Managing freelancers can quickly become a difficult job. Especially if you have more than a few freelancers working on different tasks for you. It can be distracting and stressful, leaving you incapable to do your own job.

But how do you actually manage a team of freelancers effectively?

Set clear expectations

Freelancers tend to love clear explanations and expectations. This way they do their job best and become more productive. At the very beginning of cooperation with a freelancer, state what your expectations are and what you need from them.

If you start this way, you set yourself and your freelancer up for success. You can even have a document prepared for every new freelancer to help them learn what you need and want. Have some measurements of quality and productivity as well.

Have regular check-ins

While talking with your freelancers constantly can be counterproductive, it might be a good idea to have regular, scheduled check-ins with them can be useful. Maybe you could have them on a daily or weekly basis.

“Just check-in, see if there are any issues or problems that you need to discuss, if every element of their task is clear or not, and so on. Let your freelancers know when you want to speak with them,” explains Dan Errington, a freelance writer at Assignment Service and Australianreviewer. You can stick to chatting solutions because this way, you don’t interrupt their work too much and they can remain focused.

Have a chat room available

Having an open chat room for all of your freelancers is a great idea because it’s the place they could come into if they face any issues or if they didn’t understand something properly. Other freelancers could help them as well and this is a good solution for creating that team feeling.

Allow flexible work hours

Some freelancers are night owls, some like early mornings. As long as they get the work done every day, as per schedule, be flexible with their work hours. Allow them to work when it’s convenient for them but within reason.

For instance, they can deliver the work within 24 hours of you assigning them a task. It allows them plenty of time to work and plenty of time for their own personal life or obligations.

Track your output

Tracking productivity is important in every industry and with every team. You should constantly check your productivity and find the best ways to increase it as well as the quality of work and the speed of delivery. All of these things mean that your team is functioning as it should.

Test new freelancers with short-term tasks

Before you hire a freelancer, you should make sure that you test them with a short-term task that resemble your long-term tasks. You can also see how fast they work and if their work quality is up to your standards. This is a widely known technique and it works so well for many companies.

Pay them well

People who do freelance work do it just as good and invest just as much time and effort into it – if not more – as people in your office do. Accordingly, they should be paid equally. Always be on time and offer bonuses for quicker turnaround time if you want your freelancers to remain happy and satisfied.

Nurture virtual friendships

Make sure that your freelancers socialize and communicate with each other. This provides them with that office feeling they lack and they will have someone to talk to about everything that’s happening throughout the day.

Know the difference between soft and hard deadlines

“Some deadlines cannot be missed,” says an HR manager, Sacha Benson from Simple Grad and Best Essay Services. “Some are softer than that. Instead of wasting your time and your nerves on these soft deadlines, allow your freelancers to be late if something isn’t urgent but be stricter when it comes to urgent work. Also, let them know for how long they can miss the deadline and tell them that while it isn’t a perfect situation, it’s sometimes understandable.”

Create workflows

Workflow mean that the work gets done faster and more efficiently. Create workflows and instruct your freelancers to stick to them. These are simple yet effective tools in achieving better productivity

Effective Freelance Team Management

Your freelance teams are just like your office teams. Only it’s sometimes much more complicated to run them. Hopefully, these tips will be helpful to you and your freelance team.

Want your freelancers to get started with their services today? Consider adapting Paymes! Paymes is a social commerce solution that allows freelancers to get paid for the services that they provide. It’s a great way to give your freelancers the business and financial independence that they need to get their feet wet in the industry!

Jenny Han
Jenny Han is a recruiting analyst and writer for Top essay writing services and Via Writing. She loves writing articles about latest trends in business and helping companies handle their management and teams. Also, she is a proofreader at Academadvisor.

Have you struck out on your own and become a freelancer? There are more people than ever before working for themselves, thanks to the pandemic and a real rethinking of work should be. As such, there are new freelancers out there such as yourself that may be making common mistakes. Here are some of the mistakes you should be avoiding as a freelancer, and how to do so.

1- Starting Off Without Savings

One of the first things you should have in place as a freelancer is savings. When you’re working for yourself, you won’t have the security of an employer paying your wages for you, on time every month. If you have a dry spell, you need to be able to cover your expenses. So many freelancers start out without having that in place.

As a freelancer, it’s advised that you should have around three to six month’s worth of funds saved up and ready to use, should you need to. If you’ve already started and haven’t got those funds, you can start saving now as the sooner you start, the better. As you’re most likely working on your own, you’ll have small overhead costs so you should be able to do this.

2- Going With The First Customers You See

As you’re a freelancer now, it’s so easy to start taking on any work you can get. After all, you don’t want to go a day or week without work coming in, so it’s tempting to take work even if it’s not your forte. That’s a mistake for new freelancers though, as it dilutes your work, and you’ll likely be taking on work you’re not enthusiastic about.

If you do need to keep work coming in you can take the first client you see, but you shouldn’t make it a habit. You should look for clients whose interests and values align with your own.

3- Not Charging Enough

This is is such a common mistake that so many freelancers make. As you’re brand new to the business, you feel as though you should charge less so you can get those customers. However, as the saying goes, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Some customers may even avoid you, as they’ll feel those low prices are suspicious.

Do your research, and find out what your work is worth. “It’s so important not to underprice yourself” says Anna Stevens, a freelance writer at OXEssays and Revieweal. “Good customers will understand the importance of paying for good work.”

4- Not Being Strict On Payments

Another common issue freelancers have is getting payments on time. It’s so common for invoices to be sent out, and you’ll be waiting for payment weeks or even months later. That means that you have to keep chasing those payments up, which takes precious time.

There are ways you can get around this. Putting payment time frames into your invoices is one way of getting paid on time. Using an online payment gateway like Paytabs is another, as all payments can be handled on one platform. Ensure you’re strict about getting payment on time, so you don’t miss out.

5- Not Managing Your Time Well

Now you’re a freelancer, you’re the only person responsible for the way you manage your time. As such, time is very much money, and you need to ensure that you’re managing your time correctly. If you have periods of time where you’re not actively working on projects, then that will affect your bottom line.

“There are lots of ways that you can manage your time as a freelancer” says Adrian Savidan, a business blogger with Assignment Service and Stateofwriting. “You’ll need to find the method that works best for you.” For example, only accept realistic deadlines, and ensure that you take breaks so you don’t burn out as you’re working.

These are some of the most common mistakes that new freelancers are making right now. As a newcomer to this way of working, use the advice here to take care of yourself, and ensure that you get the most out of the work you do. Avoid these mistakes and you’ll be ready to rise to the top.

Madeline Miller
Madeline Miller is a writer with Education Essay and Essay Help. where she covers freelancing and time management. She’s also a blogger for Big Assignments.

PayTabs has introduced a revolutionary way for freelancers and independent sellers to get paid for the work that they do. Introducing Paymes, a social commerce platform launching across the MENA region.

A PayTabs company, Paymes has become an important staple in the gig economy as it helps freelancers and micro merchants:

• Receive instant payments over social media platforms
• Provide quick services to consumers
• Turn talent and ideas into profit, AND
• Help kickstart your business

So, what’s all the hype behind Paymes? We’ll show you!

About Paymes

“PayTabs saw that many entrepreneurs and freelancers were struggling to receive payment for their hard work,” says Joe Alvarez, a project manager at Paper Fellows and State of writing. “They saw that making a living on your terms was what made the world go round. Paymes is a global payment platform that lets people and businesses – including startups – receive payments and conduct electronic commerce. This takes the guesswork out of setting up payments, figuring out budgeting requirements, or even knowing much about commerce.

Who Paymes Is For

As mentioned, the gig economy will greatly benefit from this unique social commerce tool. In fact, Paymes is ideal for the following gig businesses and gurus:

• Freelancers
• Small and micro business owners

The Benefits

Believe it or not, Paymes comes with great benefits. Here are some, just to name a few!

• Sell more, and get paid instantly
• Have peace of mind through a single, secure platform
• Build your online store, and sell your products and or services on the go
• Get paid via Link or QR
• No need for time-consuming forms or documents – paperless is the way to go!

Product

With Paymes, you have access to various products. Such products include:

• Payments made when users click on a link (created and shared by you)
• Payments made when users scan a QR code (that you create and launch)
• Payments made in-store
• A micro eCommerce site
• A Paymes card, AND
• Marketplace

As you can see, Paymes is there for you, as you offer your products or services, and receive payments instantly.

Creating Your Shop With Paymes

Paymes is free to set up. During setup, you can:

• Add inventory, including:
  • Products/services
  • Description, AND
  • Pricing
• Brand your store
• Enable shoppers to add their favorite products from store to cart
• Enable shoppers to complete delivery details
• Create a secure checkout, etc.

Getting Paid With A Created Link

Now that shoppers are satisfied with their shopping experience, they want to buy now. That’s why it’s important to give them a secure checkout. You can share a secure payment link over nine different social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.

With a created link, you can upload the following:

• Photos of the product or service that the shopper wants to purchase
• Description of said product or service, AND
• The pricing

Once you share the payment link with the buyer, you’ll receive payment once the buyer enters their credit card information.

Getting Paid With A QR Code

“Nowadays, QR codes have made it easier for people to access a website on the go, without having to stop and type in a link,” says Edgar Winston, a business writer at Boomessays and UK Writings. “With Paymes, freelancers can accept contactless payments with a static QR code. This allows for smoother transactions, as customers tend to want quick service. All you have to do is fill out your product details, update your QR code, download it, and then share it with your customers.”

Conclusion

Ultimately, Paymes is your go-to Commerce tool. Want to build and run your business the right way? Then check out Paymes, and let your entrepreneurship and other business endeavors take off!

Sara Sparrow
Sara Sparrow is a writer and editor at Write my essay and Case study writing service. She is also a contributing writer at OX Essays. As a content writer, she writes articles about marketing, freelancing, and coding.

When you think of artificial intelligence, you’ll think of huge companies using it to manage large warehouses and thousands of customers. If you’re a smaller enterprise though – say, a freelancer-type company – you’ll still have several areas of your business that are ready and waiting for AI. That might seem outlandish, but it’s true!

Yes, even the most novice freelancer can benefit from the wonders of AI. From cybersecurity to customer support to researching and offering personalized service, AI is right for any freelancer. With that said, here’s just some parts of your business that can benefit from AI, and help you get more from them:

1 – Cybersecurity

 You very likely conduct a lot, if not all, of your business online. That means that customers have to trust you with a lot of their personal info, including their banking details. You need to be able to assure them that you’ll keep them safe, and that includes using several technologies to encrypt them.

AI is improving this process, by helping you secure your online business. A good machine learning AI can see patterns that lead to a cyber-attack before you can, so it can start putting countermeasures in place. It’ll also go through the data to find the source. Once it knows the source, it can defend against it. It essentially acts as an extra security guard, helping keep you and your customers safe.

2 – Customer Support And Experience

 When you think of customer support, you’ll think of a human team ready and waiting at the end of a phone to help support your customers. Of course, there’s a lot that has to be done by humans here, but you can lighten the load using AI.

Fortunately, for freelancers, there are online payment or store systems like Paymes that can help you connect and do business with clients. You can give your clients the option to submit their payments either through a special link (that you create) or through a QR code. And, if your clients prefer to pay through their social media, then they can, since Paymes is a verified social media payments partner. With more security and less paperwork, payments are easy for both you and your clients. It helps retain customers and bring in more sales, which is perfect for you as a small business owner. It’s the perfect online tool for freelancer companies.

3 – Personal Assistants

 Yes, you can use AI as a personal assistant. “That’s something that you can put to use even if you’re a very small or new company, and aren’t able to hire a human assistant” says Jason McDowell, a tech blogger at Write My X and 1 Day 2 Write. “These AIs will be able to do things like manage your calendar, reply to emails, and other regular tasks.”

These are tasks that are important, but routine. They take up a lot of time and as a business owner, that’s something that you just don’t have a lot of. That’s why an AI personal assistant is something that more people are taking advantage of.

4 – Data Research

 As a business owner, you want to be reaching your audience where they are, when they need you the most. In the past, to ensure you’re doing that you’d have to do hours of data research, trying to understand your customer and where they’re coming from.

Now though, you can use AIs to do this for you. They will be able process huge amounts of data in a short amount of time, ensuring that you don’t have to. It saves time too, so you’ll be able to address trends in the market as and when they happen.

5 – Personalization

 This is something that you’ll want to look into, especially as a small business owner. “When your customer feels as though you understand them, they’ll be more likely to be loyal to your brand” says technical writer Harriet Inglesford, from Origin Writings and Brit Student. “You can offer personalization in so many different ways.” That can be by adding their name to emails you send out, to giving them personalized recommendations when they visit your site.

This is something that can be achieved with the right AI. For example, you’ll see Netflix do this by monitoring the past shows that a user has watched, and use that information to recommend similar shows that the user may want. That inspires them to keep watching and using the service, as it can give them the content they want.

Wrapping Up

 As you can see, there are lots of ways in which AI can help your business. These areas of your business can greatly benefit from AI, so now’s the time to look into it and see how it can help you.

And, don’t forget: If you need a solution for selling and for collecting your fees and payments instantly, then Paymes is your go-to solution for ensuring that you have a great business experience as a freelancer!

George J. Newton
George J. Newton is a tech writer with Academic Brits and Dissertation Writing Service, where he covers advances in tech and business. He also writes for Next Coursework .