Moving from freelancers to teams? Learn the exact steps to build managed talent teams that deliver consistent results and reduce coordination chaos.

Transition From Freelancers to Managed Teams is a big deal from an operational standpoint. Eighty percent of CEOs want to increase their use of flexible workforce models, says Deloitte. However, when it comes time to include responsibility and coordination into such models, the majority of them suffer. Most people don't realize how much of a gulf there is between managing independent contractors and leading a team of managed personnel.

Why Do Businesses Hit a Wall With Freelancers?

Overseeing the work of three independent contractors is straightforward.

Unfortunately, deliverables were at odds with one another. The designer hadn't begun working on the graphics until a writer sent in a blog post that required them. A version that was still undergoing editing was what the developer was anticipating.

The problem was not competence. Everything was organized. Workflow ownership was lacking. What it boils down to when comparing Managed Talent Teams to freelancers is that the former produce results, while the latter carry out specific duties.

An analysis by McKinsey found that companies employing more than five independent contractors waste seven hours a week on coordination alone.

When Is the Right Time to Make That Transition?

When it comes to Freelancers vs Managed Teams, a red flag appears if the same rework is being requested again and again.

The freelance copywriters for an e-commerce firm that was going from 50 to 200 SKUs failed to adhere to the brand's product-specific tone standards. The authors' understandings varied. Their response time was magnified due to revisions.

How Do You Start Moving From Freelancers to Teams?

Find out first what your present freelancers are doing well by doing an audit.

It was a wise move on the part of a SaaS firm to Transition From Freelancers to Managed Teams to a managed talent staff. After 30 days, they documented every job their freelancers did. They then classified such jobs according to their purposes.

Their team's blueprint was that map. Roles were created around proven work groupings rather than recruiting generically. Instead of six months, the changeover took six weeks.

Keep track of all ongoing freelancing processes. Find out whose responsibilities overlap. Then, for complete ownership of that output, specify the team structure that will be required.

What Changes When You Work With Dedicated Remote Teams?

Responsibility has taken center stage. Freelancers are those who take responsibility for their own work. The outcome is owned by someone in specialized remote teams.

A digital marketing agency moved away from using independent PPC managers and toward a more traditional remote team consisting of a manager, two experts, and an analyst. In only one quarter, they saw a 34% increase in customer retention.

One structural benefit of teams over freelancers is that reporting is now handled by the team head. The experts managed the marketing. Clients were unaware of performance declines since the analyst spotted them early. There was a complete lack of waiting staff that week since each employee was attending to their own customer.

How Do You Keep Quality High During the Transition?

For 30–60 days, run both models simultaneously.

On the same day that they started their managed talent team, a healthcare IT business kept their freelancing network open. While working on separate projects, they both managed to stay afloat. The managed team reduced revision cycles in half and took on 70% of the task in only 45 days.

Early on in Dedicated remote teams, establish common criteria. One set of guidelines for style, one platform for managing projects, and weekly updates on roadblocks. On their own, these three remove the majority of Transition From Freelancers to Managed Teams obstacles.

What Does a Managed Team Model Actually Look Like?

No, it's more than simply a bunch of independent contractors using a Slack channel. Shared performance targets, clear channels for internal escalation, and well defined ownership are all hallmarks of a genuine managed talent team.

When it comes to moving from freelancers to teams, we have to keep in mind that the following years of using independent dispatchers, a logistics firm assembled a remote operations team.