How Best To Communicate With Your Freelancer

A successful relationship between a professional freelancer and an employer means knowing how to get your message across, and that means knowing how to communicate effectively. Imagine the consequences of living in a world where people did not communicate effectively with each other, conducting business would be an impossibility - misunderstandings would abound, and oral and written communication would become more difficult. One misstep, entire business relationships will fall like a house of cards, projects will collapse in disarray, and disputes will escalate out of control.

But imagine a world where communication is simple and asking for what you want is as easy as pie. That is the world an employer enters when he/she chooses to elicit the services of a freelancer via a freelance website.

Scenario No.1
Employer 1, you post a project on a freelance website and after getting numerous high quality responses from freelancers, you are impressed. However, you can only hire one freelancer. Should you respond to all the applicants, thanking them for their bids? Do you think because freelance websites sends out system-notification emails when a project closes or a bid is won, you should not personally thank the applicant for their bids?

Answer - Thanking all of the applicants that bid on your project, is much appreciated by freelancers, as they continue on their job search. Failing a lack of response, any kind of response from an employer can lead to feelings of frustration for freelancers.

Scenario No.2
Employer 2 has posted a project proposal and has received a bid from a freelancer that they are considering hiring for your project. You send a confidential message to the freelancer, using the freelance website Private Message Board (a great tool when communicating with professional freelancers). The freelancer responds slowly to your message, is that a bad sign?

Answer - A quick response is always good, and the quicker the better is best. Employers, you want a freelancer who is detailed-oriented, attentive, and dependable. How quickly they respond to your questions is a good indication that they will be.

Scenario No.3
Employer 3, you are wary of using the Private Message Board at a freelance website. You are unsure if your email address will remain private or even that the freelancer will receive your message. Are your fears unfounded or not?

Answer - When an employer sends a professional freelancer an email via The Private Message Board (PMB) their email address is kept hidden. Also, a freelance website alerts the professional when they have received an email.

Scenario No.4
Employer 4 you have posted your project and you need to clarify or revise a piece of information for the freelancers who have bid on your project. You decide to let it go because there is no way to contact all of them. Is that the correct response?

Answer - Employers if any type of clarification is warranted after posting your project, you can do so by using the Added Comments tool.

Scenario No.5
Employer 5 a dispute has risen between you and the freelancer you hired. By creating a Project Agreement and deciding to use Escrow, you have access to the freelance websites mediation and arbitration services. You need to show a record of all the conversations between you and the professional freelancer, where do you look?

Answer: If the employer is smart he/she have used the Private Message Board. The PMB allows employers to converse with a freelancer regarding information about their project with updates, organize their project correspondence in a central location, and is tied to their projects and grouped with other freelance website tools.

Conclusion
The number one key to communication is respect. How you talk to someone matters.