Should You Hire A Freelancer or Outsource?

So you’ve considered hiring someone via outsourcing to round out your team. There’s no question that it can be a great idea to have help with tasks you don’t have the time to do. Whether it’s for a temporary project or a permanent lease, you want to make sure to hire the right mix of people.

As with most things, there’s more than one way to cook an egg. When it comes to outsourcing, you’re presented with two options: hiring a freelancer or hiring from an agency. Both have their merits, and it is  wise to consider the importance of each option and how they can each answer your specific needs.  There is surely no one-size-fits-all, so here’s a few main differences you take note of to help you reach an informed decision.

A freelancer is a person who works for themselves, rather than for a company. They submit themselves to a project and sign a contract with you, accomplishing what is stipulated for a fixed amount. Depending on what you need, they can sign on for a lengthy period of time, or can be on board for the duration of a certain project. While freelancers do take on contract work for companies and organizations, they are ultimately self-employed. Freelancers usually charge by the hour, but oftentimes, they have a fixed rate if you hire them on a per-project basis.

Hire A Freelancer

Hiring a freelancer has their pros and downsides. Do note that all this depends on the person or team you contract.

Pros

1. Cheaper

Since you’re hiring a freelancer, that ultimately means you’re hiring someone temporarily. As such, you don’t have to pay any long-term fees as well as any benefits, since they are not directly employed under your company.

2. Specialized Focus

When hiring a freelancer, you can go as specific as you need when it comes to skill sets. You can find and hire someone who has qualified expertise on your specific job demand.

Cons

1. Inflexibility

When you hire a freelancer, you’re usually hiring them to handle one specific job in which they strictly focus on. If you have sudden additional work that needs done, one person certainly won’t be able to accomplish everything. You usually might end up hiring another person if it’s not something they have expertise in.

2. Risk and Randomness

Freelancers are people as well, and they’re not immune to the occasional emergency. Worst case scenario, they may disappear abruptly due to issues beyond control (such as illness, family emergencies, natural disasters, and the like). When this happens, It will put you in the difficult position of finding a replacement in time to cover their work.

3. The Stress of Recruitment

Hiring a freelancer might sound like a straightforward job, but imagine how many times you’d have to go through interviews if you’re hiring more than 2-3 people. You’d have to keep track of applicants yourself, schedule times for meetings, and scatter phone calls around the clock.

On the other hand, an agency is a much more reliable method, just as long as you have the budget to support it. Many agencies worldwide are able to provide you with an offshore team trained and experienced for any tasks you need done. Using their own means, they can recruit, hire, onboard, and train your remote staff for you. They can also take care of payroll, benefits, and even providing office space and equipment.

Hiring From an Agency

Pros

1. Flexibility and training

As opposed to hiring a specialized freelancer, an agency can pool together qualified staff for you to choose from.

2. Quality control

Instead of having just one person, an agency has a team in place to make sure output is up to par. An in-agency quality control professional can oversee this so that you don’t cut corners when it comes to your products and services. That’s why 54% of companies in the U.S. companies use third-party support teams to serve customers.

3. Accountability

In the same vein, staff are always available to take on any project or task with full accountability. Outsourced staff from an agency will have a network of leaders to fall back on, as well as support staff. This means that all tasks being done are overseen accordingly, and the workload is managed for maximum efficiency.

4. Security

Because an agency is more regulated and structured and the transaction is business-to-business, you are more likely to be protected in terms of data security. There can exist several policies and processes, like NDAs, contracts, etc. to help give you peace of mind. In the event that either party breaches the contract, your fees and business information are all protected under that document.

Cons

1. Cost

Arguably, the most notable downside of hiring from an agency is the cost. Although many agencies offer flexible payment terms and fee breakdowns, people can still be  skeptical of what they can offer.

When you hire through an agency, the cost is well worth the value of services that you get in exchange. Even though costs are generally higher through an agency, your bottom-line incurred expenses will end up significantly less compared to hiring multiple freelancers in-house. In fact, 59% of companies utilize outsourcing to cut costs. For the price you pay, you’ll get a bigger bang for your buck. That’s all thanks to a dedicated team of fully-vetted staff, supervised by qualified leaders to ensure consistent, quality work, and a culture that’s conducive for both business and personal growth. Those things are ultimately worth shelling out cash for.

All factors considered, it might be more worth your time and budget to delegate your tasks to an outsourced team via an agency. You’ll be thankful for the consistency in delivering quality output.

If you’re looking for an outsourcing company that can deliver flexibility, quality, accountability and security, FGC+ is the one you’re looking for. Contact us today to learn more, or browse our website at www.fgcplus.com.