Smart-Shoring. So, what if we told you that you can get the same or better service, with more flexibility and less cost? Would you be interested? It’s a no-brainer, right?
Let’s cut right to the chase: if we could guarantee the above then customers would be lining up around the block. But business is all about trust, how do you create trust – especially in new business relationships. Many people also have misconceptions or have been burned by disreputable players when it comes to external software delivery, and non-local models.
With 14 years of experience in the IT consulting industry delivering agile software development teams, Polar Cape is a credible source when it comes to successful working models. We can confidently say the following: there is no such thing as a One-Size-Fits-All solution. Surprised? Probably not.
What Does This Mean for Our Approach to Client Partnerships?
We call it Smart-Shoring. We achieve it by using our years of experience, best practices, and close client relationships to design the best solution depending on client needs. Is time to market a priority? Or is it continuity and stability? How mature are the business stakeholders in working with agile processes or software deliveries? Is value for money important? What about finding the right resources in a given timeframe? Are there long-term team considerations? There are many factors to consider, and the more we learn, the better the approach we can propose.
Smart-Shoring is based on the idea that there is no right answer, but flexibility is always an advantage. If you can deliver great competence from 7 different locations, then you have options. And options are never bad.
Having a serious number of international reference cases under our belt gives us the confidence that we can recommend the smartest setup given specific needs. We are offering a partnership that will take away some of the financial, process, and mental overhead that will allow you to focus on your business.
So, back to trust. How do we get new clients to trust us. Our experience tells us that people trust who they know. They trust their peers in the industry. The next best thing is real customer testimonials addressing the potential concerns they may have. Often these concerns stem from misconceptions.
Let’s look at what some of our customers have said about us in the context of some of the popular misconceptions about external software delivery.
Misconception 1: External resources will lower the quality of our product
Quality is everything in software delivery. That is why it’s built into every step of our process from recruitment, to resource matching, to onboarding, and client feedback loops. In 2023 we interviewed Natasja Geigert, who was at the time Product Owner at P.F.C. If you think that a Polar Cape team won’t get the work done to a high level of quality, this should make you think again. According to Natasja, for P.F.C., the ability to have more engineers working together has greatly improved their product. Their team has become more diverse, in different ways. As Natasja describes it, this is the best experience she’s had working with a remote team that is not always in the same room.
To sum up, working with our agile teams has given this client the flexibility to increase the quality of their product while being able to manage costs.
Misconception 2: External talent will have difficulty understanding our business
At Polar Cape we believe that a modern software developer needs to care about the business, and understand it to deliver the best technical solution. “They are professionals with a business mindset, which is an asset to us,” says Magnus Hansson, Founder at BizLab Analytics. “They make it possible for us to quickly find and add the resources we need to solve our challenges. This allows us to be more flexible, since we can easily switch Consultants, based on the talent we need. I can only give my warmest recommendations.”
Misconception 3: A partner won’t feel ownership of our product
Pride in what we do – that’s what we call it. It does not matter who owns the IP – our teams want to do the best possible job and they are passionate about it. That’s job satisfaction.
The countless references in our portfolio speak volumes about how invested our consultants have been in our client’s projects. To read how we have helped improve our clients’ solutions you can read our reference cases about incorporating newer technologies, helping with digitalisation, and being an overall digital partner throughout a client’s journey.
Misconception 4: Outsourced IT talent won’t feel and act the same as ‘real’ colleagues
In December 2022, we performed an interview with then Chief Technology Officer at MedUniverse, Adrian Lozano. “Polar Cape consultants feel like they are a part of our company,” he said. In his interview he goes on to explain how he likes how Polar Cape consultants have blended in with the MedUniverse team, both in terms of work ethic, as well as company culture. According to him, Polar Cape consultants have the required skillset, but also just the right personality and attitude towards their work. Daily calls and team building events between the two companies help share the mutual corporate values, mission, and vision. For his full testimonial, see article here.
Smart-Shoring: The Best of All Worlds
As opposed to offshoring or near-shoring, where location and a one-size-fits-all approach are predetermined – our SMART-shoring business model is a combination of consultants from different locations based on the actual business priorities of the client. Great delivery, solutions and collaborations are what count – location is just a part of the equation. Our SMART-shoring model offers high flexibility with consultants that may be available on-site at the client location, who can be perfectly teamed up with our nearshore agile teams. This strategic business move could help you build efficient teams and maintain quality while reducing production costs. Our offer also adds flexibility in terms of wide talent range: in terms of seniority and in terms of tech stack. We can factor in those priorities that are most important to you: time, quality, cost, in-house competence, and so on.
Interested to hear more? Get in touch!
