OUTSOURCING Web based Companies

How to find the VA in the best web-based Outsourcing Provider

oDesk

oDesk

How it works: Pay only for verified time spent working for you – Odesk’s Team

Room feature allows you to see each of team members activity levels (keyboard and

mouse activity), and feedback (Work diary), as well as web cams and screenshots of

their computer to make workers more accountable.

Payments: based on hours worked, or completed jobs.

Fees: The oDesk fee is 10% of the employer’s payment to oDesk which equates to

11.11% on top of the amount paid to the contractor.

Our experience: great for when you have a task where you’d prefer to pay by the

hour. In 2013, oDesk merged with Elance although both websites stayed open.

Elance

Elance How it works: You can hire by the hour or by the project and then track progress

in your “Workroom” where you can “View and manage work-in-progress online

instead of on-site. Messages, screenshots, files and completed work are

automatically saved here”. One nifty feature is the ability to Invite co-workers to

join your Workroom as needed.

Payments: Approve milestones or time sheets prior to making payment.

Fees: Elance deducts between 6.75% and 8.75% from each payment (depending

on the project budget), transferring the remaining amount directly to the service

provider’s Elance account. In addition, there is a one-time $10 account activation

fee to set up an Employer account.

Our experience: Generally higher quality providers that are bit more expensive.

Probably the best option for larger jobs where you need to hire a team with strong

technical skills, or if you don’t want to be bothered with mediocre providers.

Freelancer

Freelancer How it works: When you hire a worker you need to create payment milestones, as

milestones are completed, payment is released.

Payments: based on milestones, or completed work.

Fees: Here’s where it gets messy:

Posting a project – $5, refundable, fully refunded on selecting a Service Provider.

Selecting a Service Provider – $3 or 3%, whatever is higher

Posting a Featured Project – $19

Hide Project from Search Engines – $3

Optional Hide Bids from Other Users – $3

Gold Membership – $24.95/month, 0% project commissions

Posting a Full Time Project – $99.95

Our experience: Better for project based work (one off jobs). Easy to use, and suited to

smaller jobs – “The average job is under US$200, making outsourcing for the first time

extremely cost effective for small businesses. In 2013, oDesk merged with Elance

although both websites stayed open and retained separate identities.

Peopleperhour

Peopleperhour Overview: Designed for individual and small business users, Peopleperhour is an outsourcing

marketplace that offers web development, software development, networking & information

technology, writing & translation, administrative support, design & multimedia, and business

services provided by a network of 449,824 individual contractors.

Peopleperhour was founded in London, U.K., in 2007.

Payment Structure: Hourly

Payment Services: Dispute Resolution, Escrow Service, Refunds Available

FEES

Employer Commission 3.5%

Contractor Commission 15%

Contractor Earnings Percentage 81.5%

Subscription Fee $0 per month

Posting Fee $0

SERVICES OFFERED

Web Development, Software Development, Networking & Information Technology, Writing &

Translation, Administrative Support, Design & Multimedia, Business Services

Amazonmechanical turk

Amazonmechanical turk Overview: Designed for enterprise, individual, and small business users, Amazon Mechanical

Turk is a crowdsourcing marketplace that offers writing & translation, sales & marketing, and

business services provided by a network of 500,000 individual contractors.

Founded in Seattle, WA, in 2005, Amazon Mechanical Turk has served an estimated total value

of $200,000,000 in jobs, earning over $150,000,000 for their contractors.

Payment Structure: Micropayments

Payment Services: Escrow Service

FEES

Contractor Commission 10%

Contractor Earnings Percentage 90%

Subscription Fee $0 per month

Posting Fee $0

SERVICES OFFERED

Writing & Translation

Sales & Marketing

Business Services

Guru

Guru How it works: Pay for completed work.

Fees: Memberships are available from $29.95 to $99.95 per quarter.

Project Fee – Either 5 or 10% of the Invoice or Escrow amount, depending on your

membership level.

Escrow Fee – 2% of the escrowed amount. Only charged when SafePay Escrow is used.

Employer Payment Method Fees – Up to 4% for a credit card payment and 2.5%

for Withdraw Method Fees – $3 to receive funds by check and $9 to receive funds by wire

transfer.

Our experience: caters more to US based freelancers (182,000 workers in the US vs 51,242

in India, and only 1,887 in the Russian Federation). Working with a native English speaker is

sometimes a good option when you need to be able to verbally communicate project

requirements. Guru is also a good option if you are looking to work with a US based provider.

99designs

99designs Overview: Designed for enterprise, individual, and small business users, 99Designs

is a contests marketplace that offers design & multimedia provided by a network of 238,326

individual contractors.

Founded in San Francisco, CA, in 2008, 99Designs has served 228,303 jobs for an estimated

total value of $95,000,000, earning over $57,000,000 for their contractors.

Payment Structure: Fixed Price

Payment Services: Escrow Service, Refunds Available

FEES

Contractor Commission 40%

Contractor Earnings Percentage 60%

Subscription Fee $0 per month

SERVICES OFFERED

Compare Design & Multimedia Outsourcing

freelance.com

freelance.com Overview: Designed for enterprise, individual, and small business users, Freelance Direct

is an outsourcing marketplace that offers web development, software development, networking &

information technology, writing & translation, administrative support, design & multimedia, customer

service, sales & marketing, and business services provided by a network of 144,397 individual

contractors.

Founded in Levallois-Perret, France in 2010, Freelance Direct has served 20,000 jobs for an estimated

total value of $306,933.

Payment Structure: Fixed Price

Payment Services: Escrow Service, Refunds Available

FEES

Employer Commission 25%

Contractor Earnings Percentage 75%

Subscription Fee $0 per month

Posting Fee $0

SERVICES OFFERED

Web Development, Software Development, Networking & Information Technology, Writing & Translation,

Administrative Support, Design & Multimedia, Customer Service, Sales & Marketing, Business Services

crowdSPRING

crowdSPRING Overview: Designed for enterprise, individual, and small business users, CrowdSPRING is a contests

marketplace that offers writing & translation and design & multimedia provided by a network of 140,355

individual contractors.

PRICING ESTIMATES

Our pricing estimates are meant to be a snapshot of what the individual market is charging for project

work, and reflect what you can expect to pay or earn for the completion of a relatively straightforward

assignment. These estimates were calculated for each marketplace by sampling a large number of

projects over time, excluding the outliers, and averaging their costs. As a general rule, the more complex

the assignment, the higher the costs demanded by the market.

FEES

Contractor Earnings Percentage 100%

Posting Fee $174

SERVICES OFFERED

Writing & Translation

Compare Writing & Translation Outsourcing

Design & Multimedia

Compare Design & Multimedia Outsourcing

Staff.com

Staff.com How does it work for staff?

Staff.com is an easy way to find long-term employment working from home. Jobs are available with

companies from the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and around the world.

How do I get a job through Staff.com?

Just post your resume on Staff.com, ensure that it's high quality, and then sit back and relax.

Employers on Staff.com are constantly posting jobs, searching resumes, and contacting available staff.

Our recruiters also help to match candidates with suitable jobs.

Job postings on Staff.com are not publicly visible - you'll only be contacted about a job when an

employer or one of Staff.com's recruiters has determined that your skills are a good fit. The hiring

process on Staff.com usually involves an audio interview, tests to demonstrate your abilities, and a paid

trial or probation period before the hire is finalized.

Do I need to pay anything to use Staff.com?

No. You never pay anything to Staff.com, or to any employer on Staff.com that you're interested in

working with.

Required work hours: To receive your full salary, you'll be required to work 160 hours per month for full

time jobs, or 80 hours per month for part time jobs. Your work hours are tracked with our Time Doctor

software, which also takes screenshots of your computer screen to confirm that you're working.