tracking settings allow administrators to control how support time is recorded, displayed, and reviewed. Combined with reports and analytics, the add-on gives teams better visibility into ticket effort, agent workload, and billable support activity.