- 10 Mar 2019
- 4 mins read
- Posted in
If you are seriously considering a Freelancer Management System (FMS), or have already got the green light internally to go ahead, you’ll want to prepare for the implementation and adoption phase. Most modern cloud-based systems are incredibly easy to use, and the provider will have teams to help you along the way. However, that being said this stage is critical to making sure it delivers on the promises you gave when you sought buy-in for the FMS.
Research by the Oxford Internet Institute, ‘Platform Sourcing How Fortune 500 Firms Are Adopting Online Freelancing Platforms’ identified five common reasons why implementations can be challenging: overcoming internal resistance, addressing risks, avoiding increased coordination costs, and creating new working practices along with socio-technical infrastructures. With this in mind, below we have devised our own step-by-step guide to help you through this process:
1) Have a project owner in place
This is likely to be an operational champion within the company, someone who rolls their sleeves up and gets into the details. They will not only be responsible for keeping track of the progress within the organisation, but will also ensure that there is a unified channel of communication with the FMS provider. This person should be the point of contact throughout the onboarding period and is likely to be the first to receive any news or announcements about features releases.
2) Communicate effectively with freelancers
One might assume that when a new technology like an FMS is implemented throughout the organisation, there has been enough hype that everybody is aware of what is happening. Remember that a lot of freelancers work remotely, and have no idea about what is discussed at lunch or during a coffee break. An FMS is a tool for both you and them, so make sure you give them some notice that a new system is coming. Communicate effectively about when you are likely to roll it out, what they are likely to gain from it, and how they can best help you achieve your desired goals. Like any other piece of software, it is only as useful as the information you put into it. So, tell your freelancers exactly how you want them to manage their profile such that it can speed up the process for both of you. This will save you the headache of telling each of them to change things.
3) Get continued buy-in from stakeholders
Continue to communicate with your stakeholders at relevant points in the project, given that they gave their backing when you were originally looking for buy-in. Provide updates particularly on areas that were key points of concern for them. When people see that you’re consistent and continue to keep them involved where appropriate, it will reinforce their decision to back you and the project as being the right choice.
4) Consider your implementation time
You can get set up on your FMS in a matter of minutes, think you have mastered it, and then find yourself backtracking later on. This can cause frustration and sometimes spark a desire to give up on the project. Equally, you can take so long to ease people in, that you find the project losing steam and people reverting back to old methods. Nailing the implementation time is important, get this right from the beginning and it will pay dividends further down the line.
Our advice would be to seek the help of your account manager, who will be able to assess your unique company situation and schedule in a set of onboarding calls to both help you roll out the software and teach you how to use it effectively.
It’s a good idea to document your processes as you go. This way when more people start using the platform there’s already a procedure in place. This not only creates consistency, but also helps to speed up platform adoption.
5) Train your team
When you have your onboarding call with the FMS provider you need to make sure that all your key stakeholders - those people who’ll be using the system - are on the line. It’s important to get them involved as soon as possible.
Your account manager will be a great source of knowledge and will ensure that your stakeholders are up to speed as quickly as possible. This means that you’ll be able to use the system from day one, and that the business can benefit from all the FMS has to offer.
Remember that freelancers might also benefit from some training, so ask them, and if that is the case organise a call with them and bring in your account manager to offer expert advice.
6) Make iterative improvements
Once you’ve completed the implementation allow time for the system to bed in. Track its use and get user feedback – both internally and from your freelancers. This will allow you to make iterative improvements to your processes and ensure you get the maximum benefit from your FMS.
As you look to the future, explore ways that the benefits of the FMS can be extended outside your department. With the growth of freelancers and contractors across every domain, it could provide the flexible talent required to serve many other areas of the business.
The bottom line is this. The implementation and adoption of an FMS, whilst requiring time and a new way of working, needn’t be daunting. Working with the right provider, they’ll help you every step of the way. And that means you’ll be reaping the full benefits of the system in no time, with the opportunity to gain even more from it as time goes by.
7) Communicate with your account manager
Every good FMS provider will assign you a dedicated account manager – and their input shouldn’t stop after you’re on board. They are designed to be there for your onboarding and beyond, so if you are wondering how you could extract more value from your FMS, pick up the phone or send them an email.
They will also be on hand to walk you through any new features, so ask them to keep you up to date with the ever-evolving the software.
But most of all, make sure that your account manager is someone you can build a good working relationship with. You may find you don’t need them that much but it’s always good to know they’re on hand – particularly when you’re likely to be using the system for the long term.

Floris ten Nijenhuis
Speak to us to find out how we can help you pay your contractors more efficiently
Related articles

What is contractor management and how does it work?
If you are an employer in 2022, chances are that you are either already working with freelancers and contractors – or are thinking of doing so soon. But have you perfected your contractor management strategy? Here’s something that many businesses do not realize. Simply working with contractors is...


How to Hire Independent Contractors For Your Business | TalentDesk.io
Where’s all the good talent? Many employers in 2022 are left wondering just this. Indeed, the talent shortage that the world is going through right now is the most severe it has been in 15 years, with 69% of global organizations having trouble finding suitable talent. So what is going on? The rapid...


Tackling talent shortage: How successful businesses are bridging the skill gap in 2022
Your business is growing and fast. Your client base is expanding, you are generating a lot of data that you know could help you get more efficient – and you might even be thinking about setting up a team in a new geographic location. But when you try to actually plan out your growth strategy, you...


What is Contractor Compliance & Reasons to explore a Contractor Compliance Management System
Contractor compliance: All you need to know before engaging freelancers & contractors What is contractor compliance? Ask any manager what their biggest challenge is when working with freelancers and contractors. Chances are, their answer will have something to do with getting the actual work done –...

How to Manage Contractors With Just One Tool
How to Manage Contractors With Just One Tool
A lot of managers who are hesitant about working with freelancers and contractors because they’ve had bad experiences in the past have one thing in common. They mistakenly believe that since external workers are not permanent members of their teams, they do not need to be managed.

Contractor vs Freelancer: What’s The Difference?
Contractor vs Freelancer: What’s The Difference?
Contents: What is the difference between a freelancer and a contractor? The 4 key differences between freelancers and contractors There was a time when companies saw temps and contractors as a backup plan; to cover for full-time employees on leave or to tide through periods of extra work....

Freelance Management Systems: The Ultimate Guide
Freelance Management Systems: The Ultimate Guide
Working with freelancers is nothing new — but the pandemic has made it truly mainstream. In the second quarter of 2020 alone, freelance job postings saw a 41% increase when compared to the year before, and 61% of businesses today say that they are looking to increase freelancer engagements in...

How to Hire Great Talent: 10 Hiring Tips for Startups
10 Best Startup Hiring Tips - How to Recruit Great Candidates
How to hire great talent: 10 Hiring Strategy Tips for Startups An organization is only as extraordinary as its people. If this statement is true for a giant corporation, it’s doubly so for up-and-coming, young startups. After all, when you only have a handful of people working in your organization,...


15 Productivity Tools for Remote Team Management
With COVID-19 having changed the working world almost overnight, many companies across the globe have had to rethink their policies and adapt to a more flexible way of working. Remote working, of course, is a common practice in some companies already. Over the last few years, this workplace trend...

How the Right Payment System Allows You to Attract Better Freelance Talent
How the right payment system allows you to attract better freelance talent
How the right payment system allows you to attract better freelance talent Now more than ever, it is imperative to have an efficient payment system in place for your freelance talent. With more than 1 in 3 people opting to freelance currently and that number racing towards more than 50% of the...
