Helping companies to seamlessly hire and manage Contractors across borders.

From 0 to 1: The story behind Remote’s Contractor product and how it enables companies to hire and manage contractors worldwide.

Company

Remote.com

Year

2023

Role

Design Lead

Remote is a Global HR Platform that helps companies hire, manage, and pay their entire team by offering a comprehensive set of core solutions including, HRIS, payroll, international employment, contractor management, and more.

In 2023, Remote was a well-established provider of Employer of Record (EOR) services, enabling businesses to hire full-time employees across the globe. However, a significant opportunity emerged in contractor services, allowing businesses to seamlessly onboard, manage, and pay contractors worldwide.

Recognizing this potential, Remote set out to expand its offerings. I joined the company to lead and define the vision for its contractor platform, shaping the strategy to deliver a seamless experience for businesses managing global contractor relationships.

In 2005, YouTube launched Creator Studio, a platform designed to help Content Creators manage their channels. It wasn’t until 2019 that Creator Studio became a major area of focus, undergoing a significant overhaul.




A core feature of Creator Studio is YouTube Analytics, which provides in-depth insights into both channel-wide and individual video performance. With data-driven insights, Creators can better understand their audience, optimize content for engagement, and make informed decisions to grow their channels as businesses.


Today, Creator Studio is considered the go-to hub for YouTube Creators.

Defining the mvp

Laying the foundations for contractor management.

The first challenge was establishing the core functionalities that would form the foundation of the contractor platform. Through in-depth customer interviews and market research, we identified key pain points and essential jobs to be done (JTBD).


By focusing on these foundational elements, we ensured that the first iteration of the contractor platform delivered immediate value while laying the groundwork for future scalability.

Onboarding

Enabling businesses to onboard new contractors quickly and efficiently through a unified onboarding flow. Employers can seamlessly set up their contractor and define key aspects of the working relationship—including contracts, invoicing, and payment preferences, all in one streamlined process.

Contract Management

An hassle-free way for employers to generate, tailor, and manage legally reviewed, localized, and fully compliant contracts. By leveraging data collected during contractor onboarding, contracts are automatically pre-filled, minimizing administrative effort.

Invoicing

Laying the foundation for a seamless invoicing journey between contractors and their employers by enabling effortless invoice creation and submission.

Scaling & Growing

Optimizing for speed, efficiency, flexibility and scalability.

When we launched the contractor platform, we started with a freemium model—this allowed us to gather valuable user insights, assess how the product was performing, and fine-tune our long-term strategy. With the core infrastructure in place, it was time to turn our focus towards growth and optimization.

The next phase was all about making contractor management as effortless and automated as possible. We expanded the platform’s capabilities by enhancing user journeys and introducing new features, always with the goal of reducing manual effort for businesses.

Streamlining onboarding to save time and effort.

To address the needs of large companies, we designed multiple CSV bulk upload flows that simplify key administrative tasks: contractor onboarding, contract creation, and invoice generation. These flows were built to help businesses integrate seamlessly with Remote's services, eliminating the burden of repetitive, time-consuming tasks. By automating these processes, we enabled companies to save valuable time and focus on more strategic priorities.

This solution was crucial for empowering the sales team to engage with larger prospects, as it provided a smooth, hassle-free transition to Remote, making it easier to manage growing teams without the administrative overhead.

To address the needs of large companies, we designed multiple CSV bulk upload flows that simplify key administrative tasks: contractor onboarding, contract creation, and invoice generation. These flows were built to help businesses integrate seamlessly with Remote's services, eliminating the burden of repetitive, time-consuming tasks. By automating these processes, we enabled companies to save valuable time and focus on more strategic priorities.


This solution was crucial for empowering the sales team to engage with larger prospects, as it provided a smooth, hassle-free transition to Remote, making it easier to manage growing teams without the administrative overhead.

To address the needs of large companies, we designed multiple CSV bulk upload flows that simplify key administrative tasks: contractor onboarding, contract creation, and invoice generation. These flows were built to help businesses integrate seamlessly with Remote's services, eliminating the burden of repetitive, time-consuming tasks. By automating these processes, we enabled companies to save valuable time and focus on more strategic priorities.


This solution was crucial for empowering the sales team to engage with larger prospects, as it provided a smooth, hassle-free transition to Remote, making it easier to manage growing teams without the administrative overhead.

Smarter invoicing for everyone.

To streamline the invoicing process for both contractors and employers, we introduced a feature that allowed them to schedule invoices in advance—whether single or recurring. This not only ensured that invoices were always processed on time but also took the stress out of administrative tasks.


To make international payments even easier, we implemented Guaranteed FX payouts. This feature allowed currency conversions to happen instantly and with complete transparency, ensuring that contractors received accurate payments no matter where they were in the world.

To streamline the invoicing process for both contractors and employers, we introduced a feature that allowed them to schedule invoices in advance—whether single or recurring. This not only ensured that invoices were always processed on time but also took the stress out of administrative tasks.


To make international payments even easier, we implemented Guaranteed FX payouts. This feature allowed currency conversions to happen instantly and with complete transparency, ensuring that contractors received accurate payments no matter where they were in the world.

To streamline the invoicing process for both contractors and employers, we introduced a feature that allowed them to schedule invoices in advance—whether single or recurring. This not only ensured that invoices were always processed on time but also took the stress out of administrative tasks.


To make international payments even easier, we implemented Guaranteed FX payouts. This feature allowed currency conversions to happen instantly and with complete transparency, ensuring that contractors received accurate payments no matter where they were in the world.

from free to paid

From Freemium to Premium: crafting a competitive product.

Once the platform was up and running, and our product was solid enough to make waves in the market, it was time for the next big step: moving to a paid offering. We kicked things off with a simple monthly billing structure, but it quickly became clear that this approach wasn’t going to help us stand out in such a competitive landscape.

So, we decided to shake things up. Instead of charging a flat monthly fee for every contractor on the platform, we introduced a more dynamic model: businesses would only pay for contractors who were actively engaged during the month. A contractor was considered "active" if they'd signed a contract, submitted an invoice, or received a payment.

This shift in billing not only made our pricing more flexible and cost-effective but also gave us a competitive edge as customers were able to save money, especially as we were still building our reputation in the contractor space. It positioned us as a smarter choice for businesses, and it helped us attract more customers who valued efficiency and flexibility.

So, we decided to shake things up. Instead of charging a flat monthly fee for every contractor on the platform, we introduced a more dynamic model: businesses would only pay for contractors who were actively engaged during the month. A contractor was considered "active" if they'd signed a contract, submitted an invoice, or received a payment.

This shift in billing not only made our pricing more flexible and cost-effective but also gave us a competitive edge as customers were able to save money, especially as we were still building our reputation in the contractor space. It positioned us as a smarter choice for businesses, and it helped us attract more customers who valued efficiency and flexibility.

So, we decided to shake things up. Instead of charging a flat monthly fee for every contractor on the platform, we introduced a more dynamic model: businesses would only pay for contractors who were actively engaged during the month. A contractor was considered "active" if they'd signed a contract, submitted an invoice, or received a payment.

This shift in billing not only made our pricing more flexible and cost-effective but also gave us a competitive edge as customers were able to save money, especially as we were still building our reputation in the contractor space. It positioned us as a smarter choice for businesses, and it helped us attract more customers who valued efficiency and flexibility.

Protecting customers from missclassification risks.

Employee misclassification can lead to tax liabilities, penalties, and reputational damage. To give businesses peace of mind, Remote launched a new Contractor Management Plus plan, offering up to $100,000 per contractor in indemnity coverage. This plan helps customers stay compliant and protected, so they don’t have to worry about navigating local laws and regulation.

TO conclude

From a whiteboard to a fully functional product.

In nearly two years with the Contractor team at Remote, we built a new product from the ground up, establishing a solid foundation for the evolution of the contractor platform into a global freelancer solution. Our work enabled businesses to seamlessly hire, manage, and pay contractors in over 200+ countries, simplifying compliance and operations at scale.

Localised contractor services agreement

Recurring & scheduled invoicing

Bulk invoices approval

Assigning signatories for agreements

Indemnity coverage up to $1M

Multi-currency support

Bulk invoice payments

Guaranteed Foreign Exchange payouts

Statements of work