Yesterday on Halloween I got a call from a potential client. He wanted me to take over a project that had been started by an outsourcing firm. He explained to me how he had asked them to build him a custom e-commerce website on the Magento Platform. Part of the customization required integration with a third party. When the programmers couldn’t get the API to work with Magento they decided to re-build the entire website in Joomla without notifying the client (after months of delays).
So the client is now asking me if I can complete the Magento project. I told him he would need to get the files and database from the outsourcing firm to which he was skeptical if that was possible.
I finally asked him if he tried getting his money back, but he had paid with a check and they felt they had no reason too refund any of his payment.
This potential client like many others I have spoken with was seduced my low prices and quick reassurances.
I hear there are good outsourcing firms, but I haven’t run into one yet. Have you had a good or bad outsourcing experience? Comment below.
I am involved in It outsourcing business, so I have heard many stories like that. The weak point of classic outsourcing is in inability of the client to control all the stages ofsoftware development plus time and culture differences. But today exist other business models that enables small and medium businesses save money and minimize their risks.for example, so-called dedicated team model (my team). But it works only for long-term projects. I am not going to describe all the details of this model. I just want to say that it enables you to outsource software developers. They will work remotely from office of outsourcing vendor and will work only under your project. I think this model would had helped your client to outsource successfully
That is a good point, many clients looking to outsource don’t realize the need for ongoing development, however I am not sure most small businesses could provide a work load to support a full-time or even part-time developer.