Online Outsourcing Gets Fully-Managed Platform from Ziptask

 The newly announced Ziptask service is a turnkey, cloud-based platform offering fully managed outsourcing through virtual project managers. Ziptask addresses the most difficult aspects of outsourcing (hiring, communications, oversight, and project management) through its fully managed service and web app. Project managers are able to prescreen, interview, and hire freelancers within the platform while retaining the ability to manage and oversee all work completed toward the final project.

A list of Ziptask features include:

• End-to-end oversight of projects

• Cloud-based platform and web app that provide tools to onboard and complete any small to medium-sized project

• A dashboard containing vital information such as item lists, work effort estimates, an overall project roadmap, communication tools, iteration management, goal tracking, spending controls, and an approvals system

• A payment system based on milestones ensuring outsourced talent received payment only for completed work that meets a client’s expectations

• Projects are guaranteed to meet expectations and timeframes for the agreed upon cost

“Over a third of all companies outsource projects, and nearly half of those are related to IT,” said Shawn Livermore, CEO and founder of Ziptask. “Outsourcing is supposed to help companies execute projects in a timely and cost-effective manner, but that’s simply not what usually happens. Managing freelancers can be difficult due to time zones, contextual business misunderstandings, distance, language barriers, and even fraud. Sometimes it’s simply due to the fact that customers don’t have the connections or know-how to work the tools to ensure the right outcome. We created Ziptask to make outsourcing work easy, and eliminate the risks and friction inherent with hiring freelancers online.”