Outsourcing: Hiring a freelancer vs an agency

Outsourcing: Hiring a freelancer vs an agency

Outsourcing - Hiring a freelancer vs an agency

Choosing to outsource is a big step for any company. It requires a deep understanding of the benefits and disadvantages of this strategy, so you know exactly what you’re in for.

Say you’ve finally deemed outsourcing to be a better move over doing certain tasks in-house, the stressful decision-making process doesn’t end there! You’ll have to decide whether to hire a freelancer or use an agency.

Well, the answer to this point of decision can’t be generalised. As both of these options have their own set of pros and cons, it will all depend on your business’ needs and capabilities.

Struggling to decide between hiring a freelancer and choosing an agency? Keep reading to determine which strategy will work well for your company!

Hiring a freelancer

Whatever the nature of a project, you can always look for a freelancer to take on the job. Find out if outsourcing a certain task to a freelancer is the right choice for your business.

Pros

Highly specialised skill sets

Do you need a specific project completed on a given time frame? You can trust a freelancer to cover for you! Since freelancers have specialised skill sets, you can ensure that they will deliver quality results that you won’t otherwise get from your depleted team.

Whether you need copywriters, graphic designers, website developers or other industry experts to finish a task, it is wise to get assistance from freelancers instead of trying to take matters into your own hands.

Flexibility

If you choose to hire a freelancer, you have the power to pick the best among a qualified pool of individuals. In this way, you can guarantee that their skills match the project requirements.

Another thing is that freelancers are their own boss. This means that they don’t usually follow strict rules, making it easier to reach a favourable compromise. For instance, some may offer flexible payment plans and may accommodate your preferred work schedule.

Budget-friendly

Since freelancers operate on their own, they don’t have to cover for overhead costs such as advertising, rent, repairs and utilities. This makes it possible for them to lower their rates, especially for one-time projects.

Cons

Time-consuming

The freelance market gives you access to a broad selection of professionals, which you will have to search through to find the best candidate. This will take up lots of time!

Also, assuming you have several projects to outsource, then you will have to assign each one to several freelancers. Just imagine the trouble of having to get in touch with separate individuals every time you want an update.

One-man team

Freelancers may be specialists in their field, but nothing beats the collaborative input of a team to come up with the ultimate output. After all, two heads are always better than one.

Don’t get us wrong – most freelancers deliver excellent results. But considering they work on their own, creativity is limited. Plus, with all the other companies they’re dealing with, they most likely would rush the project just to finish it on time, compromising the quality of work.

Less dependable

Because freelancers usually don’t have fixed work schedules, they may be more difficult to get a hold of when you need to contact them. Aside from this, they usually handle multiple projects at once, so don’t be surprised if you will have to hassle them quite a lot to get things on track.

Using an outsourcing agency

In recent years, many companies are starting to recognise the significant role that outsourcing firms play in maximising efficiency and boosting growth. This might be the perfect solution for you, too!

Pros

Vast experience and expertise

An outsourcing firm is home to industry professionals with varying strengths, skills and abilities, so you can only imagine how much focus they can put on every detail to carry out a project in the best way possible.

Whether you’re seeking for help on creative or technical aspects, having multiple people put in their experience and expertise on a project will certainly yield the most effective outcome.

Versatility

One of the greatest factors about using an agency is that you can delegate several of your projects to them at once. In this way, you will only need to coordinate with one person, saving you from the stress of dealing with various individuals.

Aside from this, using an outsourcing agency will allow you tap into a wide range of skills without having to hire individual people. By partnering up with a firm, you get the complete package!

Faster results

When a team works together to accomplish tasks, you’re almost certain to receive the outcome on schedule, resulting to faster turnaround times.

If you choose a reliable outsourcing agency, you will never have to miss your deadlines. Plus, your business processes will become more organised and efficient!

Cons

Higher cost

Since outsourcing agencies would have to compensate their employees and cover overhead costs, it is completely expected that choosing this strategy will take up a bigger chunk of your budget – well, that is, compared to hiring freelancers.

Less control

If you want control over every little detail of a project, then using an outsourcing firm is probably not for you. Of course, as professionals in their field, they know what works best and would have their own way of doing things.

Although client preferences are always taken into consideration, choosing this solution will require you to be more open to suggestions and changes.

Inconsistency

This may not be a problem for most outsourcing firms as they have their own set of quality guidelines, but for some, this is a prevalent issue.

An agency has several people working on a project, and there may be times when some aspects aren’t consistent. This is especially true for tasks that involve creative input such as copywriting and graphic design.

Summary

To sum it all up, assessing your business’ requirements will lead you to decide which outsourcing solution you should choose.

In general, businesses who are just starting out may benefit better with freelancers. But for companies who are looking to expand, seeking help from an outsourcing agency is the more practical choice.

You should also consider whether you’re looking to complete one-time projects or you’re up for long-term partnerships. Hiring freelancers will typically be more efficient for non-recurring tasks while firms can cover a significant area of your operations.

Do you need a reliable outsourcing firm to assist with your projects? Consider White Label Media. We offer website development, digital marketing, graphic design and IT services. To learn more, give us a call at 02 9161 1644 today.

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