Offshoring is when a company ships its processes and practices overseas with the intention of saving a quick buck. The services are completed by lesser-developed countries, so the initial cost may appear to be less expensive. However, the overall cost usually ends up being much higher than originally estimated.
Oftentimes cheap = more expensive in the long run. An incredible amount of time, money and energy is wasted on explaining requirements, navigating language barriers and battling time differences when offshoring e-commerce practices.
Some companies, especially those just starting out, feel that they have to offshore software development to keep in line with budget. The resources may be allocated to a seemingly more important task, so e-commerce is sacrificed and off-shored, causing more problems to unfold in the long run. This doesn’t need to be the case!
Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash
In 2020, e-commerce retail sales have increased like never before. In fact, according to Forbes, e-commerce has seen a 129% year-over-growth in U.S. and Canadian orders! There has been steady growth since the pandemic has forced people to purchase products from their phones and computers. It’s become almost impossible for a brick-and-mortar store to succeed without a complementary website offering store location, details and products for purchase. The future is online business and it must have a place in mainstream business practices. Thus, the quality and importance of e-commerce must be a priority for businesses if they want to succeed in today’s competitive market.
Common Offshoring Problems
There are many problems that companies who choose to offshore will face. The reason is that this practice is a short-term gain, long term loss. Here are a few complication that might arise:
Time Zone Differences
Waking up at 3 am to catch a meeting with a Development Team across the globe is less than ideal. It is unfair to expect employees to work at unreasonable hours, and no one’s brain is at its sharpest point in the middle of the night! But sometimes this happens when time zones are drastically different.
Communication Barriers
Not only is there a language barrier to navigate, but in most cases there will be a developer speaking about code, which is a “language” in its own right and can be hard to follow and understand. This miscommunication causes confusion and can be difficult to explain requirements and wants/needs in a clear and concise manner.
Dragged Out Deadlines
Due to different time zones and communication barriers, deadlines can be pushed back further and further, resulting in unnecessary delays, frustration and client push back.
No Follow-Up Available
Once the development is “finished” and handed off, oftentimes the software is riddled with errors and bugs. Then, time is wasted on QA Testing to find the errors and finding solutions for them.
Building Personal Client Relationships
At Westmount Solutions, we understand that you are a business owner, not a developer. With so many competing technologies in the marketplace it can be difficult to understand which one is the best option for your business and how to implement and maintain it. We specialize in helping you focus on your business while we support you with the technology you need! 
Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash
We believe that the focus of technology should be on the human side of communication. We speak in plain language and walk our clients through each step of the way. We approach each project with a dedicated team for each of our clients. This way, we build long lasting relationships with our clients because we understand their business needs, and ensure they always deal with the same people.
That is why with each project our clients have their own dedicated project manager to ensure each phase of the project is completed on time, a QA analyst to test to see if any issues arise, and a solutions consulting manager who is the client ambassador and responsible for communicating every step of the project to our clients.
In fact, a client of ours had a very tight deadline, and needed development quickly. The Advanced Plan of Bold Subscriptions was needed to achieve the customization we were implementing for him. Because of our very close knit relationships with Bold Commerce, we were able to communicate to them directly about his need for the Advanced Plan theme integration. It was quickly processed, and we were able to finish his project right in time because of our close collaboration with Bold and our client.
This standard of treatment and level of customer excellence is difficult and sometimes even impossible to find when offshoring business practices.
We Understand Your Business
Technology evolves and it’s important to have an ongoing relationship with your IT solutions company – this isn’t something you can do with offshoring. It can be a poor investment in the long run, causing more harm than good with geographical barriers, communication issues and technical errors.
Westmount Solutions works to understand your business and builds solutions that can evolve as your business grows. We have long lasting relationships with our clients who come back to us because we know their company inside and out and can provide solutions that are individually tailored for their business.
If you are looking for a team in North America that is readily available for any needs you may have, schedule a call with us today! We’d love to introduce ourselves and talk a little bit more about your project! Our calls are always free of charge, to best suit your needs and how WE can help you!
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