📖 FreelanceCrew Manual

Create an account

Go to the FreelanceCrew homepage and click 'Sign up'. Choose the 'Freelancer' profile when creating your account. Enter your name, email address, and a secure password.

Fill in your profile

After logging in, go to the 'Profile' tab. Fill in your bio, expertise (e.g. booth building, stage building, event services), experience level, and available VCA certificates. A complete profile increases your chances of being booked by planners.

Privacy & Terms and Conditions

On your first sign-up you'll be asked to read and accept the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Conditions. This is required to use the platform.

Add time slots

Go to the 'Calendar' tab. Click 'Add availability' and choose a date and time (start and end time). Planners only see time slots you've marked as available.

Bulk availability

Want to set up multiple days at once? Use the 'Bulk availability' button. Select a period and fixed times to quickly add a block of available days.

Conflict detection

The system automatically detects overlapping time slots. If you add two overlapping slots, you'll get a notification and the conflict is blocked.

Linking calendars (Rentman, Google, Outlook)

Do you also work through Rentman or keep your own calendar? Go to 'Schedule' → 'Link calendar' → 'Link a calendar'. Give the calendar a name (e.g. 'Rentman – SVH Productions') and paste the ICS link. You can link several calendars, for example one per company in Rentman. We read them again every 5 minutes: your appointments appear as blocked in your calendar, in Belgian time, so planners don't book you then. Anything moved or cancelled follows automatically. 'Update now' reads it again immediately; 'Unlink' removes the imported appointments.

Following up jobs from Rentman: project, hours, kilometres

In your calendar, click a day and then a job from a linked calendar. 'Convert to project' turns it into your own project, with the client (e.g. SVH Productions). On the day itself you start the timer; afterwards you enter your hours with 'Save hours'. Also enter your kilometres and the rate per km: they become a line on the invoice. Then click 'Complete job' and invoice via Archive → Create invoice. Past jobs stay in your calendar too, with their status: Not converted, To complete, Completed or Invoiced. That way you always see what you already completed and invoiced. Anything that is already a project stays, even if you unlink the calendar or the company later removes the job from Rentman.

Where do you find the ICS link?

Rentman: open the company's Rentman environment → 'My schedule' → the arrows icon top right ('Synchronize with your own calendar') → 'iCal import settings' → copy the link next to 'My schedule'. Google Calendar: Settings → your calendar → 'Integrate calendar' → 'Secret address in iCal format'. Apple: iCloud.com → Calendar → share as a public calendar → copy the webcal link. Outlook: Settings → Calendar → Shared calendars → 'Publish a calendar' → copy the ICS link. Don't share these links: anyone who has them can read your calendar.

Your FreelanceCrew calendar in Google, Apple or Outlook

Via 'Link calendar' → 'Google Calendar' or 'Apple Calendar' you subscribe your own calendar to your FreelanceCrew calendar: bookings, availability and personal appointments, at the right Belgian time. Appointments you imported from Rentman or Google are not added again, so nothing appears twice. Note: Google and Outlook refresh a subscribed calendar themselves only every few hours (Google sometimes only once a day). In the FreelanceCrew app you see changes immediately.

Receiving a request

When a planner wants to book you, you'll receive a notification. The request appears in the 'Requests' tab. You'll immediately see: project name, date, time, location, the client's name, and a contact person.

Accept or decline

Click a request to view the details. At the bottom of the request you can choose to 'Accept' or 'Decline'. You can also give a reason when declining.

Automatic blocking

As soon as you accept a request, the corresponding time slot in your calendar is automatically blocked for other bookings. This prevents double bookings.

Archive

Accepted requests are archived in the 'Archive' tab, giving you a clear log of all your confirmed jobs.

My projects

In the 'Projects' tab you'll see all the projects you're booked for. For each project you'll see the address, start date, times, and the client's contact details.

Check in on location

On the day of the project you can check yourself in via the 'Check-in' button in the project overview. This lets the planner (and optionally the teamleader) know you're present.

Submit hours

After a project is finished, you can submit your worked hours via the 'Submit hours' button in the project details screen. Enter the actual start and end time of your working day.

Waiting for validation

The planner receives a notification of your submitted hours. You'll be notified once they're approved or rejected. You can always find the status in the project overview.

Giving feedback

After a project is completed, you can fill in a short debrief via 'Debrief' about how the project went. This helps planners improve the quality of their organization.

Adding photos

You can optionally add photos to your debrief. These are visible to the planner.

Appointment by the planner

A planner can appoint you as teamleader for a specific project. You'll receive a notification and a special 'Teamleader' label appears in your project overview.

Checking attendance

As teamleader you'll see an extra panel in the project details screen with all booked crew members. There you can see who has already checked in on the work day.

Viewing hours

As teamleader you also have insight into the submitted hours of all crew members for that project, so you can quickly check that everything is correct before the planner validates.

Your own administration

In the 'ERP' tab you manage your own customers, items, quotes, orders, invoices and credit notes. Nobody else sees this data, not even the planners you work for. First fill in your company details under 'Settings': they appear as the sender on your documents.

Invoicing and follow-up

Create an invoice, add your work as lines and finalise it: the invoice then gets its number. Send it to your customer with 'Email' or download the PDF. Record the payment once it arrives; the overview shows what is still outstanding.

Sending messages

Via the 'Chat' tab you can message planners you're working with or have worked with directly. Unread messages are shown with a badge.

Account settings

Go to 'Settings' to change your name, email address, or password. You can also set your language preference here (NL, EN, DE, FR, ES, IT).

Notifications

In settings you decide which notifications you want to receive, such as emails for new booking requests or messages.

Your calendar in Outlook

You find your personal calendar link in the 'Schedule' tab → 'Link calendar' (choose Google or Apple, then 'Copy URL manually'). Add the link in Outlook via Calendar → Add calendar → Subscribe from web. Your bookings, availability and personal appointments appear in it; Outlook refreshes them every few hours.

Create an account

Go to the FreelanceCrew homepage and click 'Sign up'. Choose the 'Planner' profile when creating your account. Enter your name, company name, and email address.

Set up your profile

Fill in your company details and contact information in settings. These are shown to freelancers who receive a request from you.

Searching the database

In the 'Freelancers' tab you'll see all available freelancers. Use filters to search by expertise (booth building, stage building, etc.), VCA certificates, or location.

Viewing a profile

Click a freelancer to view their full profile: bio, experience, expertise, certificates, and availability.

Sending a booking request

Click 'Book this freelancer' on the profile. Select the project, date, and time slot. Optionally add extra information. The freelancer receives your request and can accept or decline.

Freelancers on the map

Using the map view you can see where freelancers are located. Handy for quickly finding someone near your project location.

Creating a new project

Go to the 'Projects' tab and click 'New project'. Fill in the project name, date, start and end time, location (address), and a description. Your name is automatically linked as owner.

Project overview

In the project overview you'll see all active and completed projects. For each project you'll see the number of booked freelancers, the status, and the location.

Project details & briefing

Via 'Project briefing' you can add a detailed briefing for your crew. This is visible to all booked freelancers.

Pending requests

In 'Requests' you'll see all the requests you've sent, including the status: 'Pending', 'Accepted', or 'Declined'.

Accepted requests

Requests that have been accepted are archived. You can always find them in the archive tab.

Preventing double bookings

The system automatically detects when a freelancer is already booked at the same time. In that case a double booking is blocked.

Setting a teamleader

Go to a project and open the crew list. Click the toggle next to a crew member to appoint them as teamleader. You can set multiple teamleaders per project.

Teamleader permissions

The appointed teamleader sees an extra panel in their app with the attendance list and the submitted hours of all crew members, so you can delegate day-to-day coordination.

Viewing submitted hours

As soon as a freelancer submits their hours, you'll receive a notification. Go to the 'Validation' tab to view the submitted hours.

Approve or reject

Review the submitted hours and click 'Approve' or 'Reject'. When rejecting, you can give a reason so the freelancer can correct their entry.

Viewing debriefs

After a project is finished, freelancers can fill in a debrief. You can view all debriefs per project via the project details. This gives you valuable feedback on the execution.

Getting started

Open the 'ERP' tab. First add your customers under 'Customers & suppliers' and your equipment or services under 'Items' (rental, sale or service, with price and VAT). Already have lists? 'Import list' loads an Excel or CSV file and lets you check everything before anything is created.

From quote to invoice

Create a quote, choose the customer and add lines. For rentals, enter the rental period: the price is quantity × days × daily rate, and you get a warning when too few units are free. Once the quote is accepted, one button turns it into an order, and the order into an invoice. An invoice only gets its number and structured reference when you finalise it; after that it can no longer be changed.

Advance and partial invoices

On a confirmed order, choose 'Advance or partial invoice' and enter a percentage or an amount. The order stays open. When you create the final invoice later, the amounts already invoiced are deducted automatically.

Payments and credit notes

Record payments on a final invoice; it becomes 'partly paid' or 'paid' by itself. To correct something, create a credit note from the invoice. The overview shows what is outstanding and what is overdue.

PDF, email and old documents

Every document can be downloaded as a PDF or sent straight to the customer with 'Email'; their reply arrives at your own email address. Existing quotes, orders and invoices from a previous system are brought in with 'Import list' on that document's tab.

Communicating directly

Via the 'Chat' tab you can message freelancers directly. Handy for quickly aligning on project details, location, or changes. Unread messages are shown with a badge.

Generating a calendar link

Go to 'Settings' and find the 'Calendar integration' section. Click 'Generate calendar link'. A unique, personal ICS link is created.

Linking to Outlook

Copy the link. Open Outlook → Calendar → 'Add calendar' → 'Subscribe from web'. Paste the link and confirm. All your projects appear in Outlook, at the right Belgian time.

Other calendar apps

The link also works with Google Calendar ('Other calendars' → 'From URL'), Apple Calendar and other apps that support ICS. Those apps refresh a subscribed calendar themselves every few hours (Google sometimes only once a day); in FreelanceCrew you see changes immediately.

Security

Keep your calendar link private. Anyone with the link has read access to your project calendar. You can regenerate the link at any time in settings if it ends up in the wrong hands.

Account settings

Change your name, email address, password, and language preference via 'Settings'. You can also update your company details here.

API key

Via the 'API' tab you generate an API key for external integrations. This lets you connect FreelanceCrew to other systems such as scheduling software or HR tools.

Appointment

The teamleader role is assigned by the planner, per project. Once appointed, a golden 'Teamleader' badge appears next to the project in your dashboard.

Extra permissions

As teamleader, in addition to your normal freelancer functionality, you get access to an extra panel in the project details screen. This panel is only visible if you're teamleader for that specific project.

Viewing check-ins

Open the project you're teamleader for. In the teamleader panel you'll see a list of all booked crew members with their check-in status. At a glance you can see who's present and who hasn't checked in yet.

Live updates

The attendance list is automatically updated as soon as a crew member checks in. You don't need to reload the page.

Viewing submitted hours

In the teamleader panel you'll also see an overview of the submitted hours of all crew members. You can check who's already submitted their hours and what the start and end times are.

Reporting to the planner

You can use the information from the teamleader panel to inform the planner of any discrepancies. The final validation of hours is done by the planner themself.