According to research by Manpower Group, IT roles are the sixth most in demand in the world: six in ten CIOs report a shortage in technology skills. There might be a skills shortage, but if a company successfully outsources, it can help close this skills gap.

Outsourcing isn’t just about finding the appropriate talent for an organisation: if you want to have a successful IT project, it’s about building a relationship between the in-house team and the outsourcing company. When outsourcing crucial aspects of your business, it’s vital to develop a strong line of communication with your outsourcing company to ensure everything runs smoothly. Communication is key in outsourcing, but unintentional miscommunication can sometimes arise.

From language barriers to cultural differences, working with a company unlike your own can be difficult. However, organisations can minimise miscommunication by shrinking the cultural gap through nearshoring. Location is not always the top priority when organisations look to outsource, as cost and project offerings take precedence. Although, when developing effective communication with the outsourcing company, location is critical.

Nearshoring to a company located within in a nearby region to your headquarters avoids a problematic and disparate relationship. In our increasingly digital world, proximity isn’t often thought of as an issue as technology makes global communication easier than it ever was—but it can’t solve every problem.

So, how can you improve communication with when outsourcing?Poland’s Gliwice emerges as hotspot for software development outsourcing

Information Age recently visited Gliwice in Poland to learn about how the area’s proximity to western capitals, large talent pool, and lower costs of labour has made it a hotbed for tech innovation. We also visited Future Processing, to look at how they’ve emerged as one of the regions leading software development outsourcing firms.

Close and personal

No amount of digitalisation can change time differences around the world. If the outsourcing company is in the same or similar time zone, working hours will be similar, and it will be much easier to secure weekly meetings within office hours. In addition, the two companies will be able to arrange last minute calls should something go wrong and when time is of the essence.

When it comes to direct communication between the two companies, discussions and communications can often be slow. Yet, when nearshoring, the outsourced team and the client are able to travel to each other’s offices for face to face meetings when necessary with ease.

It’s also important to remember that, despite the overall efficiency of digital communication today, it is very important to meet face-to-face. In this case, if the two organisations aren’t in close proximity, the time spent travelling long distances will increase costs and take up valuable project time.

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Cultural Understanding

Beyond direct communication, cultural factors can also affect the relationship. Understanding cultural etiquette is always important as understanding each other on a non-verbal level as well as understanding how each company works results in a more wholly efficient relationship. An awareness of cultural traditions allows for advance preparation and minimises possible delays.

Additionally, in countries that share similar cultures, national holidays are more likely to fall on similar days or, at least, the two companies will be more aware of upcoming days which the offices will be shut. If a crucial deadline is fast approaching, the last thing you want is an unforeseen holiday halting work and delaying the project.

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The New Outsourcing / Nearshoring Relationship

The relationship between outsourcing teams and the customer organisation is no longer one way as it has moved from simple compliance towards the outsourcing company providing advice. Rather than a disparate relationship, held back by limited communication, nearshoring can lead to the most efficient outsourcing relationship possible with a two-way and mutually beneficial understanding between the companies.

If outsourcing is about increasing efficiency for the organisation, then these often-overlooked benefits of nearshoring could make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful IT project.

Written by Jarosław Czaja, CEO of Future Processing.