Market Research on Offshoring
I've been lurking for a bit so this is my first post. I'm on IH for advice on starting a business rather than finding customers, but I hope it's OK to ask this question and this seems the best forum.
I've started an offshoring agency that specialises in matching with UK software consultancies with smaller overseas offshorers.
It would really help me for my sales and marketing if I could hear experiences people have had of offshoring and reasons why they don't do it. I know what I think, but this is the sort of business where I'm serving others and not myself.
James
What's your URL?
https://easyoffshoring.co.uk/
My experience with offshoring (10+ years):
If you need a textbook solution to a problem, aka put this form on a page and put the data in this database, they rock it out. However, if you asked for the same form on 3 different pages, they might write the form (and the backend) 3x.
If you need anything resembling creative problem solving, thinking "outside the box" etc, they have absolutely no idea what to do. Per the previous example, if you want something hyper efficient, you aren't likely to get it from offshore.
I have heard the exact same from someone who runs a development shop and spent 4 years building a competent offshore team. His experience was that it was also something of a crapshoot to get things on time.
Recommendation, offshore the easy/standard stuff, with very explicit details on what needs to be done (aka, reuse this form on these 3 pages), anything complicated keep onshore. Don't try to offshore "figure it out", it will end badly.
Disclaimer: All of this is talking about professional offshore teams, not some random person you found on upwork or a forum somewhere. Those are total crapshoots.
Thank you for that. It's an interesting point. Part of my offer is not just that I help the client choose a team but also that I bridge the cultural gap between the UK and India. So this gives another angle to why that would be be an advantage in that there can be a mindset gap between the UK (and US) and offshore.
That's really useful.
Offshoring refers to the act of transferring business operations to a foreign country where available labor forces are much cheaper.