Have you hired consultants from sites like Toptal, Upwork, etc. for a long-term on monthly retainership basis?

Hi, I am using https://www.fiverr.com/ for one time job and https://www.freelancer.com/ for something that required more work.

1. Duration - a couple of months I am still working with 2 people.
2. I spend time on start to explain what are expectations then check what they did. Currently, I am from time to time just checking that what they were provided.
3. The most frustrating is that they can abandon the project without the word from one day to another. This is not happening very often but still.

I tried TopTal, but found they were overpriced. I was able to find better rates, by going direct. I've used UpWork for years and for the most part have had good results, but also have found instances where people fake their resumes, so you'll need to find a way to screen them or give a test project prior to starting. Otherwise, to answer your questions directly:

1. I've hired anywhere from a one-time project to some I've worked with for multiple years. It all depends on the project.
2. We use Slack, Trello (more recently Clubhouse.io), to communicate and manage the projects. For time tracking we've used Hubstaff, which can take screenshots of their work, while it's being done.
3. People faking their resume or abilities. Stop working on the project mid-stream. But overall, it's been a good experience outsourcing. The better you get at managing these projects and hiring people, the better result you'll get. If you don't take the time to do it right, you will pay the price for it.

Not to self-promote but I have a guide on outsourcing on our marketplace (FunnelRolodex), if you're interested. I'm happy to answer any additional questions.