Problems with Freelancers – We are writing our few experiences with Freelancers and common problems which we get to hear from Clients. We have in-house staff as well as outsource some of the tasks. Listed down are some of the problems we faced:
1) Sending tasks without proper testing:
Most of clients don’t get to know the problems involved in the website made by freelancer. Most of the times they don’t check for browser compatibility. A website looking good in Mozilla Firefox will crash or look weird on Internet Explorer or too many security hacks left opened by mistake when using third party modules/plugins.
2) Freelancers tend to bid on several projects at a time and it’s exciting when they are lucky enough to win most of them. They’re all excited, jubilant, and start thinking of the riches, but when they actually sit down and start working reality strikes. There is too much work, a tight time limit, and demanding clients. Now Freelancing becomes a mess. They lie, give excuses, and try their best to complete them all. Quality suffers, employers complain, ego gets hurt, and they’re all drained of energy.
3) Ignoring Guidelines
This is probably the worst mistake freelancers make. Ignoring a client’s guidelines means the freelancer is either too careless or too proud to look at the guidelines. Freelancers are always in a hurry mode, they do not always read the requirements and just set about working mindlessly. The end result is sometimes far from what the client wants it to be. The client then demands revisions and the freelancer will have to spend more time on their project, causing other projects to suffer.
4) Delayed Communication
Freelancers sometimes don’t check for updates or any new messages from their clients often enough, nor do they provide the client with enough timely updates. If a freelancer is not checking their inbox they will not only irritate the current clients, but also fail to grab some new opportunities. Agencies are more professional than freelancers in communication and timely deliveries.