Are you among those who firmly believe in the fact that long-distance relationships never work? However to make it work one has to make several compromises, sacrifices and leave no room for any kind of trust issues. Well, I am no relationship counselor so I won’t be offering any such advice on whether you should opt for a long-distance relationship or not but when it comes to offshore software development – without a shadow of a doubt just go for it!
Yes, today maintaining a healthy long-distance relationship with your tech partner has become a major trend – all thanks to the ever-growing COVID-19 Pandemic. Of course, offshore software development or outsourcing software projects is not a new term as businesses did acknowledge it before but today they have no other alternative left.
With the increase in Pandemic effects, people are found more threatened in dealing with other parties personally, instead, they prefer virtual communication. Some of the top outsourcing destinations of the world are India, the Philippines, Mexico, Eastern Europe, Argentina, Ukraine, Poland, China, Brazil and so forth. So you see offshore software development seems to be mushrooming everywhere and it seems to have no intentions of slowing down. The following post focuses on what is offshore software development? How is it beneficial? Why businesses must start looking around for the best offshore software development companies and things to consider when seeking around for a reliable offshore team.
What is Offshore Software Development?
Looking at the current pace of growth, offshore software development has become the new normal. A smart strategic move that every small and large enterprise is considering. Even when one has to survive in the cut-throat competition, one has to opt for a reliable offshore development team who not just has adequate knowledge but experience to deliver the best possible solutions in regards to custom development, software development, mobile application development, web development and design, support and maintenance.
Now, what does it mean when we say we need to hire an offshore software development company? Well, it means you are hiring quality services, especially third-party services of a team located overseas. Offshore development teams tend to work remotely with you, they at first try understanding your needs and requirements and end up delivering solutions accordingly. One of the obvious reasons why businesses irrespective of their sizes and industry verticals tend to consider offshore teams for their software development project is because it is way more cost-effective than conducting an in-house development team.
Speaking of which further here I would like to mention certain pointers or benefits offered by an offshore software development team. Let’s just begin!
Its Benefits – Why Choose a reliable offshore software development company?
Most of the US-based companies are found outsourcing their services to India so that they can focus on their core business functions. And not just India, slowly and steadily several other countries such as China, Eastern Europe, or the Philippines, started gaining the limelight. Anyways, let us consider the below-mentioned reasons or advantages offered by offshore software development.
#1 Cost Reduction
One of the obvious benefits or formidable benefits offered by an offshore development team is low cost. Price has always been one of the core factors on which businesses make a decision. And when it comes to technology-based services, of course, there is no guarantee for the price to remain the same. What if you want some upgrades, what if you want some added functionalities, all this results in scaling up the labor cost and overall operational costs. Now when you choose offshore development what happens is their rates are already low in comparison to others and in case, if you have to pay any additional fees then also you might end up sticking to the budget and not exceeding it.
Fortunately, several offshore software companies tend to curate a fixed budget in advance with no additional or hidden costs. So instead of seeking an in-house team, choose a remote team or an outsourcing company that has the potential to deliver solutions within the estimated budget and time.
#2 When Outsourcing Company, Options are Many
When you choose an in house team what happens is you are restricting yourself to other options that may be better ones. For example, if you are buying a laptop featuring 512 GM ROM from your country at RS30K but when you look beyond your country you may find the same product with better configurations such as 1TB ROM at Rs25K only. Of course, it’s not just all about cost but price shouldn’t be ignored as well. Now when you are considering a tech partner within your country, especially a team of in-house developers, what might happen is you may have to choose from a limited region. So here you definitely might end up compromising whether it’s the price or the experience of the professional developers. When you consider an offshore programming team what happens is you get a wide range of talent pools at your service. So yes, the vast talent pool is a great advantage here.
Here you can bring people from diverse offshore countries on board. Different mindsets can create an impact like never before, who knows! With offshoring development projects you do have a chance to get world-class expertise and gain a competitive edge in no time.
#3 Stay Focused
Another interesting advantage of conducting development projects offshore is you get to stay focused on your core business pursuits. You know what’s so fascinating about technology, it keeps on and changing and at the same time, this fascination can be pretty daunting as, once you learn a tech, the next thing you get to know is that it’s no more in use. So in today’s ever-changing world of digitalization, one must consider hiring an offshore team or offshore software company that is ready to take all your tech-related worries and enable you to focus on the core business aspects.
Now not all businesses are supposed to be tech-focused and in that case, it is very much easy for one to rely on professionals for your software project. Here if you want to consider collaborating with both in house developers and offshore software developers to fasten your development process, both teams can manage to deliver creative software solutions. By offshore outsourcing, you will get ample time to streamline your business goals.
Of course, this is not it! There are several other benefits of choosing an offshore software development company such as seamless technical support, punctuality, precise response to both long-term and short-term software development tasks, you get to enter foreign markets, instant access to specialized skills, rid of recruiting and hiring full-time employees, access to new technologies and infrastructure, enhances your ROI in the least amount of time and money.
Things to Consider while Seeking around for Offshore software development services
Now since we have already covered the advantages of offshoring software development companies, it’s time to take a look at certain aspects that must be taken into account when looking around for one. After all, it’s a long-distance business relationship you are going to enter, there should be no room for goof-ups. So, how to hire a reliable offshoring software development company across the globe?
#1 Knowledge is fine But Experience Matters
When looking around for offshore software companies, I am sure you will come across a plethora of options that are best in regards to knowledge but don’t have enough experience in delivering the best possible outcomes. Since you are already outsourcing services, you already have the chance of finding an experienced team of software developers than why take a risk. Start seeking around for experienced programmers who are dedicated and reliable. As the saying goes, a good decision comes from experience. And there are times especially in the tech industry when theoretical knowledge seems to be of no use, it takes the back seat and your practical experience leads the way.
#2 Have you evaluated the Skill Set yet?
If not now then when? Tests always make you grow stronger and shine like never before. Before you say yes to the offshoring software development company, it is advisable to get a reality check of their abilities, capacities and potential. The big question is how? Where there are a plethora of ways through which you can evaluate the skill set of your candidates for example:
- Set a questionnaire – Here you don’t have to test how they code, here you can get a wide idea of their approach. How do they solve problems? Are they innovative or do they prefer performing tried and tested methods?
- Testing the codes – Here you get to know their coding skills as offshore developers. Check which tools and technologies they are preferring these days. Even here if the developer doesn’t shine out then it surely doesn’t make him less qualified.
- Overall performance – Last but certainly not the least is to keep tabs on their overall performance. See whether their application developed in the past, how are they performing? Do get in touch with their previous clients if possible. Get an overall precise idea of your future development team of software engineers.
#3 Communication Skill
Since you are already evaluating the skill set don’t forget to check their communication skills. After all, you will be working with an offshore development center. So see how well-versed are their skills, are they extroverts? Do they communicate regarding essential tasks at regular intervals? Do they use different communication tools and channels such as Skype, Basecamp, Asana, Trello, Google Meet to ensure that there is no hindrance while developing software? Whether you hire offshore developers or not just ensure to choose a company that has great communication skills while working on your software projects.
Also see there are no language barriers, at least the chosen dedicated development team knows how to communicate fluently in English.
This was about your software providers, now on your part what you need to ensure is!
- Whether your employees have worked with a team of developers previously.
- They not just keep in touch but even share knowledge and ideas regularly.
- All the doubts, queries, questions are cleared right then and there.
Too Long; Didn’t Read!
Well, in today’s time working with ideal offshore development teams is pure bliss. However, bliss can be converted into a never-ending nightmare if you somehow happen to make the wrong choice. Software development itself is a never-ending process that requires two parties who not just have each other back but also ensure to work together and come up with innovative solutions like never before. So make sure that before you finalize any company, go through the aforementioned pointers and then make a choice.
So that’s all for now! I hope you find the post helpful. If yes, feel free to share it with your peers. And in case, if you still have any doubts or queries regarding offshore software development services, feel free to mention that in the comment section below.
