Navigating the Challenges of Managing Freelancers: Why Tekkon Staff Augmentation is Ideal

Navigating the Challenges of Working with Freelancers: Why Tekkon is the Ideal Solution

When I meet with clients, I often hear about the challenges of working with and managing freelancers on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, and even LinkedIn. While there are plenty of success stories too, the risks of potentially losing time, investment, and possibly even your intellectual property (or never getting access to it) are very real.

That’s why developer staff augmentation is an invaluable strategy. It helps you mitigate many of these risks compared to working with an offshore freelancer.

The benefits include ensuring the quality and productivity of staff, retaining critical developers, maintaining control and access to your IP, getting access to multiple communication channels and minimizing disruptions due to turnover or attrition. This is where Tekkon steps in with a model that not only addresses these pain points but also elevates the entire experience of hiring and managing remote tech talent, working with out Tekkies (developers)

Common Challenges in Working with Freelancers

Quality and Reliability:
One of the most significant issues businesses face when hiring freelancers is ensuring the quality of work. Freelancers may have impressive profiles, but actual performance can be hit or miss. The lack of a standardized vetting process often means businesses spend valuable time and resources on trial and error, delaying project timelines and impacting the overall quality of the output. Whether you’re verifying their proficiency in a tech stack, communication skills, or ensuring they have an ideal remote working environment, these checks are crucial for productive collaboration.

IP Access and Control:
When working with freelancers, control over your intellectual property (IP) can become a significant concern. Without proper agreements and oversight, you might find yourself in a situation where you don’t have full access to the codebase, systems, or documentation that is rightfully yours. Worse, the freelancer might hold onto this IP, making it difficult for you to transition to another provider or manage your project independently.

Managing Staff:
Working with people abroad, especially online, has its benefits, but it’s not always perfect. Limited communication channels can make it difficult and sometimes even awkward to continue the working relationship, especially if issues arise. In addition,

Retention and Continuity:
Retaining quality freelancers over the long term is another critical challenge. Freelancers often juggle multiple projects, and their commitment to a single client can waver, leading to inconsistencies and disruptions. This is particularly problematic for projects requiring continuity and a deep understanding of the client’s systems and processes.

Managing Turnover:
Turnover can be highly disruptive. When a freelancer leaves, the knowledge and experience they’ve gained about a project often leaves with them. This necessitates re-training new freelancers, leading to further delays and potential security risks.

Local Currency Issues:
Accepting payments in different currencies, especially with fluctuations, can lead to inconsistencies in pricing. This complicates budgeting and financial planning.

The Tekkon Model: A Seamless Alternative

At Tekkon, we have reimagined the way businesses hire and manage tech talent. Our model is designed to tackle the very challenges that make managing freelancers difficult.

Hand-Picked, Quality Talent:
We take pride in delivering high-quality candidates. Our Tekkies, based in Kathmandu, Nepal, are carefully vetted and hand-picked to meet the specific needs of your projects. Each candidate undergoes a rigorous screening process, starting with an evaluation of their communication skills through resume reviews and initial telephone interviews. This is followed by a second, in-depth interview with senior team members to assess their technical expertise, adaptability to startup environments, and overall capability. Once selected, our Tekkies seamlessly integrate into your startup, working exclusively with your tools, systems, and processes from day one.

Control and Access to Your IP:
With Tekkon, you maintain full control and access to your intellectual property at all times. Our developers work directly within your systems, tools, and coding environments, ensuring that all code and documentation are immediately accessible to you. Additionally, all Tekkon staff are bound by Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) as part of their employment contracts, safeguarding your sensitive information and ensuring that your IP remains secure throughout our partnership. This approach eliminates the risk of losing access to your IP and guarantees a smooth transition should you need to scale or make changes in the future.

Exceptional Retention Records:
One of our standout achievements is our retention record. Our developers have a track record of staying with clients for up to six years (since Tekkon began), providing the continuity and stability that freelancers often lack. This long-term engagement ensures that our Tekkies become integral parts of your team, deeply understanding your systems and contributing to your success over extended periods.

Effective Onboarding and Management:
Our onboarding process is seamless and comprehensive. From the moment a client accepts a new developer, our account managers coordinate with resource managers, supervisors, and the developers themselves to ensure a smooth transition. This includes setting up necessary meetings, ensuring all hardware and software requirements are met, and facilitating effective communication channels.

Handling Disruptions:
We understand that even with the best processes, disruptions can occur. If a developer resigns or if there’s a need to offboard a developer, our structured procedures ensure minimal disruption. We quickly find suitable replacements and manage the transition effectively, so your project continues without a hitch. Regular check-ins and a clear trial process further ensure that any potential issues are identified and addressed promptly.

Flexible and Transparent Pricing:
Our pricing model is transparent and flexible, designed to be cost-effective while providing high-quality service. We start with a low-commitment 10-day trial to demonstrate our capabilities, followed by 20-day commitments that allow you to scale up or down as needed. Plus, the cost-effectiveness of our Tekkies means you can hire up to 3, for the price of one local developer.

Local Account Management and Communication Channels:
With Tekkon, you benefit from access to multiple communication channels, with the developer directly, our resourcing manager in Nepal and your local account manager in Australia. This ensures that your needs are understood and met promptly. Our team is available to support you in real-time, bridging any gaps that might arise due to geographic differences.

Time Differences:
Nepal operates on a time zone that is 2 hours and 15 minutes behind Western Australia and Singapore, 3 hours and 15 minutes behind Japan, and 4 hours and 15 minutes behind the East Coast of Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane). During daylight saving time in summer, this difference increases by one hour. Despite these differences, there is ample overlap in working hours to collaborate effectively with your team and schedule meetings conveniently.

Australian Currency Payments:
We accept payments in Australian currency, eliminating the complexities and inconsistencies associated with currency fluctuations and ensuring a straightforward, predictable billing process.

Why Tekkon?

Choosing Tekkon means opting for a partnership that values quality, continuity, and seamless management with out Tekkies. Our model not only solves the common problems associated with hiring freelancers but also value by integrating deeply with your processes, ensuring that our Tekkies are as committed to your success as your in-house team.

By entrusting your tech talent needs to Tekkon, you gain a reliable partner dedicated to helping you achieve your business goals with minimal disruption and maximum efficiency. Let us handle the complexities of managing remote talent so you can focus on what you do best—growing your business.

For more information on how we can help, feel free to reach out to us.

Because we love offering more opportunities for our Tekkies to work with global startups, and similarly helping our customers get access to awesome and cost-effective global Tekkie talent.