How to Hire Subcontractors

In an increasingly talent-short market, many field service businesses are forced to think outside the box to fill the skills gap and ensure that they can continue growing. 

One of the best ways to preserve usual activity levels without hiring additional resources is by using subcontractors. In fact, there are a host of advantages to using a subcontractor beyond simply maintaining business-as-usual — you could be looking at a 20-30% saving over hiring full-time staff. 

In this article, we’ll explain how to hire subcontractors and share how networking with other businesses can unlock opportunities to expand your reach further than ever before.

Hiring Subcontractors: 4 Simple Steps

1. Select Reputable Subcontractors

Finding skilled subcontractors to represent your organisation is critical to success. One of the best ways to find qualified professionals is by connecting with like-minded companies. In reality, networking is responsible for around 80% of all job fills. 

However, networking with other businesses can be a lengthy process and take time away from you that could be better spent on company growth activities. Fortunately, when you use a job management platform like BigChange, you’ll have instant access to a network of trusted field service organisations at your fingertips.

Instead of sacrificing office time, you can simply post your business on the network for free and start receiving connection requests immediately. If you have a particular project that you need subcontractors for, you can add requirements such as skillset, qualifications and rates. 

As such, you can guarantee that only the best people for the job will represent your company — your customers won’t even notice the difference.

2. Put a Legal Agreement in Place

As with any professional agreement, you should ensure that you protect yourself and your worker legally. Although they are not considered employees, subcontractors still have rights, and you must ensure that you are aware of them before putting together a contract.

In your contract, you may wish to specify the following:

• Payment dates and the amount
• Working hours
• Clauses stating who is responsible in the event of unsatisfactory work
• A minimum notice period (for both the contractor and your organisation, should you wish to terminate the contract)
• Details of who supplies the materials
• Clauses stating how you or the subcontractor will deal with complaints

Putting a contract together should reduce the likelihood of discrepancies and eliminate confusion over responsibilities.

3. Make Communication a Priority

Did you know that over 50% of high-performing organisations regularly invest in tools that aid communication? Maintaining contact with workers is even more imperative for field service businesses, where most of the workforce is scattered across the country in various locations.

With job management software, you’ll have complete visibility over who is working for you and where. As a result, you can easily keep track of your active jobs and ensure the subcontractors carry them out to your usual high standards.

For example, you can set mandatory workflows and risk assessment forms that the technicians must complete from their mobile devices before beginning the work. The results come through to your back office instantly and enable your team to mitigate any potential issues.

Once the subcontractor has completed the work, they can attach photographic evidence to their forms and capture customer signatures as evidence of a satisfactory job. The job management platform stores all information, so you will also have an extensive record of the project and the person who carried it out for future reference.

4. Don’t Forget about the Customer Experience

In a market where competition for clients is fierce, brand consistency is everything. Customers appreciate it when they can recognise your brand, and businesses enjoy a 33% increase in revenue as a result. But, how can you maintain consistency when subcontractors are representing your organisation?

The solution lies with job management software like BigChange.

With the BigChange Mobile Application, your subcontractors will have access to all the features your usual technicians have. Consequently, they can provide your customers with company-branded documents and invoices, so it’s evident that they’re a representative of your business. 

Not only are consistent, electronic documents more convenient for your customers, but they also eliminate the amount of administration work required from your back office team. By liberating your staff from time-consuming processes, they can continue focusing on scaling your company.

Job Management Software Makes Networking with Other Businesses a Breeze

70% of field service organisations expect the ageing workforce and resulting skills gap to cause significant issues within the next five to ten years. Therefore, it’s paramount that companies look to new, innovative ways to continue delivering excellent service to customers.

With the BigChange Network at your disposal, you can harness the power of networking from the comfort of your chair and instantly collaborate with thousands of professional subcontractors worldwide.

Aside from simply helping you complete projects on time with limited resources, subcontractors also allow you to expand your reach into new locations, building your client base and boosting your bottom line simultaneously.

Hiring and Managing Subcontractors Made Simpler with BigChange

Complete large projects on time and to a high standard with BigChange.

Collaborate with thousands of trusted field service organisations via the BigChange Network. Gain full visibility over your entire workforce. Provide customers with the same level of service they’re used to with our personalised, company-branded templates. 

Want to find out more?
Discover how BigChange can make your business grow stronger, arrange a free demo today.