If employers, driven by the risk of infection, can successfully have their team of software developers and testers function remotely and in isolation, then the same work can be performed at least as well by a remote team that is in the same location. It is of course a great advantage if this team is in the same time zone or in a time zone with minimal difference from that of the client.

Yet many potential clients have reservations about outsourcing, and in particular outsourcing abroad.

First of all, there are the costs that outsourcing usually entails, especially if the outsourcing takes place in your own country. Outsourcing to a country where labor costs are currently still lower than in your own country offers a solution here.

In addition, there is the distance. It is often thought that a team abroad is difficult to reach. Choosing a service provider that has a good connection with direct flights to the client also overcomes this barrier.

Knowledge retention is also often considered. A cooperative client will ensure that the required knowledge is available among sufficient employees, so that in the event of temporary or permanent failure of an employee, the work can be continued seamlessly. Service contracts or knowledge transfer to the client ensure that the acquired knowledge is retained even after the end of a development process.

Finally, trust plays a major role. Unknown makes unloved. There is often doubt as to whether communication will proceed well, or whether the service provider will meet expectations. Something that even I underestimated for a long time is the role that one contact person who speaks the client’s language fluently can play.