The most common question I hear when a customer calls us for the first time is, “How does this work?” A lot of customers have never hired a writer before and don’t know what to expect. The good news is that in a lot of ways it’s like hiring someone for any other service. Let’s go over how a new customer can get started.
Step One: Get in Touch
What I have realized over the years is that when a new customer asks “How does hiring a writer work?” they’re really asking “how can I trust you?” There are a lot of writing companies, and some of them have dirtied the pool for us honest academics. Good writing companies aren’t afraid of transparency and discussion, so the first step is to establish communication.
Today there is no reason why a writing company can’t have an email address, phone, and even chat.
Anybody can put up a website, so if you aren’t sure if a company is trustworthy it’s a good idea to communicate with a real person through whatever method is easiest for you. At the very least, they should seem professional and be able to answer most questions.
Step Two: Ask About a Writing Sample
The next step to establishing trust when you hire a writer for the first time is to order a small amount of work. Unless you already trust the company, you want to try them out before ordering a lot of pages. This won’t be a problem for serious companies because it helps them out too: a trial helps get the order started quickly.
At WriterBoss we have a $15 trial that lets you buy a little bit of writing at a discount, so you can test the quality. Most customers like what they see, but when the trial is finished you can ask questions or make suggestions. That way we know exactly what to do when you order the rest of the paper.
Step Three: Send Instructions
After you order a sample, the next step should always be to send documents and instructions. It doesn’t matter if you send them through email or through a website, but always, always send them. The same goes for anything you tell someone on the phone. By making sure there is an email record, you and your writer will always have something to refer to. The company should know what to ask for, but when in doubt don’t take chances.
Step Three: Send Instructions
After you have received the trial you can look it over, and either ask questions or order the rest of the paper. By now the service you are working with should be able to quote the full paper and tell you when it will be ready. This isn’t always true because some types of writing, like dissertations, always have lots or edits. For most papers though this is the last stage, and you can wait to receive your completed paper.
Step Four: Planning the Work
After you have received the trial you can look it over, and either ask questions or order the rest of the paper. By now the service you are working with should be able to quote the full paper and tell you when it will be ready. This isn’t always true because some types of writing, like dissertations, always have lots or edits. For most papers though this is the last stage, and you can wait to receive your completed paper.
And here’s some advice…
Here’s a couple other things that can help when you hire a writer for the first time:
Make sure you tell the company your deadline, and to set it a little early if you can. You’ll want time to look everything over before you submit it.
Quickly send any new information or questions before the writing starts. If the instructions change after the writing starts then its extra work for the writer, and that means it could be more expensive for you.
There are the basics, but there are a lot of other questions you might have. Why not ask about them? Send us an email or visit our website to see how we can help!