The freelancing industry is changing, and freelancers are flexible in operating their businesses. They keep track of their time and invoice clients automatically, saving them a ton of time. But how do you know what features you should be looking for in these apps?
There are hundreds of apps to choose from, but not all of them will help your business. Whether you’re at the beginning of your freelance career or are an experienced freelancer, you need to know what to look for when checking out different apps.
Read on from this post to learn about nine essential features to look for in freelance apps.
1. Flexible team management
It’s essential to add and remove people from your team as needed. In addition, you need to have complete control over their access rights to keep your data secure.
2. A secure payment system
When you’re dealing with freelance workers, there’s always a risk that some of them won’t deliver on time or budget. The best apps allow for an escrow payment option so that you only pay when the job is complete according to your specifications.
3. Real-time communication
Communication is essential when working with remote teams, but it can be challenging if all you have is email and text messaging. Look for an app with a live chat feature so that you can communicate directly with your team members at any time and resolve issues in real-time.
4. Recurring payments
Many freelance workers prefer recurring payments instead of having to request money from clients every week or month. It provides both flexibility and security for everyone involved.
5. Tasks and milestones
An app should allow both the client and freelancer to add tasks and set project milestones. It’s important to know what a freelancer is working on at any given time and their progress towards completing those tasks.
6. Time tracking
Regardless of whether or not you charge by the hour, it’s vital for both parties that a freelancer can track how much time they’re spending on each task. It is especially true if the app integrates with invoicing software.
7. Project management capabilities
Tasks and milestones are only half the battle — an app should also allow clients and freelancers to communicate in real-time as projects progress. You can communicate through messaging, calls, and even screen-sharing capabilities.
8. Payment terms
Whether you’re hiring one person or a team of ten, you must have flexibility in setting payment terms and deadlines. Not only that, but the payment system itself should be simple to use — clients shouldn’t have to go through multiple steps just to pay for a project, for example.”
9. CAPTCHA
Captcha is a word or phrase that users must type to prove they are not machines. This feature has various options such as “I am not a robot,” “Are you a robot?” and “I’m not a robot.” This security feature helps prevent spam accounts from joining the site so that genuine users can access the platform.
Bottom Line
Freelancers have a lot of extra work to keep their business running smoothly. Whether they’re fielding project inquiries, syncing billing, or updating their social networking pages, freelancers need to be able to access their information almost anywhere at any time. That’s why these essential features are so important. They make an app freelancer-friendly and allow freelancers to focus on what matters most—their work!
