6 Reasons Companies Hire Offshore App Developers

Mobile App Development August 13, 2024
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Due to technological advancements and the ever-growing use of smart mobile devices, the market for app developers, mobile app developers, web developers, and software developers has never been more attractive. Business organizations globally, with a focus on those from the United States, are always striving to improve their technologies while controlling their expenses. Offshore development is one of the most effective business approaches that have been adopted over the last two decades. Offshore development means outsourcing software development work to a team in another country, usually where the talent is available for hire cheaply.

Offshore development has made a great shift in the manner companies are managed by helping them expand easily, develop new products frequently, and manage high quality at very low costs compared to their initial expenses. This has become particularly important for any company to achieve its goal of being competitive within the global market with high time-to-market and low costs.

In this blog, we will discuss the following details about why organizations go for offshore app developers. We will also look at the advantages of offshore development, the differentiation between offshore and onshore development, and pivotal factors making it favorable for firms desiring to increase their development capacity.

Top 3 Offshore Development Countries

Now, let’s turn our focus to the top countries where companies are likely to keep hiring offshore app developers before delving into the factors driving the popularity of offshore development.

  • India: India continues to be the incumbent in offshore development services. The skilled workforce of app developers, mobile app developers, web developers, and software developers is one of the biggest advantages for the country as they are trained in multiple programming languages and technologies. The technical education in India is quite sound as most of the developers are fluent in English; therefore, it is considered a prime location for outsourcing development work. However, the cost savings on getting the developers in India are exponential, hence making it an ideal market for organizations with cost-cutting in mind.
  • Ukraine: The country has rapidly gained the reputation of an offshore development center, predominantly on the European side with primary focus on the East. The majority of Ukrainian developers are university graduates with engineering or technology backgrounds. It also benefits from close timeliness with Western European countries and working hours, which are greatly valuable for real-time work. Another advantage of hiring Ukrainian developers is that they have a good command of the English language, which ensures efficient collaboration and coordination.
  • Philippines: Offshore development has been a fast-growing industry for the Philippine economy, especially in outsourcing for mobile app development and customer service. The nation has a large pool of well-educated, English-speaking human resources with good technical talent. Favorable culture and competitiveness with Western world counterparts make the Philippines an ideal place for companies seeking to hire app developers from India and other countries.

Comparing Offshore and Onshore Development

Before choosing offshore or onshore app developers, it’s imperative to learn the basic difference between the two and their effects on the overall success of a project. Following are six points that aspiring offshore or onshore development owners should consider.

onshore development owners

Companies find it very reasonable to hire offshore app developers for their operations for the following reasons, among others: When it comes to tendering in a competitive market, contracting cost plays a vital role where offshore development provides a solution of great savings without losing quality.

Based on a given example in the United States, the overall costs of hiring onshore app developers, mobile app developers, web developers, and software developers are tremendously high, including salary, benefits, and other costs. Thus, such expenses can actually grow really fast when you’re a startup or when you work with a limited budget. Offshore development can be more effective as it offers affordable solutions because companies get access to qualified manpower at considerably lower prices. For instance, an experienced app developer in the United States can be paid between $100 and $150 per hour, while offshore developers in India or the Philippines may charge between $20 and $50 per hour. This cost difference helps in resource mobilization and deployment since firms allow them to focus on other important areas such as marketing, research, and development.

Also, outsourcing to offshore destinations decreases overhead costs. It also does not matter that companies have to provide such things as an office, a computer, or any other items that would be needed for onshore employees. However, offshore teams work in their jurisdiction, which adds to the cost advantage as they work in their home country. The lowered operational cost means that companies can effectively run lean operations, which in turn enhances their earnings and market competitiveness.

1.    Diverse Expertise and Skill Sets with a Global Talent Pool

Offshore development also has a key benefit in terms of the vast talent pool offered by overseas locations. When companies seek app developers, mobile app developers, web developers, and software developers from offshore talent, they are able to access talent beyond the local market. Instead, they can access a pool of qualified professionals with expertise in certain areas and specific experience within different fields.

Outsourced mobile app developers may have knowledge and skills that are not easily accessed within the company’s local market. For instance, the technical expertise that has been cultivated among Ukrainian developers is greatly appreciated in the fields of engineering, machine learning, distributed registers, and the IT sphere in general. In the same way, Indian developers are best known for mobile applications, website development, and software programming, with an immense understanding of Java, Python, and PHP.

This results in the ability to search in the global talent database and create a team with diverse skill sets that align with the requirements of a given project. For instance, a company may outsource front-end development from a country such as the Philippines, which specializes in web development, while at the same time outsourcing back-end development from, say, India. This also enhances the level of work quality since companies are able to acquire the most competent human resources for each section of the project, leading to improved or satisfactory results.

Furthermore, the increasing spread of offshore outsourcing means that a greater variety of skills is available, which can contribute to greater creativity on the part of the developers involved. Offshore teams may also know other projects that have been developed for other clients and markets, thus they bring a different angle to the problem. It is also important to have different approaches to thinking when finding solutions that will set an organization apart from the competition.

2.    Flexibly Expanding Your Development Team

Flexibility is also a measure that is valued in modern enterprises that have to alter their approach to different projects or consumer needs. Offshore development is flexible as it covers the possibility of expanding a development team and/or reducing it based on new challenges and opportunities without being held back by available talents in the country.

As offshore app developers are sourced from overseas, companies stand to benefit from being able to easily add more resources in case they need bigger teams. For instance, if a project needs more developers to meet the project delivery deadline, it is easier to bring in more offshore developers from an agency specialized in mobile app development. Through this way of hierarchy, the company can expand its number of working teams to meet project deadlines and complete projects efficiently.

Also, offshore development provides a way to manage changes in terms of workload and customer numbers. This allows companies to upgrade their offshore team in number during periods of high workload, which in turn can be reduced during periods of lower workload. This flexibility enables the company to conserve its resources, thereby avoiding instances where an organization is incurring high costs to maintain capacity during off-peak periods. It also enables them to produce much larger quantities within a short period of time in order to sell to the market and satisfy their customer needs, which is crucial for any business, thus maintaining their competitiveness.

The third benefit concerns the ability to handle the resource requirements depending on the project’s specifics and access the specialized knowledge when necessary. For instance, while developing a computational model, a firm may not require a dedicated AI professional, yet it can hire offshore developers with a background in AI and request them to work on a per-project basis. This approach benefits companies as it offers them an option of outsourcing and allows them to gain access to executive-level professionals without having to employ them permanently.

3.    Innovation Potential and Diverse International Perspectives for Cutting-Edge Solutions

The ability to innovate is central to the concept of success in the tech industry, and offshore development can itself be an enabler of much innovation. The first benefit of working with offshore app developers is the result of their international experience and outlook. With this diversity, solutions might be come up with that would not be possible in the case of a homogenous team developed onshore.

In the case of offshore mobile app developers, they might be from different cultures and have worked with clients from various fields and countries. This exposure to a new way of reasoning and the ability to apply a range of different approaches to problems can inspire new solutions and state-of-the-art processes. For instance, a development team operating from a different country like India may recommend a local solution of incorporating AI into a mobile application that is different from what has been used in their home country. Likewise, a web developer working in Ukraine can come up with new ideas for UI/UX design to improve customer interactions and increase conversion.

Offshore developers provide new views that can free the company from its embedded mindset and encourage it to reconsider opportunities. It is especially important in industries where innovation is a critical factor that determines competitors’ success. This way, businesses can tap into offshore experts that can come up with innovations across products that are not only utilitarian but also unique in the market.

Additionally, through offshore development, companies are able to integrate the knowledge of the offshore team and the onshore team. For example, an onshore team might better understand the local market and customers; an offshore team might be more skilled or have better ideas. This can result in the creation of enhanced products, which are also contextualized in terms of the targeted market.

4.    Effective Collaboration Across Time Zones with English Proficiency

Communication, too, is a success factor in any development project; however, having a cross-continental timeframe difference may act as a constraint. At the same time, there are a few shortcomings. For example, many offshore development countries have a good command of English, so there will be no problems with communication and cooperation.

Some Western companies hire offshore mobile app developers and specialists in countries like India, the Philippines, and Ukraine, many of which will be able to converse with you in English, which simplifies the communication of the project requirements and the general discourse, as well as the teamwork with onsite counterparts. It also helps maintain high language competence in terms of work communication without chances of misunderstandings, delays, or wrong work completion.

Thirdly, costs are reduced considerably as offshore development provides the added benefits of round-the-clock activity. As multi-time zones are established, companies are assured that work is ongoing; hence, when their onshore teams are free, there is already a team from another region working on the same task. For instance, a business organization based in the United States can have the onshore employees function on a normal business day, while the offshore employees in India can continue doing so on their local business day. This overlap of working hours ensures that work has to be done in tandem and also takes a shorter time since tasks are not congested by a lot of projects.

Also, it has been observed that offshore development teams tend to leverage enhanced communication technologies and tools, along with project management software solutions, for enhanced cross-time zone synergy. Software applications such as Slack, Zoom, and Jira help the teams to remain interconnected, share updates, and progress toward their goals on the go. These tools assist in mitigating the communication and coordination between onshore and offshore teams, thus making certain that everyone comprehends and contributes towards the accomplishment of similar objectives.

5.    Achieving International Quality Standards at Competitive Rates

In any development project, quality is one of the most important factors, and offshore developers are noted to provide development services at cheap rates as per international standards. Many offshore app developers and mobile app developers in countries like India and Ukraine are ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 certified, which is an indication that they are confident in the quality of their products and the security of data that customers handle.

If an offshore development company has a pool of bright developers, they make sure that the developers update themselves with the latest technologies and methods so that they are able to deliver work that is comparable to international quality. This emphasis on quality is also vital for organizations that require the consistent market presence and whose products must meet customer demands and satisfaction.

Offshore development allows companies to gain excellent development services at costs substantially lower than onshore alternatives. This cost-effectiveness is especially advantageous in such a scenario where the client is operating a startup or a small business that cannot afford to spend much on product development yet still have to meet high-quality standards.

Further, while the offshore developers have worked with multiple organizations from various areas they understand the different quality standards and regulatory policies. This experience is significant because it guarantees that they only develop products that meet international standards and can readily be launched in various markets.

Finally, it can be summarized that offshore app developers have numerous benefits within the context of creating or continuing the app development process. From controlling operating costs to acquiring a talented workforce, offshore development serves the purposes of adaptability, creativity, and quality that is required for the marketplace of the current context.

With the increased demand for app developers, skilled mobile app developers, web developers, and software developers, among others, businesses need to think of the benefits of outsourcing for the next project. Offshore markets, in particular, have access to skilled labor and technological tools that can help develop excellent products, leading to business growth and increased customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

In the current environment where companies are experiencing intense competition, many have opted to adopt a strategy of outsourcing development to offshore technologies. Outsourcing app developers provides a fairly advantageous position in terms of a lower cost per operation, availability of highly qualified professionals, and the ability to adjust the number of developers if necessary for a particular project. It is also crucial to create a diverse and innovative offshore team for technology implementation as it provides a new and unique worldview and, finally, enables the creation of unique solutions among the competition.

Further, the flexibility of time zone management, overt English-speaking skills, and other enhanced communication approaches help assure that offshore development can take place smoothly and within a short span. The developers based in offshore countries also follow the quality management systems as per international standards, and the products developed by these individuals are of better quality at a cheaper rate. This is important for companies that want to maintain their reputation in the market and always meet the expectations of their customers.

This is particularly the case for companies in the United States and other developed markets, as hiring offshore app developers offers them a competitive advantage and opportunity to give their companies the ability to build high-quality and innovative applications while controlling costs and resources. For the startup company planning on launching its first app and for any established company desiring to leverage an online platform, offshore development remains a feasible and promising strategy.

When you are thinking of your next development project, it will be valuable to know about the advantages of offshore development and how it may satisfy your organizational objectives. If you learn from the trend and the benefits that offshore teams bring into the organizational strategy, then you should be able to offer more value to your customers than your competitors.

FAQs

1.  What are the primary benefits of hiring offshore app developers?

Outsourcing offshore app developers provides a low cost of development, a wide range of talent, flexibility in scaling, creativity, easy coordination over the different time zones, and acceptable quality norms of the global market.

2.  Which countries are the best for offshore development?

Some of the top countries for offshore development are India, Ukraine, and the Philippines due to skilled app developers and effective and good command of English.

3.  How does offshore development reduce operational costs?

Offshore development helps in minimizing costs as the cost of living of an employee is cheaper as compared to developed countries which in turn substantially drains salaries, infrastructure, and other expenses.

4. How do offshore developers ensure high-quality standards?

Most offshore developers maintain ISO certifications and thus meet the international quality norms incorporated in software development activities and deliver quality work.

5.  Is communication a challenge with offshore development teams?

Although there is a time zone shift problem, the language barrier can be tightly controlled because most offshore development teams are mostly fluent in English, and the instruments that allow them to collaborate effectively are available.

 

Azeez Bijin April 24, 2023
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