When you find a solid partner for any part of your business, you are automatically set up to be more successful. Working in a barrier free environment requires intelligence, expertise and of course, communication.
The problem is, we often just settle into our partnerships and it’s not until issues are large, frequent and at the tipping point that we start to reconsider our partnerships. If you’re currently fielding issues on every development job or are growing across platforms that your outsourcers can’t keep up with it might be time to make a switch.
If you’re considering switching your outsourcers here are a couple things to consider.
What is the biggest problem with your current outsourced web development partner?
When you get to the route of the issue you can start to solve it or at least do due diligence when interviewing your next team. If your issue is deadlines, when interviewing potential partners ask about their process and how they quote out jobs. Ask if they have extra resources to hop in when a job is behind? Come armed with questions that can help you ensure that your major issues will be solved or at least handled better.
Are you looking to expand your agency’s technical capacity?
You may choose to work in one or two web platforms, but the web is changing and it’s not uncommon to want to expand the services you offer. If you have businesses knocking at the door of your agency but ultimately not going with your team because of technical capacity, you don’t have to lose out. Look for outsourced developers that offer more than just one or two areas of development. This is why development agencies are a good choice, often they have a number of experts across a number of platforms. This sort of knowledge means that your agency has the resources to take on more types of jobs.
Questions to ask during interviews
Finding the right outsource developer does require experimentation, it will be easier to vet candidates though if you ask the right questions. We have compiled a couple lists of great questions marketing agencies should ask developers here and here. Another suggestions we have is do a trial run. Pick a small, yet technical project and feel out what it like to work with a new outsourcer.
