1. What are service solutions available for employers?
Full-time employee: A permanent employee of a firm who is subject to all the rules, regulations, and benefits of the firm. Such employees normally have clearly defined working hours and rights.
Managed Service Provider (MSP): Takes a holistic, long term approach to solving problems, whereas outsourcing in general takes a short-term approach. MSPs usually do the work on the client’s premises.
Usually BPO involves contracting to a third-party provider specific aspects or areas of a firm’s operations. BPO usually involves a short-term obligation to a specific customer need. Usually the work is done at the vendor’s premises.
A Contractor has a formal obligation to the employer where both parties normally agree upon a defined contract. That contract can be on-premises or off premises. However, it is usually over a long period of time and a longer-term financial commitment.
A Freelancer is a self-employed individual who usually is not part of another organization with infrequent exceptions. Freelancing differs from outsourcing and contracting in the obligation itself. Longer, more committal, obligations are not necessary for a typical freelance contract.
2. Why use Freelancer over other types of service solutions?
There are three main reason why Freelancers can be beneficial over the other service solutions:
Freelancers offer
The lowest-cost solution
Greatest, specific expertise not found at the firm
Ability to change direction without high financial consequences
Usually if an employer wanted a longer-term high cost commitment, it would choose a full-time employee option, which benefits from culture and training. So, freelancers are a great choice when choosing between all options.
3. What are the drawbacks to Freelancers?
Freelancers are the lowest-cost solution for a reason. Most freelancers do not have the ability to work on an employer’s premises (because they are in a different area) or they do not want a long-term commitment to a specific firm. This is a drawback. However, there are always exceptions. Freelancers are available in all cities and many are flexible about going into the office and even prefer a long-term commitment.
4. What exactly does HelpT do?
We help our customers find high quality, highly rated freelancers. We are very familiar with the freelancing platforms and we know how to source from those platforms. Then, we take a managed approach to the process.
A. We gather information about the end-goal of our clients, the desired traits in a worker, the time horizons, and more. We learn, for example, whether the solution needed is project based, on-going, short-term or long-term, specific traits needed, etc. Then, we find the best candidates that meet those needs and present them to our client.
B. We help our client design the manage and control system for the service provider. We act as a liaison, QA layer, and rudimentary supervisor for the resource. We help set expectations and help trouble-shoot when appropriate.
5. How is HelpT different from freelance platforms, such as Toptal?
HelpT uses many different platforms like Toptal, to provide its services. As described, we are not a platform. We are a managed service provider (MSP) for freelancers, but specifically concentrating on freelancers rather than contractors. Our engagements are usually short-term projects or solution oriented, where our client wants to lower financial risk and business risk, by having more flexibility to end the project or change a resource.
6. What is HelpT’s business model?
We receive a fee, based on a percentage of a project or hourly wage. The percentage depends on the size of the project and prior client projects i.e. the longer the client’s commitment, the lower the fees. The larger the client commitment, the lower the percentage fees.