Crowdsourcing: Flexible Work at Scale
Our business model has proven that exploring the crowd concept is key to any business in the FMCG industry so it can grow and stay flexible. Flexibility allows enterprises to adapt more efficiently, as adaptability is becoming more essential now than ever.
In SmartSpotter, our community of on-demand professionals is constantly growing to meet our client's goals and strategies when and where needed.
Numerous studies show that the demand for flexible work will only accelerate in the coming years. According to a recent report from Apollo Technical, 72% of workers now prefer a flexible work model. However, fluctuations in demand for flexible work can occur; there are peak seasons and off-seasons when it comes to supplying flexible work—for example, the retail industry's need for in-store checks increases during national holidays.
To help our clients achieve retail success, our mission is that project completion targets must always be met. However, potential fluctuation challenges may raise some questions for them. Here's how we deal with those fluctuations in demand for flexible work:
1. Predicting future demands
Demand forecasting is the first step of our process at SmartSpotter to control fluctuations so that we can take potential actions. Based on previous years' experience, interactions with clients, seasonality, and the growth of our business, our team predicts when we will need additional resources. If it analyzes potential future imbalances, two next steps are implemented: activating the crowd and bringing in new Spotters.
2. Activating the Crowd
Our team constantly and proactively triggers current Spotters with new and exciting crowdsourcing working opportunities. Especially when our team expects demand and supply to be out of balance because of a busy period, we make sure to share upcoming and on-hand work through multiple channels. It is essential to let our spotters know about different assignments that are available a few days or weeks in advance.
We also make sure to constantly interact with our Spotters and keep them up to date in a fun way so they can always look up to new assignment opportunities!
3. Bringing in New Spotters
Last but not least, our in-house team monitors local coverage and, when needed, launches recruitment campaigns to attract new on-demand professionals.
That's how we control fluctuations in demand for flexible work, maintain a healthy balance, and always meet our targets on time. This helps our clients succeed and ensures our Spotters are constantly presented with new work opportunities.