Before hiring an offshore web development team, here are questions that you must ask to ensure it’s the right team. This article will provide you with reasons, what to do, what to ask, and what to prepare for possible challenges.
Why you need to hire an offshore web development team
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An offshore web development team has a center established in another country. It includes permanent developers, testers, project managers, designers, etc. Hiring an offshore team for your business can bring lots of benefits:
- Boost productivity and save time: An offshore web development team will be an effective and time-saving solution for your business. Time is vital for a business to thrive or not. You don’t have to waste time training new employees or managing, for they already have professional developers who will handle all related tasks for you.
- Lower development cost, higher quality: Hiring an offshore web development team is cost-effective and allows you to dive into the talent pool at a reasonable price. You don’t have to rent an office, do payroll, or worry about insurance benefits, vacation, recruitment fees, etc. Moreover, the compensation rates of an offshore team, like in Vietnam or India, usually are much lower in the US, UK, or Western European counterparts.
- Have fewer conflicts: According to research conducted by Noam Wasserman, a Harvard Business School professor, 65% of startups fail precisely because of inner conflicts. It’s good news that an offshore team can reduce personal conflicts and misunderstandings.
- Simplify management: Outsourcing developers are flexible, focused, and 100% available for your project. You aren’t responsible for planning, controlling, or managing anymore. The offshore team will take all the responsibilities, and their duties are to report on time and approve issues that require your approval. Eventually, it will simplify your business structure.
Read more: Why Should A Startup Company Need An Offshore Development Team?
What to determine before searching for an offshore web development team
What are your business goals?
You need to identify the priority problems first, then explain them to the offshore team. Next, you have to list out what are your product’s primary goals and break them down into steps and measurable milestones. Finally, discuss and set an appropriate deadline for each.
How much is your budget?
Determine our initial capital, and note down what is not important and what is crucial. Define your budget first and a backup plan if necessary, then search for a suitable offshore team that meets what you have and what you need.
How to find a perfect offshore web development team?
- Recommendations: Ask your business partners or friends. They will provide you with practical advice and an in-depth understanding of how professional or engaging the team was.
- Networking: You may find on conferences, events, hackathons, and meetups
- Freelance portals: Freelance portals such as Freelancer, Fiverr, or Upwork are where you can find and hire expert talents. Before assigning the task, you can openly discuss the terms with them.
- Via social media or LinkedIn: You can also find potential offshore web developers teams on social media and LinkedIn.
What to ask an offshore web development team before deciding to hire?
Make sure you know what to ask before hiring an offshore web development team
Below are questions you must ask before hiring an offshore web development team. However, if you’re non-technical, make sure you have a technical staff or IT consultant to assist you in this process.
Where is the offshore team center located?
Their geographic location will affect their services. It should be able to provide reliable and safe operational infrastructure, excellent internet speed, and adequate available resources.
What web platforms and technologies do you have experience with?
There are tremendous platforms (such as Magento, Shopify, WordPress, BlogSpot, Wix, etc) and technologies (PWA, Hyva, Mobile App, etc). It’s a good sign if the offshore team can give you a confident and clear answer about the drawbacks and benefits of these platforms and technologies. It says a lot about how experienced and professional they are.
Where can I find your work sample, testimonial, or portfolio?
You can ask to see their portfolio or the permission to talk to their previous clients. A reliable offshore web development agency should have a proven track record. Furthermore, you may also look up their ranking at Clutch or Goodfirms.
Can I edit the website afterward, and will I own the code?
Intellectual property ownership is a very tricky and sensitive question. However, you need to clarify this with the offshore team first. If they give you a straightforward answer that you will own the code, and can edit it without programming knowledge, then it’s a very good sign that you can trust this team.
What is your workflow and production timeline?
How long did it take them on their previous project on average? What did they do to meet tight deadlines or urgent tasks? What is their normal workflow and timeline? Answers to these questions show how flexible and productive the offshore team can process to deliver the project’s results. This will also give you a clearer picture of the amount of time and budget.
How can I communicate and check your quality or KPIs?
This is a must question before hiring an offshore web development team. The communication must be clear and open on both sides. The offshore team must choose suitable remote team management tools (including time zone management, video conferencing, or relevant software)
Read more: Follow 8 Steps To Work Effectively With An Offshore Team
What kind of research do you conduct before building a website?
Amateur web developers may just start building the website without conducting any research, while the professionals will ensure that they will build it the right way. The purpose of researching is to define the products, target audiences, brand identity, and goals.
How do you ensure the website’s performance?
Website performance plays an important role in higher conversion rates, customer experience, and lower bounce rates. If the offshore web development team can give you a clear, straightforward, and specific answer, it shows that they care and know exactly what they are going to do.
What about the website’s hosting, security, and maintenance?
These above are the crucial factors that determine your website’s performance. You may need to briefly understand the hosting environment and what measures they will implement to prevent security breaches.
How many revisions can you provide?
Developing a website will take lots of revisions. Some offshore web development teams may allow as many revisions as you need. However, other offshore teams can limit the number of revisions. It depends on your project whether it may require many revisions or not. So make sure you have negotiated this with the offshore team and both sides are on the same page before making the decision.
How much do you charge for your services?
The offshore team with the lowest prices may typically cost you more in the end. Developing a user-friendly, appealing, and proficient website is a serious investment.
A professional web development agency should be able to outline your costs upfront and openly discuss them with you to ensure that it fits your budget before the project starts. Additionally, before hiring an offshore web development team, you must ask how they would like to be paid: a flat fee or an hourly rate.
What are the challenges?
Working with an offshore web development team will be beneficial for your business. However, you should prepare for the following challenges as well when looking for a suitable partner:
- Time zone differences: If the offshore team is in a different time zone, synchronizing the time when both your in-house and outsourcing teams are online can be challenging. However, it could be both a disadvantage and an advantage. You can consider working with a team that has a time zone ahead of you; therefore, you may receive some work done even before noon.
- Lack of direct communication: This is no doubt a problem. However, you can tackle it by holding regular video conferences and starting them with sal talk or work-unrelated questions.
- Too many options: There are too many vendors out there. So it can be both beneficial and confusing. Make sure that you and the offshore team are on the same page in the first place.
- Technical gap: If your website requires advanced skills, you must ensure that the offshore web development team is certified.
If you are still looking for an offshore web development team, below are the reasons why BSS Commerce is your right partner!
How our offshore development services will help you?
BSS Commerce – Best Successful Solution Commerce started modestly in 2012.
We have more than 10 years of experience, developed 190+ extensions & apps, have had 500+ successful projects, and have 75,000+ clients worldwide.
We have an English-speaking team and qualified specialists with dedicated services and competitive prices. Furthermore, we are committed to top-quality products, services, the highest security, and coding standard. Additionally, we are flexible and quickly adapt to any of your urgent requests.
>>> Visit our website to learn more about our Offshore Development Center
You will also benefit from our packaged eCommerce solutions and products such as Shopware extensions, Magento extensions, and Shopify apps with top priority support.
Read more of our success stories HERE
We always seek the best successful solutions to optimize your cost and save your time. Working with an offshore web development team will allow you more time to focus on business growth. Your dream team is only one click away, don’t hesitate to give us a Hi!
Final thoughts
In the end, the decision is yours. We hope this article will give you ideas of what to do before hiring an offshore web development team. Asking direct questions is the best way to find a suitable offshore team for your web development.
