Web design and development holds a lot of weight when it comes to your business success. Your business’ website is a visual representation of who you are, and most customers make their first impression of your business when they view your online presence. Since web design heavily impacts brand reputation and online sales, you need to invest in quality design for the future success of your business.
It can be quite an investment to build your website, but it is a necessary investment that brings beneficial ROI. To combat the sometimes expensive costs of web design and development, businesses in all industries have found remote developers to be an advantageous solution. As remote work continues to gain popularity, there are many pros to web development outsourcing. Let’s take a look at the benefits of outsourcing and how to choose the right dedicated team.
The Rise of Outsourcing in Web Design
The world of technology is ever-changing, and the requirements for business success online continue to evolve. Over the years, technology has progressively become the driving force in business success and having a competitive advantage. But, businesses began to find in-house web services to be a costly investment. As business owners understand the continued need for web services but don’t have the budget to hire in-house, they began to hire dedicated developers who work remotely.
There are many benefits to hiring a software outsourcing company. While remote work is often seen as an employee perk, the advantages for businesses to outsource their IT staffing include:
- Cost savings in several areas. Not only is the direct cost cheaper when you hire a remote team, but you also save annually in other areas as well. Companies can save in office space, utilities, equipment, supplies, and annual benefits like insurance, medical coverages, and paid time off.
- Remote workers also tend to be more productive. According to one study, 91% of remote workers report that they are more productive when working remotely.
- Quality of work is also an advantage. When you outsource IT work, you open the door to a much larger talent pool. Since many countries hold developers to higher standards, and the work ethic is sometimes stronger, businesses who outsource generally see a higher quality of work.
- Time savings is another advantage. Remote workers tend to complete their work in a shorter time frame. And the time zone changes mean that work is being done while your business is at rest.
Hottest Outsourcing Trends and the Demand
As IT professionals find new ways to deliver services, outsourcing trends come out of the woodworks. While low costs are always an advantage for software outsourcing, some businesses began to express the need for strategic partnerships and a dedicated team of IT professionals. Many businesses found the high costs and tech talent shortage of local developers was enough to outsource their work, but they still wanted that local partnership feels that comes when you work one-on-one with someone. That’s where the trends shifted to outsourcing vs offshoring.
Offshore and outstaffing models of remote work became a trend for most businesses on how to hire a developer. Through staff augmentation, businesses were able to see that there was not only a more cost-effective option, but they could also open the door to new IT skills that their in-house professionals were lacking.
Offshore remote teams are able to work more closely with businesses as they share similar time zones and working hours. Outstaffing models are great for long-term projects or ongoing work. Outstaffing teams work more closely to provide a partnership with businesses. They are similar to the in-house IT professional in the idea that they handle all development projects and work with a business in an ongoing relationship.
Standalone IT services no longer fit the mold. So, businesses turn to offshoring and outstaffing to take advantage of a dedicated team who knows your business and works directly with you to complete essential software, development, and IT projects for your business. According to Small Biz Daily, 2018 will see a drastic rise in virtual agents. The increase in companies outsourcing their processes means cost-cutting and high efficiency for businesses across many industries.
The demand for UI developers and IT professionals has grown exponentially over the years. And, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. According to Venture Beat, 80% of web developers and designers reported client growth of 25% or more a year! So, the industry is not slowing down. And as local tech professionals aren’t able to keep up with the demand, and outsourcing and outstaffing rise in popularity, remote workers will continue to grab IT project time and time again.
How to Manage a Remote Team
Now that most businesses see the advantage of hiring a remote team, it’s necessary to target some of the best tips and practices to make it right. Having a team who knows how to build a website is no longer the only IT requirement for businesses today. If you want to stay competitive, you need to constantly stay on top of the latest technology on the market.
Since a quality user experience is crucial in today’s business world, you need to hire a UX designer who doesn’t just create a website, one who delivers the best website design ideas for your customers. When it comes to hiring, consider these points before you make your decision:
- Experience and reputation matter. There are hundreds upon hundreds of outsourcing companies on the internet. You need to make sure you choose a team that has the quality experience and a positive reputation. While costs matter, you need to look beyond the web developer salary and weigh your options before you hire. Ask your potential team to give you examples of their experience and do your research to make sure they have a good reputation.
- Assign a project manager that serves as a direct connection between your company and the outsource company. This will give you the peace of mind that all your work is on time and up to the standards you expect.
- Create clear expectations. Make sure the outsourcing company knows all deadlines, project requirements, and business goals you have in place. Ask them to keep in constant contact so your internal project manager can stay on top of progress and identify any issues before they become a bigger problem.
- Research your own needs so you can ensure you hire the right remote team. If you don’t know the skills and expertise needed to meet your project requirements, you can’t guarantee you will hire the right team. Once you understand your project requirements, have a clear conversation with your outsourcing company as to whether or not they can meet your needs. If you are both on the same page, it makes for a better outcome.
Web design and development is a business necessity that is not going away anytime soon. Overall, businesses across most industries have moved away from in-house IT professionals and moved towards outsourcing options. Outsourcing is a cost-effective and efficient way to enhance your business’ online presence and closely meet your project requirements. When you hire the right remote team, your business will benefit from better services, lower costs, and a long-term ROI that grows your business in ways you never expected.
