As we’ve mentioned before, web development is one of the tasks that’s best suited to outsourcing. Yes, even if you can do it yourself. Because unless that’s your core business or service, there’s no point in spending so much time and effort on it when you can hire someone else for the job.
Okay, so you might feel a bit wary about outsourcing, especially to offshore talents. There are some terrifying myths about them being ineffective, inconvenient, and expensive. However, the operative word here is “myths.” Done right, outsourcing your web development increases productivity, buys you time, and is actually cost-effective.
So, how do you go about it properly? What strategies can you implement to make sure you get the most out of outsourcing your web development?
Read on and find out.
1. Be very clear about what needs to be done.
What exactly do you need? A user-friendly mobile app? A WordPress-powered blog? How about a fully-functioning e-commerce website that’s easy and intuitive to navigate? Would you also be needing someone to take care of search engine optimisation (SEO)?
Establishing the specifics early on will make it easier to set and manage expectations for both sides. It will also help you or the agency you choose to register with hire the right people for the job. Freelancers and subcontractors specialise in different areas of web development, after all.
2. Set a realistic budget.
While it’s true that outsourcing is more cost-effective (you’ve got the AUD-PHP exchange rate to thank for that), you wouldn’t want to lowball your prospective remote workers either. Remember, you get what you pay for, and the remote workers who can get things done well AND quickly won’t settle for peanuts.
Of course, there’s also the risk of overpaying, especially if you’re unfamiliar with market rates. This is where outsourcing agencies like Remote Staff come in. Their rates are pretty standardised and are based on the current going rates too. As another bonus, you won’t need to worry about taxes and government contributions because the agency will take care of that for you.
3. Use technology to maintain active communication channels throughout the project.
As with any project, constant and effective communication is key. Now, there are certain elements that make achieving this tricky when outsourcing web development projects, sure. You’ve got different time zones, work schedules, and availability, just to name a few.
Still, these are far from insurmountable. With a bit of coordination and the right tools, you’ll be able to communicate smoothly with your remote workers in no time. Think applications like Zoom, Skype, Slack, GitHub, and so on. With Remote Staff, we even have our own task monitoring software so you won’t have to micromanage your remote workers.
Plus, it helps that there’s not too much of a time difference between the Philippines and Australia.
4. Don’t hesitate to give input or feedback.
There are lots of talented remote web developers out there, but none of them can read your mind. (None that we know of anyway.) So, they will be relying on your input to fully realise your vision for the project.
Be very clear about what you want the finished product to look like, what it should be able to do, how it should function, and other key details. Also, don’t be afraid to speak up if you’re not too keen about something. This will help your remote worker or team to nip small problems in the bud before they snowball into bigger ones.
5. If needed, assign a project manager.
Project managers oversee all the moving parts and also coordinate with everyone involved. They also ensure that problems are resolved as quickly as possible and keep everyone on the right track.
Sometimes, clients also function as such, but if this isn’t possible for you, you’d best assign the role to someone on the team. This way, you’d only have to talk to one person for updates instead of several as well.
6. Start small.
It’s tempting to go big from the very beginning, but that’s a rookie mistake. If it’s your first time to work with a freelancer or outsourcing company, start with a small and relatively simple project.
Why? Because it’ll give you a better idea of what the freelancer or company is capable of. If they can’t handle a small project, why entrust them with a bigger one?
Better to commit slowly and gradually until you’re confident in your team’s or your worker’s skills.
7. If possible, outsource from a reliable company.
We’ve got nothing against independent freelancers. Majority of them are great at what they do, and they’ve got a great work ethic too.
On the other hand, having to visit several forums and sift through individual applications can be time consuming. Also, you’d have to come up with your own NDA and service contracts once you do hire someone, not to mention having to onboard them yourself.
Outsourcing companies or agencies can take all of those off your hands. Some, like Remote Staff, also have a bevy of qualified talents on standby so they’ll be able to get you a candidate in no time.
Remote Staff has a rich pool of talented web developers from the Philippines. Furthermore, we help you onboard them and already have templates for NDA’s and service agreements. Best of all, we assign Customer Success Representatives to each of our clients. They personally take care of any concerns or issues so that the entire project runs smoothly.
What are you waiting for? Give us a call today.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home.
