Things to Consider When Choosing an Outsourced IT Partner

By now, most of you understand why an Outsource Partner makes sense – whether it’s a cost-savings or a capacity-enhancement issue – but lots of people express skepticism towards Outsource Partners because they don’t know how to identify a solid, reputable company to work with.  After all, if you’re considering IT Outsourcing, typically you’re thinking about outsourcing some rather important pieces of your business…which means that it’s all that much more important to find the right partner, the first time around.

So, if you’re planning on outsourcing your software and web application development (or if it is being mandated from above) here are some things to consider as you go through the selection process:

• Accountability Mechanisms: having a partner with a US office and points-of-contact, using contracts that are actually enforceable in a US court of law, and the use of dynamic communications and tracking tools are all great ways to up the “I can sleep well at night” factor.
• Accessibility and Responsiveness: We can all agree – sometimes you just need to get a hold of someone! Deadlines change and priorities can be shifted in the blink of an eye and sending emails to a Help Desk or leaving voicemails in a generic mailbox isn’t exactly conducive to your fast-moving business environment.  Being able to reach out to someone specific, and knowing that they’ll answer or get right back to you allows work to continue on schedule and on point.
• Proven Technical Expertise: When selecting a partner you shouldn’t hesitate to ask for bios and/or resumes from the team members who will become the extension of your organization. Conducting interviews to verify technical proficiency will also help ensure that your Outsource Partner has the capabilities to execute at a high-level and in a timely manner.
• References: An Outsource Software Development Partner should be able to provide examples of past work or a current/past client who can provide 3^rd party verification about their experience.
• Aligning Goals and Objectives: While it’s not always the easiest thing to gauge, it’s always wise to ask the question “How much does my business mean to this potential partner?” If you get the feeling during the vetting process that your voice won’t be heard in the way it should, you’re probably right.
• Plan on Treating Your Outsourced Partners like Partners: Sometimes clients have a mindset of “I’m paying them, they should do whatever I want” but they do so at serious risk. At the end of the day, your outsourced software partner truly is an extension of your organization and best results occur when they are treated similar to the valued employees within your company.

In the future we will examine each of these items in greater detail, but if you’re interested in exploring any of these topics in greater depth right now, please contact us at info@neuronglobal.com and we can start a conversation!