Introduction
To create a successful business, you need to focus on your core tasks. Peripheral activities should be outsourced as it saves you both time and money. Once you decide to outsource some of your business tasks, you are faced with the most difficult question — Should I hire an agency over a freelancer? Or Should I go with freelance professionals?
Well, the answer to this question is simple. Freelancers and agencies both have their pros and cons. You should hire based on your objectives and the kind of tasks you want to outsource.
If you wish to outsource a specific task that requires a niche skillset you should hire a freelancer. If you are outsourcing an assignment that requires experienced professionals from different domains, you should hire an agency.
Well, the freelancer vs. agency debate is a bit complicated.
To help you find whether or not you should hire an agency over a freelancer let’s dive into the details of both these outsourcing services.
Read on to learn –
- What are the pros and cons of hiring a freelancer?
- What are the pros and cons of hiring an agency?
- 5 reasons why you should hire an agency over a freelancer
Working With a Freelancer
Pros
1. Specialized In a Niche Skillset
Freelancers are experts in a specific skill set. For instance, freelance professionals offer services like video editing, blog writing, graphic design, voiceovers, web design, WordPress website, book cover design, and a whole lot more.
You name a specific skill, and you will find a freelancer offering that service. From data entry to designing workflows, there are freelance professionals for all of them.
In short, if you are outsourcing a niche service, hiring a freelancer should be your go-to.
2. Less Expensive
When compared to hiring an agency, freelancers charge less. However, the charges of top-rated freelance professionals often compete with industry charges. And why not? Top-rated freelancers offer quality services.
Nonetheless, if you are outsourcing several services of your business, you need to hire more freelancers. In this case, you end up paying a hefty amount; more fees than that of an agency.
3. Highly Flexible
Professional freelancers are flexible with their work schedules. They build their schedules considering your project timeline.
Cons
1. There Are Certain Limitations
You hire a freelancer with a specific requirement in mind and certain issues pops-up that’s outside the scope of the freelance service. What happens next? Well, you end up hiring another freelancer and pay more.
To avoid this, carefully assess the services you need to outsource. Ask yourself — Whether it requires a specific skill set or a multidisciplinary approach?
2. Comparatively Less Reliable
When you are working with a freelancer, you are essentially working with an individual. Here, issues like illness, time zone differences, family emergencies, etc. might delay your project.
Working With an Agency
Pros
1. Specialized In a Niche Skillset
The biggest advantage of an agency over a freelancer is that an agency has a team of professionals who excel in different skill sets. An agency can take care of all your needs under one roof. Be it design, development, or marketing, an agency covers them all. You don’t need to hire different freelancers for separate services.
2. Less Expensive
Reputed agencies have years of experience working with high-profile clients. These agencies have structured workflows, proven results, experienced professionals, and the necessary expertise for completing your project. Most importantly, agencies have product managers that actively keep a tab on your project.
Unlike freelancers, you don’t need to be always on your toes with an agency. Agencies accurately convert your brief into a quality product on time.
3. Highly Flexible
Many agencies offer ongoing support such as SEO, marketing, analyzing user feedback, etc., for your project.
Considering all these advantages, it is no wonder why many small and medium-sized businesses prefer an agency over a freelancer.
Cons
1. Expensive
Let’s face it, hiring an agency is more expensive than hiring a freelancer.
However, agencies offer a bundle of services. As mentioned, firing several freelancers for completing different tasks is costlier than hiring an agency. Considering this, you get the highest value for your outsourcing budget when you hire an agency, given you are hiring for multiple services.
5 Reasons to Hire an Agency Over a Freelancer
1. Agencies Cover All Your Needs
As discussed, agencies offer everything from software development to marketing in one place.
Say, you are a small business that runs a chain of clothing stores. To make your digital presence, you need a mobile application, a website, and a marketing campaign to promote this digital makeover. In this case, you should hire an agency over a freelancer.
Why? Because an agency will take care of all your needs. From launching your app, deploying your website, to creating a viral campaign to promote your clothing stores’ mobile app and website. Most importantly, there will be consistency in your app, website, and marketing campaign as every team would seamlessly coordinate with each other.
On the other hand, hiring three different freelancers, each for the website, app development, and marketing will be more costly. Plus, you might find it difficult to convey your approach as you need to communicate with three different individuals while trying to establish coordination among them.
2. You Don’t Need to Invest In Tools
There are times when freelancers don’t have the tools that they need. For instance, you need to check your iOS application on the latest iPhone. A freelance app tester might not be able to arrange the latest iPhone.
However, a professional app testing agency will agree to test your iOS app on the latest iPhone as they are well-equipped with the latest tools and technology.
3. They Are Reliable
As discussed, your project might get delayed if the freelancer is faced with health issues or family emergencies.
However, when you work with an agency, you work with a team. If someone in the agency falls sick, your work won’t get affected.
4. Quality Guaranteed
The major reason why people hire an agency over a freelancer is quality. Agencies have skilled professionals in different domains whereas freelancers are skilled in a niche skill. As agencies have a varied skill set, they deliver high-quality services.
5. You Are Always Up to Date on Your Project
When working with an agency, you receive active updates from your project manager on the progress of your project. You are always up to date on your project while also providing your feedback to the agency. On the other hand, some freelancers fail to maintain active communication.
Conclusion
Be it hiring a freelancer or an agency, both have their merits and demerits. The rule of thumb is to hire based on –
- Which tasks do you wish to outsource?
- What is your budget?
For a single specific task hire a freelancer. Tasks that require a multi-faceted team should be outsourced to an agency.
However, if you own a small or medium-sized business, you should choose an agency over a freelancer. Why? Because agencies give you the best value for your budget as they offer a complete package of services. Not to mention, they have experienced professionals.
Hope you have got the answer as to whom you should hire. Contact us If you wish to outsource some of your tasks. We have full agency service as well as we can provide individual developers with staffing arrangements.