How Correlation One uses Worksuite to manage their rapidly scaling freelancer network

Correlation One manages a large network of part-time contractors. They were looking to improve their internal processes and make life better for their teams. They were also seeking a solution that made it easier to scale their talent pool and operate at higher margins.

“Because we have so many contractors that we work with, and that amount has been scaling very rapidly, we needed to find a solution that helped us manage a large contractor network more efficiently. Previously we were mainly working within the Google suite. So a lot of it was just sheets and information all over the place. Communication was done kind of ad hoc, via email, and Slack, and other platforms. It was very disorganized”

Due to these scattered processes, the Correlation One teams were spending a lot of time on internal communications in third party platforms whenever they needed to source and assign contractors. 

They did not have a single source of truth that enabled them to quickly find the details they needed on specific contractors, such as what they do, and what their strengths are. 

It was clear that they needed to find a solution to store all their contractor information in one place, and help them manage sourcing and task assignment.

“We needed something where we could manage the contractor network more efficiently, but also do it in a way that scales well, where we can have that information institutionalized as we grow. Our top challenge was having a source of truth, or one place where the whole firm could access our contractors and find information about them”

The Correlation One team began searching for a technology solution that could meet their specific needs, and had the flexibility to scale alongside them as they grew. 

They tested out different software solutions, but when they discovered Worksuite, it was clear that this platform could give them exactly what they needed.

“I was Googling “freelancer management platform” and going through different options when I came across Worksuite. It seemed off the bat that Worksuite was most in line with what we needed. A lot of the other platforms felt like they weren’t quite built for our purpose. This is mostly because a lot of them were oriented more towards dealing with more of an open network and not our own proprietary network of contractors”

“Worksuite seemed built in a way that was very conducive to our specific needs at Correlation One. And it seemed very customizable, so we could make it fit our specific workflows. We have a certain business model and with what we do, we need to have things customized to that as much as possible”

The team met with their dedicated onboarding manager at Worksuite to walk through the features and onboarding process, and then scheduled weekly follow-up calls to help with customization and implementation.

“Having an onboarding manager/customer success person at Worksuite to help us get used to the platform, set it up for our needs, and act as a thought partner as well, was super helpful––instead of us having to kind of flounder around and figure out how it works. They were super supportive throughout the process”

It was important to Correlation One that their teams would be able to interact with their contractor network more consistently, and that all processes could be documented for future reference. They also wanted to ensure they were paying their contractors consistently. 

Worksuite helped the Correlation One teams to customize workflows that matched their ways of working.

“In terms of the setup we did, we had to look at our specific workflows internally––like how we actually hire contractors and work with them and so on. And how we ideally would like to have that set up if we could wave a magic wand. So using that information, I was able to give the Worksuite team a sense of that, and then we talked through how that might fit into the Worksuite platform workflows”

Custom onboarding workflows were set up to get contractors onto the platform, and then jobs were created so teams could easily have people apply for and participate in different roles.

Having these consistent, automated processes and systems in place meant Correlation One’s teams had the ability to scale their network faster, and assign new projects to the right people as soon as they came up.

“We streamlined the process for payments for contractors and so on. So as we scale and become a more mature enterprise with a large contractor network, it’s important that we do things consistently for both the contractors’ sake as well as our own. It really facilitates our teams’ work with the contractors, and has made it a lot easier to get in touch with them, and have them help with different tasks and jobs that we have”

After setup and implementation, the Correlation One teams responded positively to the clean and intuitive design of the Worksuite platform, and its time saving factors. 

“As we grow and our business scales, which it’s been doing rapidly, it allows us to manage that growth in a way we can keep up with. The downside of growth is that you have to deal with it, and sometimes there are growing pains. Through Worksuite, we’re able to get rid of one of those growing pains”

Correlation One now uses the Worksuite platform for onboarding, recruiting from their existing contractors for job openings, project and task management, timesheets, and raising invoices. They also use the analytics module and customized payment reporting features.

“I’d say our curriculum development team and professional development team have seen the most benefits from using Worksuite––like being able to easily share opportunities with contractors and have them accept those, rather than trying to reach out to a bunch of different people. And also having the information on the contractors in one place so that it can easily be accessed. It’s also helped with processing payments”

As a centralized talent hub for their freelance curriculum developers, career success coaches, instructors, teaching assistants, ambassadors, and case writers, Worksuite allows the Correlation One teams to:

“Within a month it was pretty clear that Worksuite was adding value for a lot of people. And I have heard back from several folks that it’s really made their jobs easier around managing their various teams of contractors and sharing work with them”