Have you ever thought about getting yourself or your team some external support but worried whether the type, level or frequency of help that you need could be a barrier to a successful working relationship?
The beauty of taking on an agency or freelancer to provide top-up support for your team is the flexibility it offers you as the client to ask for – and expect to receive – the support that you need, exactly when and how you want it.
Before you start initial discussions about a potential contract with an external provider (after checking their credentials, of course), it helps to have considered a few working practice details. Take some time to consider issues such as:
- Do you need support at set times of the day or week, or do you just need work completed within agreed timescales?
- Do you need the same amount of support each day, week or month, or will the workload fluctuate?
- Do you need someone to work from within your office, or can they operate from their own base?
If you’re considering working with a reputable freelancer or agency, there should be no right or wrong answer to these questions, as they will be used to tailoring their services to suit clients’ individual needs.
If, after discussing details such as these with a prospective provider, you feel they’re right for you and the support that you’re looking for matches what they can offer, that’s perfect. But if you find they can’t work to your specifications (perhaps for reasons such as capacity or previous commitments), then you have the choice either to compromise and take them on anyway, or to simply find someone else to do the work.
And unlike making a commitment to hiring an employee, if, after some time of working with the agency or freelancer you find the arrangements you thought would work aren’t actually delivering what you need – or your needs change – you can simply amend the contract or bring the relationship to an end (subject to any agreed notice periods).
Flexible options like these are exactly what makes freelancers and agencies ‘your flexible friends’. A good provider should be well accustomed to working flexibly and responsively to deliver exactly what you need, when you need it and in the way that you need it.
So, if you could use a little extra capacity sometimes to edit a regular newsletter, write occasional blog posts, proofread reports, update your website or manage the production of your annual report, contact us today.