It can be daunting for most businesses to decide between an in-house team or outsourcing the resources for developing software, and mobile applications. If you choose to outsource, there is further a divide, you can either hire a freelancer to work for you or you can have a contract with an IT company.
There is a growing trend of outsourcing, but every now and then you can also hear someone telling a horror story about their horrible experience with a freelancer. Obviously, there is no entrenched rule or formula to decide and every business has to decide based on their own feasibility. Here we are sharing some information that can help you make a better choice.
Who is a freelancer?
A freelancer is a remote worker who signs-up short-term work contracts with multiple employers. Freelancers can be hired from any part of the world since they will be working remotely, so you have a wider pool of talent to choose from. A freelancer can charge companies less or more depending upon the kind of experience or the level of expertness in the particular skill set they have.
Some freelancers also have proven work records and testimonials. Such skilled workers can cost you a lot less than a full-time in-house employee, but the reliability of the testimonials is hard to verify, and sometimes communication and consistency are an issue. If you are hiring someone from a different time-zone, communication can further get complicated.
What about Outsourcing an IT Company?
IT companies are businesses that operate by offering IT related services such as designing, developing, and online marketing to the businesses looking to outsource those services. They hire skilled IT professionals who specialize in the work that businesses want to outsource. Such companies have a wide range of experts working as full-time in-house employees that can meet the demands of versatile companies looking to outsource the IT related services.
Since the companies are registered businesses, with offices and full-time employees they are more reliable and easy to track, verify or contact. These businesses are staffed with the complete structure of human resources, customer care, quality assurance, and other business operations to ensure maximum productivity of employees that are performing outsourced work for other businesses.
IT companies, SAAS, and agencies have a stable footing, something you should look for when you are in for a long haul or a long term relationship.
Why is Outsourcing smart?
Is outsourcing a better option for you?
Just because outsourcing is a growing trend and a smart solution, doesn’t mean it is the right fit for your business. You should opt for outsourcing if you are looking for developing an efficient software or interactive mobile application that can help your business grow but:
- You are a start-up and hiring an in-house team is out-of your budget
- You are finding it difficult to contract skilled local employees.
- Your business experience fluctuating workflow and thus you wish to spend wisely without compromising on efficiency.
- You do not want a long-term commitment or an annual contract.
- You have limited in-house resources or better use for those resources.
- You want someone experienced and more skilled to be accountable and handle all the technicalities but a regular full-time in-house team is not your requirement.
- You have a budget and time constraint or you simply want to save your money and time.
IT Companies Vs Freelancers
If you have decided on outsourcing, now you can choose between hiring a freelancer or getting services from an IT company.
- Freelancers have the obvious edge that they cost you less than contracting with an IT company.
- Most IT companies have an office and are registered as a business with the government. It can be difficult to verify the physical location of a freelancer.
- It is easier to verify an IT company and check their reliability in comparison to a freelancer, who many times do not even have any digital footprints to be traced.
- IT companies can offer a wider range of skill sets as they have more experts working for them. A freelancer can be an expert only in one format or a jack of all and master of none.
- IT companies are more responsive and offer better and clear communication in comparison to freelancers. Freelancers (especially from a different time zone) can actually disappear when you need them the most.
- A freelancer works for money and may not be interested in “helping the client” once the payment is cleared. On the other hand, IT companies are responsible for the paychecks of a large number of people, and are more concerned about market reputation and return business or referral business, therefore, they are more likely to conduct follow up and help out prior clients even after the contracted work has been delivered.
If you want to outsource services for web development, software development, or mobile app development, feel free to contact us. We have a team of skilled and experienced developers with a wide set of expertise that can work on the format of your choice.
