Loading...When Skype Isn’t Enough
Is it worth flying out to visit your outsourced development teams? While there is no formula to calculate how often you should visit an outsourced team, telecommunication has its limits and onsite visits are necessary for successful collaboration. Skype conversations and conference calls can only go so far when trying to integrate an outsourced team into your organization.
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When to Visit
Visiting is the most important when starting a project. It allows you to see how your offshore team functions and helps you discover the best way to communicate and cooperate with them for the work to come.It is especially important to visit if it is the first time you are working with a new outsourced team. Not only do you want to see firsthand the services you are purchasing but visiting will help you coordinate your working cultures while building trust and a healthy working relationship. This goes both ways, as your outsourced team will function better if they are confident in and familiar with your company.
Frequent Flyer?
The location of your team also dictates how often you can visit due to the financial constraints of travel. If you are offshoring in Asia and your home base is in the US or Europe obviously the cost and time it takes to travel will restrict how often you make your visits.However, making the visit even just a few times during the development of your project will save money in the long run for the boost in efficiency it will provide. Making onsite visits from time to time is especially important if you are working on a long term project in order to reinforce the connections between your teams while keeping a strong line of communication.If you are nearshoring rather than offshoring, visits are much more convenient and can be made with more frequency. If you are in the UK or France and are working with a team in Romania or Moldova, you can take a short flight and arrive in time to lunch with your nearshore team. This proximity also allows you to send more people from your team.
Let them visit you
It is as beneficial for your offshore or nearshore time to visit your home base as it is for you to visit theirs. This visit will provide all of the same advantages with the added benefit that your outsourced team will appreciate the opportunity to see how professionals work in a different country and business environment.When working with a Pentalog offshore or nearshore team, Pentalog makes it a point to send part of the project team to your offices within 4 weeks of beginning a project. They recognize the importance physical contact has with ensuring easier cooperation and a smooth transition into operating procedures.
Building an Outsourced Development Team
When you are outsourcing you are creating a team, not just making a business exchange or purchasing a service. Building a team requires a personal connection that cannot be made solely through electronic exchanges.Taking a personal interest in the projects you are working in will motivate your in house and outsourced teams. This requires not just visiting and communication but interaction. Engaging with your teams and the project they are working on creates a positive atmosphere and will set up your project for success.Interested in building you own team? Contact us today.Read also about the difference between onshore, offshore and nearshore.
