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Elance Experts Deliver $200 Million Of Work Online
Milestone Announces Arrival of 'Cloud Commuting'
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - June 15, 2009 - Elance, the leading site for online work, today announced that this week it will pass the $200 million mark for work delivered by its community of independent professionals. This milestone announces the arrival of 'Cloud Commuting' into the mainstream and demonstrates online work as the new way to hire experts and get work done.
"More people are making the online workplace their new office and are logging in to get to work," said Fabio Rosati, CEO of Elance. "Three trends have come together to make this possible. Companies are looking for greater flexibility and efficiency, more professionals are choosing to work independently, and managing online work has become easier than ever."
Working patterns have changed. More than 60,000 businesses now use online contractors on Elance as their preferred alternative to traditional staffing. Elance delivers these companies a flexible and cost-effective way to hire, manage and pay independent professionals and service firms online.
"Hiring online is how I now access the talent I need, when I need it. All the tools are there to find, evaluate, hire and work with great people no matter where they are," said Tim Nicholson, IT manager at Knight Protective Services, a provider of contract security officers and security solutions to commercial organizations and the federal government. "I love Elance because it helps facilitate the entire process of working online. At any time, I can track the status of the work, and with Escrow, release payment when we're satisfied with the work we receive. With these tools, I feel more confident hiring someone on Elance than hiring someone in person."
These new work patterns are also changing the way skilled workers think about the way they work, attracted by the draw of working independently, choosing when and where to work, and commuting via the 'cloud.'
Consider graphic designer Scott D.S. Young. "Two years ago, I quit my job as a middle school computer graphics teacher to go back to college to earn my master's degree. I joined Elance to find part-time multimedia graphic design work to help get me through school," said Young. "After completing my first few jobs and getting positive reviews from my clients, several new job invites started to flow in. I have been so successful on Elance that I have decided to make it my new full-time career. I love that I can work where, when and with whom I want and get to do what I love most: graphic design. Elance has not only changed my career path, but it has changed my life."
In pioneering online work, Elance has developed the Elance Work System as a best practice to post jobs and receive proposals, hire talent, set up jobs, manage work, and pay for results.
Key components of the integrated Elance Work System:
- Job Postings act as an RFP engine and help companies publish job descriptions and receive proposals from qualified professionals
- Proposals enable contractors to demonstrate their qualifications, expertise and compete for the work
- Digital Workrooms provide a shared space for work collaboration and a permanent record of all communications
- Milestones clearly define what needs to be done and by when
- Status Reports provide visibility into progress, work performed, and next steps
- Time Tracking allows contractors to easily create journals and timesheets to document their work activities
- Billing and Payment systems protect both parties and distribute payments worldwide
- Feedback and performance measurement maintains a track-record of results delivered and visibility into work performance
Elance is experiencing record year-over-year growth as more businesses adapt to the future of work with total billings on pace to exceed $70m in 2009. Currently more than 60,000 businesses are actively tapping into the 90,000 tested and rated experts on Elance. Over 250,000 new jobs are posted annually representing in excess of $100m in work opportunities.
About Elance, Inc.
Elance is the leading site for online work where businesses connect with independent professionals to get work done.
Elance delivers an immediate, cost-effective and flexible way to hire, manage and pay independent professionals and contractors online.
Companies tap into Elance's skilled talent pool to distribute their work, while professionals use Elance to meet clients, stay independent and get paid for delivering great results.
The company is privately held and headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information, visit Elance at http://www.elance.com.
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Elance and the Elance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Elance, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Media Contact:
Carolyn Adams
Borders+Gratehouse
Phone: (415) 963-4174 ext. 4
Email: carolyn@bordersgratehouse.com
