Hiring freelancers is a common move for agencies looking to stay agile and creative. But with it comes the tricky part: managing their workflow and keeping an eye on expenses. That's where Streamtime shines. In this article, we’re diving into two straightforward ways to manage freelancers using Streamtime, ensuring everything runs like clockwork.
👥 Adding a Freelancer as a User in Streamtime
When you bring a freelancer on board, adding them as a user in Streamtime can be a real game-changer. This method gives your freelancer clear visibility of what's needed from them while they’re with you. It’s great for tracking their time, managing availability, and allocating tasks just like you would for any team member. Plus, they get to see all the projects they’re part of.
Adding a freelancer is just like adding any regular employee. Here’s how:
Team Members Screen: Head here first.
Create a New Team Member: Click on ➕ Create > Team Member.
Enter Details: Fill in their info.
Tag: Don’t forget to tag them as a freelancer for easy reporting later.
Set Permissions: More on user permissions here.
Send Invite: Click Save & Send to shoot an invite over to your freelancer.
💡Tip: When setting up cost rates, input the hourly rates your freelancer quoted. For sell rates, consider adding a mark-up.
For more details on adding new users, have a look at this guide.
You're all set to assign tasks to your freelancer, just like any other team member. For more on how to do this, take a peek at this handy guide.
✍️ Record freelancers/contractors time as an expense on the job
If you prefer not to invite your freelancers/contractors into Streamtime, that’s all good. In Streamtime, you can manage freelancer and contractor costs as third-party expenses. Simply use the 'Add Expense' button within a job to record their charges, keeping your project financials organised without adding them directly into the system.
In our case, the freelancer/contractor time that’s been agreed can be recorded in the QTY section, the cost rate can be added into the cost rate section and if you wish to add a mark-up feel free to do so as well. Feel free to record any notes and agreed SOV in the description field of an expense.
Once you get an invoice for that expense, feel free to tag it as "paid" so you and your team are aware of its status. Click here to find out more about managing third-party costs against the job.