Freelancing is picking up at a rapid pace and it’s becoming one of the most powerful trends in the way people work. The value of the gig economy is projected to reach $455.2 billion globally by 2023, representing a 20% annual growth rate.

Despite its high growth, the industry faces challenges. Today, late payments and issues related to work delivery significantly affect freelancers and employers. These challenges not only disrupt their work experience, but underscores the inefficiency of the payment system.

To address these challenges, Fastwork has developed an online platform that serves as an intermediary between businesses/employers and freelancers. It provides a reliable quality screening system and freelance project management solutions that function effectively on both websites and mobile application interfaces.

Fastwork has implemented Opn Payments’ credit card solution and alternative payment methods to provide convenient payment options for employers hiring freelancers. This integration simplifies manual processes and enables the team to create a truly seamless end-to-end experience for their users.

Fastwork Makes the Dream Work

Launched in 2015, Fastwork, primarily caters to users in Thailand and now offers numerous features that facilitate seamless collaboration between freelancers and employers. With a user base surpassing 1 million, the platform is easily accessible through website and mobile application. Fastwork is now among the top players in the Thai market and ranks as the second-largest in the Southeast Asia region.

We spoke to Chanasit Thanasatianwich, product manager at Fastwork, about the journey of creating their freelance-friendly platform and implementing the Opn payment solution.

"Fastwork envisions becoming an everything store for businesses of all scales. Our objective is to decentralize job opportunities across the nation, enabling freelancers to work from anywhere. We are dedicated to continuously evolve the platform, introducing innovative solutions that better meet users demands"

Chanasit explains one of the key differentiating factors which sets Fastwork apart from other freelancing platforms, "Fastwork is not just a marketplace for freelancers to showcase their work. We employ an initial screening system that ensures freelancers meet a certain quality standard, evaluating their soft skills, hard skills, and professionalism."

In addition, Chanasit explains, "Employers can choose a wide range of services spanning multiple categories, totaling over a hundred options. We also provide comprehensive support to employers throughout the entire process, from initial conversation to job completion. This is a critical aspect of the user experience that we prioritize, along with ongoing platform development." Chanasit adds.

Streamlined Digital Payment Experience

Pichet Lertkittitorn, lead software engineer at Fastwork, shares the initial concept for payment experience design, saying, "Our aim is to create a platform that operates seamlessly. Therefore, the team has put considerable thought into payment flow design right from the very beginning. This is a key factor in ensuring that our freelance hiring system runs smoothly and removes the need for manual payment flow."

As Fastwork serves both employers and freelancers, the team has opted to implement Opn Payments' credit card solution for handling the payment process on the employment side.

Verachad Wongsawangtham, lead software engineer at Fastwork, reveals one of their biggest challenges, “Fastwork caters to a wide spectrum of users. There are all sorts of employers who search for freelancers on the Fastwork platform, ranging from individuals to large corporations. To effectively meet their varying needs, we must offer different payment methods at the checkout stage.”

Verachad further explains, “Fastwork has implemented Opn Payments’ credit card solution along with alternative payment methods for employers. The integration simplifies manual processes and enables our team to create a seamless end-to-end user experience.”

Automate Payments 24/7

Before Opn Payments’ solution was implemented, their platform payments were done manually. The process involved bank transfers, which followed a manual labor-intensive workflow requiring extensive verification and confirmation by the Fastwork operations team.

“Payments on the Fastwork platform have progressed from manual bank transfers to offering various options, including e-wallets, QR payments, and the game-changer: credit cards,” states Verachad. “Now, freelance employers prefer credit cards, as this eliminates the need for manual verification, making the entire payment experience much more efficient and seamless.”

Pichet also points out two crucial factors that allowed Fastwork to construct a payment system customized to their users' needs: the seamless payment experience and reliable security standards.

• Seamless payments

“The payment experience on Fastwork, whether on the website or application, is intentionally designed to be seamless, user-friendly, and convenient. Users who have experience using the website can effortlessly transition to the mobile application without any learning curve. We also offer versatile payment options like QR payments, e-wallets, and credit cards, ensuring users can find their preferred choice when making payments.”

• Reliable security standards

“At Fastwork, our unwavering commitment is establishing a standard for reliable and secure payments across our website and mobile applications, especially on credit card transactions. To ensure utmost security, we have introduced 3D Secure, incorporating features like OTP as an additional layer of authentication enhances the safety of all transactions on the Fastwork platform.”

Developer-friendly Integration

“While researching payment gateways, we discovered Opn Payments. It proved to be an excellent choice for developers due to the comprehensive documentation, an available test environment, and seamless integration, which saved us considerable effort while integrating the payment solution to our platform. These factors were pivotal in our decision to choose Opn Payments,” Verachad explains.

Pichet also shares how Opn Payments' solution has enhanced the efficiency of the payment experience and streamlined the operation workflow for the respective teams. “Opn Payments features a real-time transaction monitoring dashboard, which enables us to quickly address any payment-related issues, ensuring a seamless experience for our customers,”

He further accentuates, “The integration with the payment gateway has significantly reduced our development efforts. With the Opn Payments dashboard, we can efficiently manage transactions, view logs, and undertake all related tasks. Particularly, the ability to review historical data has been incredibly useful in quickly resolving customer issues, allowing us to trace and solve problems faster.”

The Future of Work

The global freelance market is not only expanding in size but also transforming work culture. Chanasit points out that technological advancements are altering consumer behavior, reshaping user expectations, and increasing work flexibility.

“Technology has rapidly advanced over the years since Fastwork's inception—significant changes in big data, blockchain technology, and mobile-first and AI adoption have profoundly impacted our customers' behaviors, needs, and expectations,” says Chanasit

He further explains, “At Fastwork, our goal is to be a better intermediary connecting employers and freelancers. This mindset propels our growth and development. Payments, being one of the most influential elements impacting the user flow, is an area where we're actively exploring additional options for the future.”

Despite Fastwork’s dominant position in Thailand's freelance market and its expanded services to Indonesia, the competitive landscape and market challenges extend beyond the regional level. Chanasit concluded that:

• To fulfill our vision of becoming an everything store, we will maintain our dedication to platform development, constantly creating innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of users.

• In the freelance market, we strive to set new standards that benefit everyone. For example, we've established a fair market price in logo design to prevent undercutting among freelancers. Our website also allows users to check market prices, promoting transparency. We aim to keep developing and promoting these standards, fostering a balanced and thriving ecosystem for freelancers and employers.

• Lastly, from the supply perspective, we've focused on increasing the number of high-quality freelancers and expanding the range of job categories. This effort is tailored to ensure that we can effectively support a diverse array of needs in the future.