5 Keys to Vetting Nearshore Staff Augmentation Companies

Nearshore staff augmentation has become extremely popular in the last few years. Companies from the U.S and Canada have chosen to expand their technological qualifications by hiring outsourced teams to provide the skills they need to accomplish their business goals.

Why Choose Nearshore Staff Augmentation

Staff augmentation essentially means hiring an additional team of programmers to assist your team developing any specific product or part of a product. There are several reasons why companies choose staff augmentation:

• shortage of local talent
• no time and limited budget to start a recruitment, interviewing and hiring process
• more flexibility and adaptability to take on bigger, more challenging projects
• the ability to control and monitor projects regularly
• access to experienced developers ready to do the work

Unlike other models, staff augmentation offers companies the chance to personally select their candidates and manage their work in the method they prefer most, without having to deal with any administrative hassles.

What companies use nearshoring?

Staff augmentation is no longer a foreign term. Several renowned tech brands resort to their staffing partners to help them deal with specific projects, features, etc, such as Google, GitHub, AutoDesk, AppSumo, Pixel, TuneIn, SKM, Nokia, OpenText, CISCO, AT&T, Slack, Whatsapp or SeatGeek.

Why do companies nearshore?

Many companies opt for nearshore software outsourcing as opposed to offshore because they can provide several additional benefits, including similar time zones and a more extensive overlap with outsourced developers. Also, unlike onshore staff augmentation companies, nearshore software companies provide more competitive rates.

Nearshore staff augmentation can also be a great choice for IT startups looking to develop their MVP. This way, they can ensure a high quality product to find investors without having to hire a full time team, which can be too expensive for small businesses.

Language skills are key to ensure fluid communication, which is probably a big concern when considering staff augmentation companies. At Nearsure, for example, we request a high level of English from our potential candidates and conduct interviews in English to ensure the person is able to comfortably communicate in their second language. That way, we can bring our partners the best talent in every sense.

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Choosing the Right Nearshore Staff Augmentation Company for You

Several companies provide staff augmentation services nowadays, which is why knowing how to identify the one that best suits your business needs can be a complicated task. If you are interested in expanding your team and hiring a nearshore staff augmentation partner, consider the following tips to help you navigate the selection process:

1. Consider Your Business Goals and Define Specific Requirements

Before even considering a staff augmentation company, it’s best to have a clear idea of the project you need additional hands on, an estimated time of completion and which specific tasks need to be accomplished.

Make sure to meet with the heads of each department to discuss the core requirements and ensure they are specific, clear and easy to understand, to avoid any confusions and miscommunications.

Consider the tasks at hand. Is it a specific project you need help with or will this be an on-going collaboration? How many developers will you need to complete each task and how long will these tasks take? How complex are they? Do they require a specific set of skills to be completed?

The more complex tasks tend to require more time and effort, which could in turn lead to delays and slowdowns. These are the perfect tasks to outsource. They tend to be more tedious, so by outsourcing them your team can handle the main functions, the more challenging aspects of the projects and the tasks that require more creative solutions, without having to sacrifice business efficiency.

2. Do Your Research

Research should be your first priority. This is where directories and databases like Clutch or Manifest can be extremely useful, saving both time and energy.

Reviews are key to selecting the right company, especially since they can provide insight into how the company operates. Make sure to read between the lines: you can often find important information. Clutch, for example, reaches out to interview companies to get a review on a different company, without the latter even knowing about it, which ensures a more transparent and honest review.

Adjust your search criteria by location, for example, if that’s important to you (maybe to ensure the right time zone), or industry verticals, such as technology. However, some reviews or ratings may seem too good to be true, so always try to verify the information.

Consider reaching out to any Linkedin connections that have worked with the staff augmentation companies you are interested in or read about in Clutch and ask about their experience to get a more thorough review as well as answers to any specific concerns you might have.

3. Check Out Portfolios and Market Experience

Companies that have a profile on Clutch often include samples to show their previous experience. Make sure to browse these samples. This way, you can see whether the company has dealt with similar projects to the one you need help with, and any comments the client might’ve left for that specific project. This can also help you see whether the staff augmentation company works frequently with the technology you work with.

You can also find information on past works in the company’s websites. These tend to have more specific information on the project themselves, but bear in mind that these tend to be carefully selected and generally have very positive results.

Additionally, if you are looking for specific technical skills or knowledge in specific languages or technologies, it is not uncommon for companies to include a list of the technologies their developers specialize in in their websites.

At Nearsure we conduct technical interviews where we test the skills of each potential hire as well as an interview with the client the developer will be working with to make sure the person meets the client’s expectations.

If you are looking for a company with experience in specific niches or that has a more global outlook, have a closer look at the portfolios. You can get a lot of information from their past works.

4. Reach Out to Potential Partners Directly

Once you have a clearer idea of which companies can be the best suit for you, you can reach out to learn more about them. You can learn specifics about a company’s processes such as the level of transparency and reporting, how much contact you have with the developers throughout the project, maybe even see the offices and meet part of the team, or even learn about specific costs as well as their practices.

You can arrange a call with an agent, or even the CEO or CTO to learn more about the company. We suggest you put together a list of questions before your meetings to address everything you want to know, including, for example:

• What goes into the project roadmap planning?
• Which metrics will measure the quality of the work?
• Which agile tools do you use for your day to day operations? And which communication tools do you use?
• How do you address any issues?
• Which new technologies do you use and how do you implement innovations or new tech releases?

5. Final Yet Key Considerations

Depending on the type of operations your company runs, you may have additional items to consider when it comes to selecting the right nearshore software staff augmentation partner:‍

Contract terms‍

If you plan on working extensively with this partner or want an ongoing collaboration to address different aspects of your business, make sure you check if they offer potential discounts for regular clients, if they have any sort of affiliate programs or provide bonuses to their clients in terms of costs. ‍

Security practices‍

Working with a remote partner makes data security a must. This includes IP addresses, emails, etc., so be sure to check how thorough their practices are in this respect.‍

Intellectual property protections and secrecy‍

Some companies require additional measures to protect their code or idea. If this is your case, make sure to check with your potential partner about their intellectual property protections or if the company is open to adding specific clauses in the contract.

Ultimately, finding the right staff augmentation company takes time, but when you find the right fit, you can create wonderful things together.

If you have specific staff augmentation needs, reach out! At Nearsure we offer high quality services provided by Latin America’s most talented developers at competitive rates.

‍Contact us now to get a free quote!