The virtual employee model of outsourcing far supersedes the freelancing model due to its reliability, scalability and ability to provide business control along with data security.
2. Freelancers and virtual
employees are different
Virtual employees and freelancers cater to very different
segments of the market
Both are significant players in the burgeoning outsourcing
market
Both have their own set of strengths
The market offers enough business for both these resources
3. Who is a Virtual
Employee?
A remote dedicated resource who works full time for
a client like an in-house employee
Work like local employees except that they do so
from the remote vendor's office
Easy to manage, control and communicate with
online
4. Virtual employee scores over
freelancer: Professionalism
Virtual employees work out of the well-maintained office of the
service provider
Has access to the best infrastructure, hardware, software and
technology
This ease of working makes them the best resources
Can easily handle high-end specialized functions like engineering
and animation
A freelancer usually works from home
Cannot replicate the office environment and infrastructure at home
5. Virtual employee scores over
freelancer: Collaboration
A long-term IT work calls for intensive levels of collaboration
A virtual employee provides better collaboration than a freelancer
Close collaboration with a freelancer is almost impossible
This is due to the time zone differences between India and the
western countries
A freelancer does not have advanced communication technology at
home
A virtual employee, on the other hand, can work the same shift
hours as the western client
6. Virtual employee scores over
freelancer: Duration of work
Freelancers work alone and usually handle more than one client at a time
Virtual employees work from a supervised office and only for one client at a time
Freelancers are tailor-made for short-term work
Virtual employees are ideal for both short-term and long-term work
It is risky to hire freelancers for long-term work for they are not accessible
With a virtual employee, you can collaborate as per your convenience
Freelancer have limited time and resources
Virtual employees have access to the best resources
7. Virtual employee scores over
freelancer: Data security
Control and data security are the main concerns of clients
These concerns apply more to freelancers
Freelancers play the lone hand and work unsupervised
They work on several varied assignments at the same time
Remote dedicated employees operate from supervised and
controlled offices of the vendor
These offices are well equipped with data safety hardware and software
8. Virtual employee scores over
freelancer: Different demands
• A virtual employee can work for years with the same client
• A freelancer cannot do so as they give priority to better
paying jobs
• A virtual employee can do high end jobs like engineering and
IT development
• Freelancers can only handle low-end and short-term work