# Piece-rate tracking for a garment or embroidery unit with 20 to 60 karigars in India: register, Excel, app or chat? (2026)

> For units that pay karigars by the piece: the register, Excel, phone apps, QR bundle tracking and chat compared, with a sample week and how to choose.

Source: https://kyrra.in/guides/karigar-piece-rate-tracking-options/ · By Kyrra · Published 2026-11-10 · Updated 2026-11-11

A garment or embroidery unit in India with 20 to 60 karigars on piece-rate needs one thing from any tool: each lot recorded against the karigar and the order on the day it moves, so payday isn’t an argument. A register does it if someone writes every evening. Excel and phone apps do it if someone types. If your masters won’t write or type, a chat assistant like Kyrra takes a voice note in Hindi or Gujarati and keeps the count.

We make Kyrra, so read this with that in mind. Your team uses Kyrra on WhatsApp, on the phones they already have.

## How should a unit choose?

1. **Who records the count, and when?** At the end of the day from memory, or as each lot comes back?
2. **Can the master do it without reading or typing?** Many masters and karigars won’t sit with a screen.
3. **Is the count tied to the order?** A total per karigar is not enough when pieces go missing between steps.
4. **What happens on a mismatch?** 48 back where 50 went out has to be asked about that day, not on payday.
5. **What does the owner see?** A register on one table, or an answer on the phone?

## How do the options compare?

| Option | Good at | Suits | Doesn’t suit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piece register | No cost, everyone knows it | A small unit where the owner checks it daily | Missing pieces, more than one master, payday disputes |
| Excel kept by a munshi | Totals and weekly sums | A unit with one careful clerk | Counts that arrive by shouting across the floor |
| Tailoring or piece-count apps | Counts on a phone screen | Masters who will type every lot | Karigars who can’t read |
| QR or barcode bundle tracking | Each bundle scanned at each step | Larger units with scanners and discipline | Small units without someone to run it |
| Payroll and attendance apps | Attendance and salary slips | Monthly-paid workers | Counting pieces per lot |
| A chat assistant, such as Kyrra | Counts from voice notes, checked against the lot | Units where nobody writes or types | Units whose master keeps the register well |

## What does a week look like on chat?

- **Monday:** the master says “214 ke 50 collar Salim ko diye” (gave Salim 50 collars for 214). Kyrra records the lot as with Salim.
- **Tuesday:** “Salim, 214 collar, 48 pieces.” Kyrra saves 48, sees 50 went out, and asks the master which is right.
- **Wednesday:** the master says 2 were rejected for stains. Kyrra keeps it, with who said it.
- **Saturday:** the owner asks “Salim’s pieces this week?” and gets the total from the record, by order and step.

If the unit keeps a rate per piece for each step, the owner can add it to what Kyrra tracks. More in [how to track karigar work without a register](/guides/track-karigar-work-and-piece-counts/).

## Where does Kyrra fit?

Kyrra (kyrra.in) is an AI assistant the whole unit talks to on chat, in English and 10 Indian languages, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil and Bengali among them. It fits a unit where the count lives in the master’s head and payday starts with an argument.

Keep Tally and your accountant for accounts. Your current register comes in from Excel and CSV files, photos and PDFs. Ask “which lots haven’t moved since Monday?” to find what has gone quiet. Routine counts are saved at once; important or unusual changes wait for one tap from the right person.

## How do I start?

We visit your unit, watch how lots move and bring the current register in, from a photo or a sheet. The owner finishes setup in a few chat messages. Masters message Kyrra’s WhatsApp number once. For pricing, [book a call](https://cal.com/mantrakp/30min). See also [an AI assistant for garment units](/guides/ai-assistant-for-garment-units/) and [about Kyrra](/about/).

## Questions owners ask

### What is the best way to track karigar piece-rate work?

Record each lot when it is handed over and when it comes back, against the karigar and the order, on the day it happens. A register does this if someone fills it honestly every evening. If nobody will write or type, a voice note from the master to Kyrra does the same job.

### Can karigars who can’t read use a piece-count app?

Most apps need someone to read the screen and type. With Kyrra, a karigar or the master sends a voice note in their own language, like “Salim, 214 collar, 48 pieces”, and gets the reply back as a voice note if they prefer.

### Is the count ready on payday?

Yes. Kyrra totals each karigar’s pieces from what was recorded, so the count is ready on payday.

### What happens when pieces go missing between stitching and finishing?

Kyrra saves what is clear, says both numbers in one line and asks the person who sent the update which is right. A shortfall nobody can explain stays as an open finding on that order until someone closes it.

### Do karigars need their own phones?

No. The master can send the update for them, naming the karigar, and the count is saved against the karigar. Anyone who talks to Kyrra directly needs their own phone with WhatsApp.

### Is Kyrra ready for garment units?

Kyrra (kyrra.in) is live in India, and we set each unit up in person: we visit, follow an order through your floor and bring your registers in.