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The gig economy has long been thriving, and millions of small businesses around the world have successfully been looking abroad to turn their ideas into reality.

The quick adoption of a distanced workforce has proven that (with the right tools and process) we’re enabled and empowered to work for anyone, from anywhere, at any time.

As a business owner or hiring manager, what advantages would you or your company have through the hiring of South African micro agenices? We break it down for you in 3 compelling reasons.

1. Tools make it easy to find, meet, and manage international agencies

The power behind a successful agency relationship is technology. Luckily, there is no shortage of innovative tools that make everything from communication to project management as smooth as possible. Here are some of our favourites, in 3 key categories.

Communication and Collaboration

Skype and Google Meet: Slack is the darling of instant communication, allowing you to make use of channels to chat about different topics or projects. If you don’t need ten different channels to keep track of your conversations, need a good screen sharing option, and want to keep your text conversations minimal, we feel that Google Meet is a better choice. If you feel like you need a separate channel for each topic and want to have all your communication together in one place, you can make use of Slack.

Zoom: Nothing beats face to face meetings, but Zoom comes pretty darn close. You could use a combination of Zoom and Google Meet to manage your communication and collaboration, with screen sharing options, and notetaking all possible. You also get unlimited meetings for as long as you like with each meeting lasting for 40 minutes – all for free. The quirky backgrounds are fun too.

G Suite: An excellent resource for collaboration. With Google Doc, Sheets, and Slides, you can get most of your work done in real-time with your agency. Whether you’re editing web copy, or simply handling accounts, the Google Suite allows for smooth collaboration between multiple users. People can co-edit, co-create, and co-review a document easily in real-time.

Project Management

There are DOZENS of project management suites out there and choosing one depends on your budget, your functional requirements, and your business set up. Some managers prefer Zoho, as it has a range of built-in capabilities, including time tracking. For others, a more compact tool like Trello may be preferable.

Here’s what we recommend:

Monday.com: This platform can be divided into several boards, each allowing for customization of processes. For example, you can create a development board and list all your tasks, assign, and label them according to your preference. Allowing for full customization and integration, Monday.com has sleek aesthetics and makes for a perfect project management tool for small to mid-sized teams.

Trello for visual project management: Trello is a great task management tool that lets you keep all your tasks and projects in the form of a visual Kanban board consisting of cards. You can keep it simple or get take it to the next level with integrations and notifications.

Productivity and Accountability

Most agencies have their own ways of tracking their time, but if you’d like to use something totally transparent, tools like Toggl or Timedoctor have got you covered.

Users can create invoices from within the apps, and you can track time on projects in real-time.

2. Developing countries have a wealth of talent at an affordable rate

You’re probably already familiar with India’s reputation as an IT hub. But did you know that countries like South Africa have some incredibly talented and skilled designers, developers, and writers too? In fact, South Africa produces some incredibly talented and highly qualified professionals and was named a world design capital.

Secondly, while language barriers can be an all too real challenge in many developing countries, South African’s usually speak English as their first or second language.

Finally, if you’re worried about connectivity, don’t be. High-speed internet is probably available to anyone who lists their service online. While it might chug a little in comparison to yours, it’s not a real barrier to most.

3. Hiring a South African agency will save you time and money

If you’re an American or European, chances are that your currency is a heavyweight when compared to the currencies in developing countries. This means that you can really make your dollars stretch a lot further just by nature of the exchange rate.

South Africa has a highly skilled and diverse workforce, with many professionals trained in the latest technologies and trends. This means that you can access top talent at a lower cost than you might find in other countries.

Overall, working with a creative agency in South Africa will save you money while still getting high-quality work.

Conclusion

Hiring a South African agency is a quick way to inject creativity and innovation into your business, allowing you to remain agile and adapt faster.

Ready to get started? Take your new-found love of outsourcing, and explore our Services.