Let’s start at the beginning. The first thing you should know about outsourcing is the amount of flexibility the practice provides. It allows for adaptation in some of the most creative ways to combat the ever-changing global macroeconomics and regulations.
Outsourcing is defined as, the action of “getting work done by making a contract with another company to do it, often in another country, rather than in your own company.” The main takeaway from this quote is that no matter what you set out to do in terms of getting work done, you’ll need to balance the concept of outsourcing with performance, in order to achieve the goals you had initially set.
What do Nearshore and Offshore mean?
There are two main types of outsourcing, one could say that these two very types define outsourcing.
Offshore
This term refers to all actions that you take to outsource abroad, like getting support from a distributed team spread out in Dublin, Cairo, Tel-Aviv, and Mumbai. A general trait of offshoring is the difference in time between your company and your outsourcing company, which can potentially create numerous harmful situations if not supplemented with top-notch deadline management and organizational communication.
Nearshore
On the other hand of the outsourcing, spectrum lies nearshore outsourcing. Think of a close relationship where you can call or visit your outsourcing company and not worry about time zones. Nearshore refers to every outsource action that you take from neighboring countries or cities. The most popular nearshore destinations are Mexico and Canada due to both countries sharing substantial border mileage and matching time zones with the United States. Latin America as a region is full of innovative companies and professionals looking to provide IT nearshore services.
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing
There are a few pros and cons to consider when formulating a strategy that revolves around outsourcing.
Pros of Outsourcing:
- Cost Reduction: By outsourcing, your company can reduce costs in two main areas – equipment and hiring. This will usher in faster and growth and success in the specific area that you are trying to develop.
- Talent: Not to imply that your teams are lacking in this area, but you will be outsourcing services to a full team with a proven track record and quantifiable experience from numerous previous onboarding processes. You won’t have to worry about the certifications and instead will just be focused on the deliverables being submitted.
- Flexibility: The time you will save from having to manage, hire, or train the IT talent you are outsourcing will allow your organization to take on other challenges for a critical project. Tons of resources can be spent on just the aspect of managing and organizing talent.
Cons of Outsourcing:
- Quality: Sometimes to gain speed and freedom in one area means compromising in another area. In regards to outsourcing, it may at times seem like the element that is being compromised is quality. The outsourcing company will have to adapt to your company rules and goals, which may
- A decrease in Control: In simple terms, you are delegating control over the processes to finish the project you are aiming to complete. You will still hold the managing positions, but the process is not in your hands. This can create a difference in perspectives and context during the production process.
- Lack of Customer Focus: Remember that you are part of the stakeholders for the project so you will need to push for the end result to be aligned with your client needs.
Where can I outsource talents?
Now that you have a better outlook on outsourcing methods, you can begin to look at various resources and websites that will serve your purposes. Some of the quickest and best places to start looking for outsourcing professionals are, besides Advancio’s staff augmentation:
Fiverr.com: This is an open platform for freelance professionals and small companies. The main benefit of Fiverr is the ability to choose your professional with a clear display of reviews from past customers and work examples. The web interface of Fiverr is very intuitive and makes the browsing experience enjoyable and simple.
Clutch.co: This might be THE definitive and best directory for tech-related services. You will find anything and everything from software development to BPO services all on one convenient site. In each company profile, you will be able to find reviews, capabilities, languages that are specialized, and impacted industries.
Glassdoor.com: This website gives you the option to post your positions and needs to a site that has heavy traffic. This site is known for the site that people go to when doing research for an interview, but it also contains a directory used for services and professionals.
Linkedin: You’ve already heard of this website. You already know that this is a great place to look for professionals and talent. What separates Linkedin from the sites above are the Linkedin groups. You can find a group for just about any industry, niche, country, profession, or service. Some of these groups will have over 100,000 members or professionals that you can easily reach out to.
Conclusion
Overall, you must seek your talent where the working hours will not be a problem and you can actually get a hold of your developer in case you have a problem or a last-minute request. The decision of when and where to outsource is yours. Take a look at this article, specifically for IT outsourcing, to get a deeper understanding of outsourcing, what it can do for you, and where you can do it.
If you’ll like to know more about Outsourcing, contact us.
