Are you looking to set up a remote software development team but don’t know how to find outsourcing companies you can trust?
If so, you’ve come to the right place. This guide lays out everything you need to know about choosing an outsourcing provider.
You’ll learn what to look for in a potential outsourcing partner, how to achieve your business goals while realizing optimal cost savings, how to avoid common pitfalls such as poor oversight and communication issues, and much more.
Ready? Let’s dive right in.
Why Outsource Software Development?
Before we get into the how of outsourcing, it may be a good idea to define the why. You should consider outsourcing your software development to external providers for a multitude of reasons, including:
- Speed: With more hands on deck, your products can hit the market faster.
- Flexibility: A remote team can be easier to assemble and scale up or down over time. Notice periods and labor regulations vary across countries, so you can cherry-pick a jurisdiction that allows more leeway when hiring workers.
- Access to talent: One of the main benefits of outsourcing is that you get to branch out of your local job market, where the competition for talent can be fierce. Instead, you can tap into a global talent pool and work with some of the world’s best software outsourcing companies and dedicated development teams.
- Cost savings: Assembling a remote team can often be more cost-effective than hiring employees in-house due to regional differences in developer wages and the reduced need to set up physical workstations. Outsourced IT costs are way more competitive to in-house hiring because you not only tap into potentially cheaper markets, but you also save resources in sourcing, hiring, onboarding and managing developers.
How to Find Outsourcing Companies You Can Trust
Finding a good software outsourcing company is less daunting than it seems, but it may take some research. The best places to try are:
1. Referrals
Kick off your research the old-fashioned way. Ask friends, peers, team members, and people in your industry if they know of any good outsourcing providers.
2. Online Research
Next, google outsourcing vendors that:
- Are based in markets you’re interested in outsourcing to
- Specialize in the sector or technologies you work with
- Offer the software development model you’d like to work with, such as dedicated teams or staff augmentation
A more convoluted way to find outsourcing companies — but one that can yield surprisingly good results — is to look up keywords related to your outsourcing project, such as “how to leverage Azure DevOps” or “how to build an AKS solution.” Many outsourcing providers have dedicated blogs that tackle various technical subjects and may come up in a Google search. Using this handy shortcut, you can directly find partners with proven experience in the field you’re working in.
You can also google reviews of the “top” or “best” software outsourcing companies in a given year, market, or sector. This can give you a better idea of what’s out there and what sets different providers apart.
3. Online Marketplaces
Online marketplaces like Clutch enable you to compare a wide range of providers across variables such as:
- Size
- Location
- Business model
- Reviews
- Ratings
- Industry focus
- Client focus
This way, you can view all the metrics and information you’re interested in at a glance without having to dig around provider websites.
4. Directories
Last but not least, be sure to look up potential outsourcing partners in trusted and impartial online directories. For best results, check location- and industry-specific directories.
How to Shortlist Outsourcing Companies
Once you’ve compiled a list of potential outsourcing partners, it’s time to narrow it down to the most promising candidates. To do that, review their website and online presence for:
- Available cooperation models: Do you need onshoring, nearshoring, or offshoring services? Are you looking to set up a dedicated team under a collaborative software development model, or are you more interested in product development outsourcing? Only shortlist companies that can offer the right outsourcing model for your needs.
- Software and industry expertise: Browse each provider’s website, blog, Medium blog, case studies, and other online resources to check if their developers have the knowledge and level of experience you require. Don’t forget to check whether they have worked in your industry or developed similar products.
- Client satisfaction: Case studies, success stories, and client testimonials can be good indicators of client satisfaction.
- Culture: Software companies with a strong developer culture and a close-knit community tend to be trustworthy partners with high retention rates and engaged employees. Check online platforms such as Glassdoor to get a sense of how developers feel about their employers.
Do happy developers build better software? Read our free eBook, The Developer Diaries, to find out.
Last but Not Least: Get One-on-One Consultations
After making your final selection of potential outsourcing partners, book a consultation with representatives of each company and interview them. Key questions to ask include:
- Business model: Are their business practices — think collaboration model, team size, company culture, etc. — a good fit for your organization? If not, can they tailor their service offering to meet your needs?
- Developer expertise: Are developers familiar with your tech stack? Do they have experience working on similar projects or with similar companies? Do they have the necessary language and soft skills, as well as access to training and continuing education?
- Budgeting: Do potential partners work under fixed-fee or time-and-materials contracts? What are the developer rates? Are there any additional costs?
- Recruitment: What is the hiring process like? How do companies ensure that you’ll get the right people for your project?
- Timeframe: What is the estimated timeline for project kick-off and completion?
- Compliance: What are the security policies like? Are they GDPR-compliant?
- Cultural fit: What are the company’s vision and values? Are there policies in place to keep developers happy and engaged?
For more questions to ask when outsourcing software development, click here.
Software Development Outsourcing with Zartis
Are you struggling to find outsourcing companies that meet your needs? We can help.
Our dedicated teams include at least 70% senior developers, and all our engineers have wide-ranging industry expertise and experience in working with different technologies.
Most importantly, we build collaborative, flexible, and long-lasting partnerships centered around your needs.
Start the conversation by telling us about your outsourcing project. Together, we can make sure it will be a success.
