10 Tips to Effectively Collaborate with Freelancers

These 10 tips to effectively collaborate with freelancers are for small business owners and managers who hire freelance designers, writers, developers or other specialists. Working with freelancers is easy to start and easy to get wrong: unclear briefs, surprise invoices and missed deadlines usually come from how the work was set up, not from the freelancer. The tips below cover communication, tools, feedback, information security, budgets, deadlines and payment, and a worked example at the end follows one project from brief to final invoice.

Freelancers Vs Regular Employees

Freelancers are hired for a project or a particular task, and people take their services for a specified period. On the other hand, regular employees are our workforce associated with our company.

We can assign different tasks to our employees, but freelancers will only do the activities in which they are specialized. It is easier to handle regular employees because,

• They are familiar with the organization's working standards.

• They are used to working with organizations.

• They have already fitted into the organization's structure.

Tips to Effectively Collaborate with Freelancers

Freelancers are not part of your organization. So they need special instructions to work with you. However, you can obtain maximum output by working effectively with freelancers through the following tips.

Keep Smooth Communication

Communication hurdles can negatively affect your work efficiency. Many freelancers also outsource their work due to high workloads. Make sure that you directly communicate with the concerned person without any middleman.

Keep the flow of information smooth to avoid mismanagement. You can't get the work done on deadlines if you don't keep communication smooth. So give an active phone number or email that you regularly check. If you work across time zones, agree on a regular overlap window for calls and quick questions.

Suitable Medium of Communication

Select a medium of communication according to your work requirements. Switching different apps can shatter the data in several folders, making the work complex for both parties.

Choose a medium that fulfils all your requirements i.e

• File Sharing

• Integrating

• Quick Chat

• Task Tracking

Share Feedback

Don't forget to share your feedback with freelancers. Feedback sharing adds value and improves your work relationship. You can check the progress daily, weekly or fortnightly and share your feedback with the freelancer. A short recurring check-in call makes it easy to give feedback while the work is in progress. You don't need to necessarily share your experience only at the end of the project.

Try to give the feedback professionally. It will help freelancers to improve their work. Positive feedback will encourage them to work more effectively. You can also tell them if there is room for improvement through negative feedback.

Limited Access to Sensitive Information

Control access to information and avoid sharing sensitive information unless the work needs it. Put a written contract in place (and a confidentiality agreement where appropriate) before sharing anything sensitive, and give freelancers their own logins you can revoke rather than sharing yours.

Provide necessary information to freelancers, but the data should be enough to complete a project. Excessive data can also confuse them. So, always provide relevant and comprehensive information that should include clear instructions.

Keep the Things Clear

Incomplete and unclear information is as harmful as excessive information. Incomplete information and statements can lead to several mistakes, and probably you failed to obtain the desired results due to misunderstandings.

Freelancers can understand their role in your project through straightforward instructions. Tell freelancers about your expectations. It will help them understand your requirements, working standards, project details, and outline.

Preset the Budget and Deadline

Before assigning tasks to freelancers, ask out about their pay rates. It is Ok to negotiate but decide before the project proceedings. Otherwise, you can be in big trouble because freelancers' rates can be higher than your budget.

Also, tell them about the deadline of the project. If the project is too lengthy, you must set mini-deadlines before the final deadline. Communicating the deadline before starting working leads to the timely completion of projects.

Be on the Same Page

Use different management tools to get freelancers on the same page. Share the necessary details and track their activities through suitable software. Invite freelancers into the same project board or shared folder your team already uses, instead of running their work through separate email threads.

If the freelancer is doing a part of your project and your regular employee carries out the rest, then integrate properly. Bring the entire team onto the same page by giving everyone access to the same project board and files.

Let Them Do Their Work

Freelancers are specialized in their work. Give them instructions but don't interfere too much in their activities. Let them be creative with their approach. However, don't compromise on working standards.

Too much interference can do the following harm.

• Kill Creativity

• Make Freelancers exhausted

• Distract them

• Stress them out

• Creates frustration

Don't bombard freelancers with messages. Check their progress and communicate with them professionally to share feedback and discuss the progress.

Don't Delay Payments

Make payments on time. Delayed payments can discourage a freelancer and cause demotivation, directly affecting freelancers' performance. If advance payment is due, make it as promised. Also, make partial and final payments on time to ensure a good work relationship.

Share the Necessary Information

Freelancers do your work; how can they perform well with incomplete instructions and information? Share all the necessary details with freelancers. However, don't share excessive and sensitive information. Make a balance and share practical, essential and relevant information required to complete the task.

Worked Example: Hiring a Freelance Designer for a Brochure

1. Brief: The owner writes a one-page brief: purpose, audience, page count, brand files, examples she likes, and what she does not want.
2. Budget and deadline: They agree a fixed price, two rounds of revisions, a first draft in 10 days and final files in 20, with 30% paid upfront.
3. Contract and access: A short contract covers ownership of the final files and confidentiality. The designer gets access to one shared folder, not the company drive.
4. Communication: Quick questions go through a shared chat channel; a 20-minute call is set for the day the first draft arrives.
5. Feedback: The owner collects comments from two colleagues and sends one consolidated list, rather than three separate emails.
6. Payment: The remaining 70% is paid within the agreed terms once final files are delivered, and she tells the designer she'd like to work together again.

Final Thoughts

It is possible to collaborate with freelancers effectively. You will surely do successful projects with freelancers by using the correct tools and making good strategies. Using the tips mentioned above, you can also develop a long-term productive relationship with freelancers.

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