Nearshoring is becoming a standard practice in the business world as companies are looking for ways to deliver stellar service and support in a timely and cost efficient manner. Nearshoring is the process of transferring a business operation to a nearby country rather than a country at a greater distance. When it comes to nearshoring, you want to make sure your business has the best software to support your operation and provide the best customer service. What are the top traits of a great nearshore software development company?
Does it Fit your Company?
A good nearshore software development company will be able to mesh seamlessly with your company’s needs. If it isn’t a good fit for your company, you might not get the right software for your business needs. How will outsourcing impact the morale and productivity of your current on-site staff? While nearshoring can help alleviate some of the burden of your on-site workers, it could also lead to low morale and discontent if handled ineffectively. You want your outsource team and your internal team to work together as a unit, not in opposition to each other.
Skill Set
Technical skill is key when choosing a nearshore software development company. You want to make sure your developers are capable of delivering a product that will meet your needs and can be upgraded as your business grows and changes. Also, you want to make sure your local talent pool has the right type of software developers to meet your company needs. Will you be able to contract with the same developer for upgrades and technical support if necessary? What kind of training does the software developer have?
Reputation and Reviews
Do your research when looking for a software development company as your outsource partner. What is the company’s reputation? Read reviews and see what other customers have to say about their experience working with the outsource company. Ask what they liked and didn’t like about the experience, and if there were any major concerns while the project was being completed. Research the local pool of talent and see how much experience the individuals in the pool have and what kind of experience in software development. Once you know the level of customer satisfaction in a given area, it is easier to find a software development company that can provide you with the right system.
Cultural Differences
In a global business environment, cultural differences are inevitable. Understanding the culture and language of your talent pool will help alleviate any problems down the road. You want to make sure you can clearly and effectively communicate with your nearshore software development team. If they don’t understand what you are asking for, they cannot deliver a quality product. Also, not every country celebrates the same holidays or takes the same days off each week. Understanding the culture of your talent pool will help avoid issues and can help set milestones around the holidays and days off.
Ease of Access
When shopping for a nearshore software developer, you want to make sure that person or persons are easy to access. Can you communicate without barriers such as slower connections, different software standards, and time zone differences? If your outsource software development company is on the other side of the globe, you may find linking up difficult at best. Also, you want to look at potential natural disasters that may impact ease of access (such as hurricanes, sandstorms, or blizzards).
Communication
What communication tools are available to keep you and the software development company linked for the duration of the project? Find out what bandwidth they have and if it will support high resolution video conferencing as you work on the software project. Will you need to hire interpreters to help convey what you want from your software development team? Does the talent pool have multi-lingual talent that can alleviate communication issues? Also remember that in addition to the language itself, areas can have local slang or terms that can lead to miscommunication if you don’t understand each other.
When looking for a nearshore software development company, you want to look at all aspects of the developer to make sure you are getting the best product for the best price. Exploring the skill, reputation and communication with your software developer will alleviate potential problems down the road. Also, having an awareness of cultural differences and norms and other barriers will give you and your talent pool a better working relationship.
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