The QuiGig Bidding System
In the current freelancing climate, the platforms that people use are restrictive. They allow for one narrow path that services slowly flow to and from. When this happens, there is a bottleneck that is formed. Some of the major freelancer platforms have attempted to solve this through taking more control over the process. We at QuiGig don’t believe in that. From the beginning, our mission has been to bring a fair and supportive platform to the gig economy. We want to bring a technologically augmented, personal system to this space, and the only way to do that is to provide all users with the freedom to make nearly any choice that they want. Unlike the rest of the industry, we will be offering ample profile and platform action customization, and our latest innovation is a great example of that.
QuiGig is infinitely excited to be unveiling one of our most unique platform features, our bidding system. This feature will allow all users, whether they are acting as a freelancer or a customer (or both!), to personally choose who they want to work with, and how much money will be exchanged in real time. The bidding system will act like a reverse auction, where freelancers compete on available jobs. We have developed this mainly to provide options for users of the QuiGig platform, but it doubles as a way we can keep platform costs down and ensure the best reflection of a free market in real time. You will see why later if you keep reading.
During the creation of this system, many people have asked us why. We found it important to stray away from the current model of simply setting a price and sticking to it for many reasons, the first of which we already touched on in the first couple of paragraphs. We created this company because of the huge hole that we see in the gig economy. In the abyss is the inability to tailor your professional experience to what you need. One of the biggest attractions of pursuing a career primarily in the gig economy is the freedom it allows you, but that freedom doesn’t yet exist in its fullest form. A service bidding system can help bring freedom to the industry.
A byproduct of what we have built is the ability for freelancers to charge less on our platform than any others. Since the service and platform fees on QuiGig are markedly less than they are on any other platform not named craigslist, competitive freelancers are able to charge less on our platform to keep the same bottom line. This goes in line with our business goals quite nicely I might add. We are not out to swallow as much profit as possible; we want to help people trying to survive in the gig economy and worry about money later.
Once completely implemented and widely used, our bidding system will be a great indicator of real time supply and demand of services. This can be used by freelancers to see what services that they should be bidding for, by customers to track the best times to hire, and for the general public to keep track of professional phenomena in their area. A good example of when this real-time information would have been helpful was late this winter in Houston. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo saw a increased amount of construction workers and drives in the area close to Reliant Stadium, and prices for these services dropped as well. With QuiGig, you will be able to track these changes a gain the transparency about your profession that you deserve.
Our bidding system is admittedly more steps than the tradition buying and selling method for services, but it is by no means complicated. It is simply two or three steps, depending on if you are interacting with it as a freelancer or a customer. We will talk about both.
The Freelancers’ POV
Before the bidding system begins, you must make sure that you have fully filled out your personal profile and designated yourself as a potential freelancer. At this point, you are able to advertise that you can do ten different services, across our entire list of over 900 services. After that, you have essentially already put yourself out there. Now, you wait until a customer needs your particular service done. Once the customer makes a request, you are notified via email and directed back to your QuiGig dashboard where you then start the bidding process. If you are in the First Three responders to that particular gig, you will be able to continue the process for free, otherwise you will now have to pay a small fee (less than $1) to make your first bid. On the dashboard, you will be able to begin to bid on gigs that you are eligible for. You can set your price as low or as high as you want, depending on the distance, time it will take you, and the specifics of the job. Once you submit your price, the customer then accepts, and you are off from there! Go get paid exactly what you want for what you are best at.
The Customers’ POV
As a customer, you more or less initiate the process. When you post a gig to be completed, it is automatically distributed to all of the freelancers that could potentially help you out. From there, you are waiting for the freelancers to respond to you with their pricing suggestions. When you then receive those, probably three at a time, you will be able to either choose the one you want to work with, or begin a price negotiation process. Choosing to work with a freelancer is a more rewarding process than simply hiring a company because of the time and personal care that the individual will spend to complete your important job. Currently, the process is more difficult (unfortunately), but we are taking great strides to streamline our already simple process, along with adding other features that can enhance the gig economy experience for both freelancers and their customers.