When looking for cost-efficient voice service solutions, many businesses rely on Philippine-based call centers to answer their customer support needs. However, for startups and entrepreneurs which lack financial resources, outsourcing call agent work to freelancers and source some work through online platforms seem the more obvious action.
Although the cost of outsourcing to BPO companies in the Philippines is not as expensive as hiring an in-house call center team, tapping the freelance market for call center agents is all the rage of late, citing lack of financial resources among the main reasons.
Hiring an in-house team or getting a freelance agent for your business to handle your processes and customer care transactions remain debatable up to this day. Are freelancers dependable? On the other hand, is it still justifiable to outsource if the business merely need a portion of the comprehensive customer solution that the more established call center firms offer?
In this blog post, let’s find out by comparing and contrasting freelance agents versus call centers in the Philippines. More particularly, we’ll look into reliability, management, skills and expenses.
Upwork Vs. Freelancer
Websites like Upwork and Freelancer, currently two of the most popular and active freelancing websites in the world, allow you to outsource one-off jobs to freelancers. Currently the largest freelancing site in the world, the rebranded Upwork boasts its over 12 million freelancers registered with it, as well as 5 million clients. Annually, there are some 3 million jobs posted at the site. Meanwhile, Freelancer has more than 21 million users worldwide with a Best Employment Website award for two consecutive years, 2015 and 2016.
How Upwork Works
Clients post their projects on the website which Upwork then matches with a list of freelancers with the right specialization in that particular field of work. This is a boon for clients looking for fast and easy way to search for available remote staff. This then eases clients the tedious effort of sifting through the millions of freelancers registered on the website.
To help clients choose the right talent, Upwork provides on the freelancer’s profile the skills and the percentage of projects completed, and sometimes the amount of money they earned through the platform. This way, the client can review and make comparisons of their chosen freelancers’ profile and credentials. Client can also conduct an interview to the freelancer personally before making their choice.
File sharing and various forms of communications are just a few of the tools the website provide clients, as well as let clients prepare invoice and process payments. One thing to love about the website is the Upwork Protection, which guarantees that clients won’t have to pay for assignments they did not authorize or commission the worker to do. By opting the premium subscription, clients receive hand-picked freelancer profiles as well as the service of a dedicated manager.
Is Upwork Worth It?
Registering an account at the freelance website is easy, which makes it not surprising at all why there are a lot of freelancers on the platform. Here is where some of the complaints emerge that only a certain percentage of the remote workers there are really experts on what they do. There are not a few complaints from clients that they ended up hiring freelance talent who don’t have the right set of skills for their project.
So if you’ll go use Upwork to look for people, make sure to search and comb the freelance talent market well to find the right person or project that fit their bill.
How Freelancer Works
Clients use the website to post their projects and jobs for free, in which they have the option to invite freelancers to bid on the project or look at freelance workers’ profiles themselves and make an offer to the ones that meet the requirements. At the site, users respond in real time, and projects usually get bidders in a matter of minutes.
For the bidding process, clients are free to select which of the freelancers got the best ‘technical’ bid or the ones with the ‘best’ quote for the job. This could mean going with a freelance worker who has higher rates and skills that are a much better fit for a particular project.
Once the project has been awarded to a freelancer, the two parties can communicate constantly through the website to discuss the particulars of the project and to set the expectations that each will make sure happen. Freelancers can allow users to chat, share files, and collaborate while on the go.
When it comes to paying the freelancer, the client only need to pay once the project is done and the freelancer has completed all the requirements of the assignment. For projects with complex requirements that may mean the freelancer will be getting his payment at the end of the project, the client and the freelancer can discuss about breaking it down into smaller projects. Payment can be arranged based on the milestones and goals they achieve. The website, which uses highly secured encrypted state-of-the-art system, makes sure that payments are secure. The website’s support is also available round the clock.
Is Freelancer Worth it?
Here are some of the complaints clients who tried Freelancer have: a) you spend already even before engaging with a freelancer; and, b) issues with billing, (e.g., being billed twice for creating a duplicate milestone), among others. Freelancers who use the website, meanwhile, encounter similar problems, who complained about missing milestones and money. Clients and freelancers want the website to resolve these discrepancies.
Should Clients Use These Services
The number of technical issues both clients and freelancers complained about and face demand to be addressed by the website. Bids are limited, too, so if you are a freelancer, you are only allowed up to 10 bids at the same time, which discourages some freelancers from using the website.
Upwork offer clients with plenty of options and it has a more diverse category of talents and projects and offers free membership. If you are a freelancer, please be guided that you need to know that there are minimal amount to pay whenever you bid on a project.
Why Outsource Call Center Work to Big Outsource
This time, let’s find out by faring freelancers against Big Outsource in terms of reliability, management, and expenses.
Equipment reliability
Home-based agents must ensure for themselves internet connection and own call center setup, which don’t assure reliability because you are not completely sure the agent’s computer is solely dedicated for call center work. Call Center firms like Big Outsource, on the other hand, invest for state-of-the-art communications technologies.
Not just updated regularly and backed up, voice-based equipment are maintained by a dedicated IT experts. By investing in sophisticated equipment, infrastructure maintenance and security solutions, Big Outsource want to assure clients that call operations are handled unhampered. Clients’ sensitive data are also kept safe from any form of intrusion.
Employee Management
Most freelancers juggle multiple call center responsibilities from multiple employers. This is one of the pitfalls that Big Outsource want to avoid. Our call center agents are assigned to one specific account and work as a team that is led by a designated leader. There is regular monitoring of calls and staff are provide sufficient trainings, workshops, and leadership seminars so they are ready for any levels of agent works while upholding in them a sense of teamwork.
Reasonable Expense
Outsourcing to a call center firm can seem steeper by comparison to hiring people from Freelancer or Upwork, however they are actually reasonable. The service quality and partnership longevity you get from hiring Big Outsource far outweigh hiring a freelance or remote agent. When you partner with a call center firm, you pay not only for your agent’s salary, but also for the space, benefits and compensation.
By compensating your employees well and offering benefits package to employees can translate to motivated agents who will perform their best for their clients. In addition, it also saves clients from additional expenses brought about by frequent employee turnover.
After All, It’s Your Choice
There are clear practical advantages and disadvantages to consider when looking for agents from freelancer platforms and outsourcing to a call center.
When you look for the right freelancer for the job, pay attention to the effort you might consume looking for one. Then there is also the need to ensure clear communication between the client and the freelancer so that the requirements of the project are well understood by both parties. Each party must also know each other’s capabilities, limitations, and expectations.
In sum, hiring freelancers for single, one-off projects or short contracts can be a great option for you. However, forming an outsourcing partnership with a call center firm is the best solution for you if you need long-term business continuity, security and reliability.
Having your own dependable call center team is best implemented with the right strategies and resources. Not only you’ll be able to slash the cost of your call center operations, outsourcing to a call center firm can help you achieve your company’s productivity objectives.
