6 Reasons to Start Using a CRM to Manage your Talent Pool

When I started my first corporate job out of college, keeping track of client interactions and project details was a constant struggle. I remember the frustration of juggling multiple spreadsheets, sticky notes, and emails just to stay afloat. 

But after transitioning to a new company and discovering their CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, I quickly became amazed with this new digital universe where every client’s information—from their preferences and past engagements to upcoming deadlines and communications—was neatly cataloged in one place. It was a game-changer for me and my team, transforming the way we managed our client relationships and streamlined our workflows.

At that time, we were using it to manage interactions with our clients/customers. But once I began to manage freelance creative talent, I began to wonder why we couldn’t use these same CRM principles for cataloging talent data? Instead of having a spreadsheet to track skills, rates, bandwidth etc. about my talent pool, why couldn’t I ditch the spreadsheet for a CRM? 

I quickly learned, not only could I start using our CRM for managing my creative talent, but that I should be using one to improve my efficiency in resource allocation. 

Why You Need a (Talent) CRM

Here’s why maintaining a dedicated CRM for tracking your freelance workforce is crucial:

1. Organization Simplified: Creative ops teams and agencies juggle multiple projects and freelancers simultaneously. A CRM centralizes all talent information—from skills and availability to project history and communication logs—in one accessible platform. This eliminates the chaos of scattered spreadsheets or sticky notes and ensures everyone on your team is on the same page.

2. Streamlined Collaboration: Effective teamwork with freelancers hinges on clear communication and seamless collaboration. A CRM facilitates smooth communication channels, allowing you to share project briefs, exchange feedback, and ensure deadlines are met without the usual email clutter.

3. Relationship Building: Just like with clients, nurturing relationships with your talent is essential. A CRM enables you to store critical details about each freelancer—like their strengths, preferences, and past contributions—making it easier to tailor your engagements and show appreciation for their work. (ProTip: what if your CRM tracked the birthdays of your top freelancers, notifying you of their birthday each year, empowering you to send a quick “happy birthday / thinking of you” message–little things like that can go a long way in a freelancer feeling a sense of loyalty to your company!). 

4. Payment Management: Handling payments and invoices can be a headache without proper organization. A CRM with integrated invoicing features tracks payments due, records transactions, and sends reminders, ensuring freelancers are compensated promptly and accurately.

5. Performance Evaluation: Understanding which freelancers excel in specific roles or projects is key to optimizing your team’s effectiveness (and avoiding failed projects). A CRM provides insights into freelancer performance metrics, helping you make informed decisions about resource allocation and project assignments.

6. Strategic Insights: Beyond day-to-day operations, a CRM empowers strategic decision-making. By analyzing freelancer performance trends and project outcomes, you can identify strengths and uncover opportunities for improvement for your team. This also means having the appropriate insight for making better staffing decisions based on goals and outcomes, meaning less failed projects. ‍

Wrap Up

Ready to start turning your CRM into a TRM? (Talent Relationship Manager!) 

Your companies’ current CRM for customer management--whether it's Hubspot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Pipedrive or any other top CRM–is a great place to start! CRMs are inherently customizable, so take a look at your current CRM and think about how to customize it to work for your talent workflow.

Or, consider skipping the legwork and using a CRM designed exclusively for managing creative freelance talent, such as Basil! 

With Basil’s Talent CRM, you can track and manage your contractors in a tool made by creative pros that already gives consideration to all the factors unique to creative talent, group talent together in teams/lists, and get live insights into your talents’ rates and bandwidth (all while integrating with Basil’s payment tools)!