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      Freelancer Performance: Monitoring and Documentation

      This is a guide to monitor and document the overall performance of freelancer onboarded to Software.

      General

      The protocol includes a description of action points for VM to organize and streamline a response if linguists don’t live up to expectations. For documentation purposes 2 new HubSpot properties are introduced: Supplier Performance  Property  and Supplier Warnings Property. 

      The process is designed to keep track of, handle and document issues with: 

      • Linguistic Quality
      • On-time delivery
      • Freelancer Communication and Engagement

      Quality

      Expectations: The delivered material is expected to be grammatically and orthographically correct, to be stylistically in line with the customer’s requirements, to use the correct  terminology, to adhere to length restrictions etc.

      Indicators: The following indicators are used to monitor the quality of a linguist’s work as well as  their fit for a specific customer & content:

      • Customer feedback 
      • Platform ratings
      • QA/LQC scores
      • Internal feedback from CS/Support

      Communication, documentation and follow-up: 

      The following workflow is used to keep track and document quality issues and to set the right  steps in motion:

      1. Evaluation: Upon receipt of negative feedback VM starts an evaluation as per the Quality Assurance Guide
      2. Communication: Once all necessary info is gathered and the issue is identified VM contacts the linguist (preferably via phone)  to discuss, get feedback and set expectations.
      3. Documentation: VM creates a HS task to follow up on a linguist’s performance within the next 2-3 weeks and leaves a comment on the Supplier Performance Property in the following format:
        dd/mm/yy_initials: Note/feedback, Follow-up scheduled: dd/mm/yy
      4. Follow-up task: VM will check the freelancer’s most recent projects and if applicable a QA is performed. If necessary, VM will ask the CS to reach out to the customer again to check on health levels. If the linguist has not delivered any work in this timeframe, a new follow-up task needs to be scheduled.
      5. Resolved: If the evaluation shows that the issue is resolved no further steps are necessary. VM will leave a comment in the Supplier Performance Property again (dd/mm/yy_initials: reason for note = follow up, note/feedback.
      6. Warning: If the issue is not resolved at this point or re-occurs within the next 6 months a warning is issued to the freelancer, preferably by phone, and steps 3-6 are repeated. In Hubspot the warning is documented as a tick mark in the Supplier Warnings Property and as a  note in the Supplier Performance Property: dd/mm/yy_initials: reason for warning.

      Remarks: 

      • If the feedback is relevant to the entire freelancer team working for this customer, VM will make sure to reach out to all linguists, schedule a joint freelancer meeting  (especially in critical cases), and  update any style guide, reference material etc. accordingly.

      On-time delivery

      Expectations: The main focus of the on-time monitoring lies on translation tasks with a  preferred deadline as these are indicative of urgent projects with a fixed delivery date. Linguists are expected to finalize these projects on-time >95% of the time.  

      Indicators: 

      • Monthly monitoring of late freelancer deliveries: Top 30 Linguists
      • Monitoring of top customer linguist teams: Top 10 Customers
      • Feedback from Support/CS
      • Customer feedback

      Communication, documentation and follow-up: 

      The following workflow is used to keep track and document on-time delivery and to set the right  steps in motion:

      1. Evaluation: a) VM performs monthly evaluations of delivery data which is generally made available within the first 3 days of the  month b) internal or external feedback is combined with on-time delivery data to get a clear picture of the extent of the issue.
      2. Communication: Once all info is gathered and evaluated, VM contacts the linguist (preferably via phone) to discuss, get feedback and set expectations.
      3. Documentation: VM creates a HS task to follow up on a linguist’s performance within 2-3 weeks  and leaves a comment on the Supplier Performance Property in the following format:  dd/mm/yy_initials: Note/feedback, Follow-up scheduled: dd/mm/yy
      4. Follow-up task: VM will check the on-time delivery for the period since the latest HS task was scheduled. If no new jobs have been delivered, a new follow-up task needs to be scheduled.
      5. Resolved: If the evaluation shows that the issue is resolved no further steps are necessary. VM will leave a comment again (dd/mm/yy_initials: reason for note, feedback).
      6. Warning: If the issue is not resolved at this point or re-occurs within the next 6 months a warning is issued to the freelancer, preferably by phone, and steps 3-6 are repeated. In Hubspot the warning is documented as a tick mark in the Supplier Warnings Property and as a  note in the Supplier Performance Property: dd/mm/yy_initials: reason for warning.

      Remarks: 

      • It is important for VM to have an informed conversation with the linguists as  customers might upload projects with a preferred deadline that is too short, or set a preferred deadline and then  agree on a deadline extension with the linguist etc..
      • Involve CS in the evaluation process: the late deliveries can be a result of a lack of communication between the linguist and the customer. Both sides should be encouraged to communicate with each other and find a suitable workflow.

      Communication and Engagement

      Expectations: Good communication between linguists and customers is key  and is expected to lower the number of negative ratings/feedback. Linguists must be in a direct dialogue with customers via the messenger function, take note of (project specific) instructions, respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner, ask relevant questions etc..

       Indicators: 

      • Customer feedback - linguists are slow  to communicate or fail to respond altogether
      • Linguists miss  onboarding meetings
      • Show a lack of  involvement (e.g., not familiar with the tech setup, reference material etc.)

      Communication, documentation and follow-up: 

      The following workflow is used to keep track and document communication issues and to set the right  steps in motion:

      1. Evaluation: VM will investigate and prepare an overview of the internal or external feedback incl. project ID, date, expectations etc.
      2. Communication: Once the info is ready, VM contacts the linguist (preferably via phone) to discuss, get feedback and set expectations.
      3. Documentation: VM creates a HS task to follow up on a linguist’s performance within 2-3 weeks  and leaves a comment on the Supplier Performance Property in the following format:  dd/mm/yy_initials: Note/feedback, Follow-up scheduled: dd/mm/yy
      4. Follow-up task: VM asks CS to check in with the customer to see if the communication has improved. Check in with Support about pending issues. If no new jobs have been delivered or no data/feedback  is available, a new follow-up task needs to be scheduled.
      5. Resolved: If the evaluation shows that the issue is resolved no further steps are necessary. VM will leave a comment again (dd/mm/yy_initials: reason for note, feedback).
      6. Warning: If the issue is not resolved at this point or re-occurs within the next 6 months a warning is issued to the freelancer, preferably by phone, and steps 3-6 are repeated. In Hubspot the warning is documented as a tick mark in the Supplier Warnings Property and as a  note in the Supplier Performance Property: dd/mm/yy_initials: reason for warning.

      Supplier Warning and Removal

      Warnings are issued after careful investigation of an incident as per the above protocol. In general, no warnings should be issued before the linguist has been contacted and had the chance to comment. Warnings should be delivered in a conversation with the linguist whenever possible and expires after 6 months if no further issues arise. 

      Warnings are documented in the Supplier Warnings Property in Hubspot together with a comment in the Supplier Performance Property (dd/mm/yy_initials: reason for warning). 

      A linguist can receive up to three warnings before being removed from the platform which have to be thoroughly documented in Hubspot.  Freelancers can also be removed with fewer warnings if the situation is critical. Removal of a linguist is decided upon  in agreement with the manager.