7 IT outsourcing myths

Outsourcing IT is becoming a more and more popular solution worldwide, and in some cases, even a must-have. But there are still many misconceptions circulating about that topic due to various reasons. The resistance may come from different grounds, but in general, we can split them into two categories: the fear of the unknown and the fear that comes from the former bad experiences with the outsourcing services. Let’s dive into details and debunk a few myths regarding that topic. The most common convictions are as follows:

1. Outsourcing is dedicated only to corporations, so it’s not for me

2. I’ll lose control over my project and the company’s know-how

3. Long distance and the language barrier will cause problems

4. External developers won’t fit my company’s culture

5. Abroad programmers are not as good as from my country

6. Developers won’t be as qualified as i expected

7. Outsourcing is only a short-time solution

Are those sentences an absolute truth? Not at all. Many of them are just outsourcing myths and misconceptions. Of course, sometimes it happens that the cooperation with an outsourcing business partner turns out to be a complete disaster. But the good news is that a lot depends on how well you prepare to choose the right service provider before the whole process starts. You may avoid many unpleasant situations and surprises by selecting a partner that matches your expectations and being aware of some crucial facts.

1.   Outsourcing is dedicated only to corporations, so it’s not for me

Many businesses don’t even consider working with an offshoring development partner because they think they’re too small for that. Well, that’s not the truth. Outsourcing is no longer perceived as a service reserved exclusively for big corporations. You can also set up external partnerships for smaller projects. The outsourcing is currently treated as an in-house tech-team extension that supports you in scaling your company’s growth. By the way, if your business is a start-up, it can benefit from such cooperation by taking advantage of the knowledge and experience of the external developers. Thanks to that, your people have an opportunity to gain some unique qualifications and perspectives that they wouldn’t otherwise have. 

2. I’ll lose control over my project and the company’s know-how

This point is one of the biggest and most common concerns regarding outsourcing IT services. It’s also utterly understandable because people tend to have limited trust in each other, especially after some bad experiences. But please, let’s not put everyone in one bag. It’s better to analyze all mistakes from the previous cooperation and try again, richer with your new knowledge. You’ll probably ask, “how can I assure myself that I’m going to choose the right partner?”. There are some ways: first of all, do insightful research of the best companies providing outsourcing IT services and don’t just bet on the lowest price and quickest process – the quality often goes with a higher price and longer time, but it’s worth it, especially in a long-term partnership, you can find more about choosing a right outsourcing in my previous article. Check the companies websites, testimonials, portfolios, and the Clutch profiles before making a final decision. You may also personally contact some previous clients of the companies to gather a reliable opinion. An appropriate partner will eagerly expand your know-how as well as their own – by exchanging knowledge, solutions, and experiences with yours: everyone’s constant growth and the empowered sense of belonging results additionally in low rotation of the staff. 

3. Long-distance and the language barrier will cause problems

When it comes to outsourcing from a faraway country to your headquarters, you’ll probably have thoughts like this. However, it’s not the distance or country of origin that decides the quality of services and the collaboration. It always depends on the single company’s attitude, values, goals, and technical background. When the communication between the companies stays transparent and properly managed, by using, for example, dedicated online tools and the professional account management system, everything should flow smoothly, and the distance isn’t a barrier. You may also wonder how cooperation will look like when you speak different languages. Let’s be realistic – English is the language of technology. If you resist using it, it will be harder for you to step into an international arena. That’s why I’m utterly convinced that it can be beneficial and challenging for both in-house and outsourced development teams because they’ll be forced to use the language daily to communicate with each other. It will result in their personal growth and the whole company as well.

4. External developers won’t fit my company’s culture

It’s not an easy task to meet both parties to be perfectly matched not only regarding technical skills but also the soft ones. There may occur some problems on the cultural basis, not only regarding the differences between countries but also the internal cultures of both companies. The key to getting along is to get to know each other better, be aware of the crucial differences, and stay open-minded. I know it can take time and additional effort, but your company can gain a solid partnership as a result and an unusual experience of working internationally, instead of shutting down only to your own country.

By the way, if you care about the perfect matched teams, you can also check our product – Bench by Applover. Thanks to the mix of our machine learning algorithm and the experience of our recruiters, we can find developers that will be technical-skilled and consistent with your company’s culture. 

5. Abroad programmers are not as good as from my country

It’s worth researching the current situation about the IT market of different countries before you automatically search for a partner in your own country (just because it’s closer and seems more known and sure to you). According to HackerRank, countries like China, Russia, and Poland have the best developers, ranked by average score across all HackerRank Challenges. Discover 10 more reasons to work with remote developers.

6. Developers won’t be as qualified as I expected

Sometimes during the sales phase, companies can make some promises without any coverage to make their profit. And after the contract is signed, it may turn out that you get much lower qualification developers than was expected. It can be frustrating and disappointing. Well, it happens, but you can try to prevent such consequences. Remember to check the company deeply. Think about meeting the team before the project starts and conduct a technical interview with them before hiring external experts. This step will give you more certainty about the whole cooperation. 

7. Outsourcing is only a short-time solution

Length of partnership with an outside team depends on your decision, whether you need external support only for a small project or you’d like to build a robust and long-term relationship with a partner that you can trust. Such a solution has a significant advantage – it takes a considerable part of the responsibility of your back for a long time. In the meantime, you can use it as an opportunity to pay more attention to the core of your business or other important issues and leave your projects in the hands of professionals. 

Outsourcing myths busted! 

These are a few common myths regarding outsourcing IT. I hope my arguments have made you feel more conscious and confident when you’re considering outsourcing IT services or that at least you’ve found out something new today! I hope now you’ll be better prepared to audit your service providers first when you’re about to outsource. If you want to see a live example of how such cooperation looks, check out our latest case study from our collaboration with one of the largest digital product agencies in the UK. About 1,5 years ago, they hired 1 of our developers; now they hire 10 of them!