Software agencies must be able to grow and scale as needed, which they can achieve with the help of nearshore staff augmentation in many cases. Nearshore augmentation enables these businesses to design and develop consistently top-quality software while keeping up with increasing demand. If you require assistance that will facilitate long-term growth with minimal risk, you may benefit from nearshore outsourcing. 

Shortage of Dependable Talent

The software industry has suffered from a severe staff shortage. So software agencies and other businesses need to get innovative when it comes to IT staffing. This shortage is likely to continue for several years, with recent statistics showing that around 40 million technical jobs remain unfulfilled because of insufficient skilled talent. Additionally, the U.S. Labor Department predicts that the international shortage of software engineers could reach a staggering 85.2 million by 2030.

While the industry is struggling due to a lack of developers and other staff, nearshore staff augmentation is a viable solution for software agencies. With the help of the right nearshore outsourcing solution, you’ll be able to find the staff you need to gain a competitive edge and grow your business.

Why Nearshore Staff Augmentation Is One of Your Best Options

Video meeting between in-house and nearshore teams

Nearshore staff augmentation entails hiring international IT staff through outsourcing. Specifically, you’re hiring individuals who are in the same geographical region as the hiring company. Through nearshore outsourcing, you may hire a variety of IT staff, including developers, engineers, and product managers, among others. At the same time, you’ll be able to hire them in countries that are closer and more culturally similar to North American countries than you would get with offshore outsourcing.

Offshore staff augmentation differs from nearshore staff augmentation in a few key ways. First, the region where you hire is considerably different. Offshore outsourcing involves countries like Ukraine, Russia, India, and other faraway nations. Meanwhile, nearshore outsourcing involves hiring individuals in Latin American countries on the same side of the world, including countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, and Mexico. Although offshore staff augmentation is often cheaper, you won’t get the kinds of benefits you would see with nearshore outsourcing.

If you’re experiencing a staff shortage and need more experienced and talented professionals to grow and support your agency, nearshore staff augmentation is potentially the best solution. You may also want to consider nearshore augmentation if:

  • You’re struggling to compete with larger and more established brands, or
  • You’re unable to find talent through internal recruitment efforts.

The following are some of the specific benefits that make nearshore staff augmentation one of the most reliable options for many software agencies:

Overcome the Challenge of Staff Shortages

As mentioned, staff shortages are among the biggest problems in the software industry today. You may have an in-house team that can help you design and develop software solutions. But you may also benefit from additional staff to provide more support. For instance, a specific project may require skill sets that your current team doesn’t possess, in which case it may be difficult to find suitable in-house talent in time to meet the project deadline.

Nearshore outsourcing will enable you to connect with the professionals you need when you need them. Instead of replacing existing staff, they’ll be able to complement your teams and lend their support to specific projects. This will help you retain satisfied in-house teams while giving them much-needed support.

A reliable nearshore staff augmentation company will connect you with professionals who work diligently to understand your unique needs and meet those needs with their skill sets. Subsequently, you’ll benefit from more collaboration across teams.

Cost-Effective Operations

You’ll be able to save more money when hiring nearshore outsourced staff than you would when relying on in-house teams alone. Hiring staff in Latin American countries may not be quite as cost-effective as hiring offshore, but it’s still considerably more inexpensive than hiring in-house staff. 

What makes nearshore outsourcing less expensive is primarily the elimination of the need to pay a full-time salary. Additionally, you won’t need as many full-time employees, which will naturally cut down on hiring costs for this staff. You’ll also be able to bypass benefits such as health insurance and other perks that you would ordinarily need to pay for to cover in-house staff. 

Hiring nearshore staff will also help you save more money by increasing operational efficiency and optimizing workflows, saving more time and energy on various processes. This translates to lower costs. 

Connect With the Best Talent

When you turn to the right nearshore staff augmentation company, you’ll be able to hire some of the best IT staff available in Latin America. These professionals will have the expertise and qualifications needed to assist with software design, development, and more. You’ll never need to worry about working with inexperienced and undertrained employees who might otherwise compromise your products and operations. In the process, you’ll be able to cut down on costs without compromising the quality of your offerings.

Connecting with reliable staff in Latin American countries will be essential if your current teams lack the skill sets needed for one or more projects. You’ll be able to work with experts with the resources and knowledge to help your business thrive in the long term.

Optimize Communications

Another advantage of nearshore outsourcing for software agencies is improved communication over other outsourcing opportunities. If you opt to engage in offshore staff augmentation, you’re less likely to be able to communicate with the effectiveness and efficiency you need. This could be due to a combination of different time zones and language barriers.

Offshore solutions would require more advanced scheduling to ensure everyone’s on the same page. You would also need to make sure you’re able to communicate ideas with consistent accuracy. This could bog down your operations and projects, culminating in a headache you can avoid altogether with nearshore outsourcing.

Unlike offshore countries, nearshore nations such as Brazil and Mexico operate in similar time zones to North America. This helps keep everyone on the same or a similar schedule to align operations. You’ll be able to communicate in real time with staff in these countries. As a result, you’ll more effectively ensure that tasks are completed by the time you need them.

In addition, citizens of Latin American countries tend to learn English at a young age in school; this isn’t as common in offshore countries. They learn this language in line with languages like Spanish and Portuguese; this eliminates a language barrier that could otherwise hold you back. 

Improved communication will help you minimize the risk of errors and miscommunications that might hurt your projects. Good communication will also save more time on both sides and help maintain consistent efficiency with every project.

Launch New Products Sooner

The increased operational efficiency and dependability that come with nearshore staff augmentation also allow for a faster time to market with every product. This means that you’ll be able to complete projects sooner and launch them in time to stay competitive. In addition to this faster time to market, you’ll be able to maintain quality across your products. This prevents any drop in quality that you might otherwise risk with increased efficiency.

Benefit From Cultural Similarities

When connecting with outsourced staff in Latin American countries, you also benefit from shared cultures that are more similar in their values. Offshore countries can vary dramatically in their cultures. But Mexico and other nearshore countries come from a similar background to North American nations. The indigenous and settled cultures in these countries share various values regarding work ethic and an emphasis on teamwork and collaboration.

Over the centuries, the shared cultures have contributed to each other and kept these countries more culturally aligned. There are certain differences between these cultures to consider, of course, but their similarities are likely to keep you and your outsourced teams on the same page more effectively.

Access the Resources You Require as Needed

Even if you have the staff you need to complete various projects and ensure you adhere to the timelines in place, you may need extra resources to help you succeed with them. Software agencies may lack specific tools that they need but don’t want to procure these solutions at a higher price. To give your teams what they need to complete each project, nearshore experts may have the tools to get the job done right.

A good nearshore outsourcing company will be able to help you find nearshore experts who have the tools you need as soon as you need them. In turn, you can save more time and money on hardware and software purchases and setup.

How Can You Start Using Nearshore Staff Augmentation?

Depending on your business’s specific needs, you can benefit from nearshore staff augmentation in several ways. These include:

Complementing In-House Teams

If you have staff who are valuable contributors to an in-house team, you may simply need some support for them. For example, you may need to develop a certain type of software solution that requires a specific skill that your current team doesn’t possess. Another project may require a resource that you don’t have, such as a critical tool that you can’t currently access. 

In any of these cases, you may benefit from nearshore outsourcing as a means of support for your in-house employees. You’ll be able to complete projects as needed with ample resources. Simultaneously, you’ll save more time and money with the help of outsourced support. 

Putting Together a Team of Dedicated IT Staff

In some cases, you may require nearshore outsourcing to fill the gaps in your teams. For example, you may not have enough in-house staff or need a team dedicated to a particular project. In any case, the right nearshore outsourcing company can help put together a dedicated team of outsourced experts. These professionals will learn the ins and outs of your business and maintain flexibility with every project.

You’ll also be able to maintain good communication with these experts and ensure that they collaborate cohesively with your in-house staff. The ideal company will also thoroughly vet each outsourced expert to confirm that they have what you need.

ParallelStaff Can Help You Start Using Nearshore Staff Augmentation

In-house software team assessing the advantages of nearshore staff augmentation

If you’re in need of dependable nearshore staff augmentation, ParallelStaff can connect you with the experts you need based on your unique requirements. 

At ParallelStaff, you’ll experience a variety of benefits with our services, including:

Faster Turnaround

Submit a detailed job description, which we will then use as a guideline to connect you with the talent you need, often within ten days.

Reduce the Cost of Recruiting

We hand-pick talented experts to help our clients’ teams based on their needs. This enables you to get the help you need without the added expense of recruiting services and ad placement.

Integrate Staff and Resources Seamlessly

When onboarding new staff or resources, the process will be consistently efficient. Outsourced staff will understand your needs and work to fill the gaps in your current teams and resources.

Get Rid of Hiring and Overhead Expenses

Nearshore talent will also help you save more money on hiring and overhead as you no longer need to cover the costs of in-house employees. You won’t need to pay for a full-time salary, benefits, and other costs that may otherwise hurt your bottom line.

Benefit From Dedicated Account Managers

Additionally, you’ll find dedicated account management with ParallelStaff. Your designated account manager will keep you in contact with us at all times and help meet your needs. Each account manager is an expert who can:

  • Answer questions
  • Learn about your business’s needs
  • Assist with finding the right talent and resources

With ParallelStaff by your side, you’ll benefit from a nearshore outsourcing company that can help your business get ahead. We do so by providing a simple process that entails submitting a job description, interviewing viable recruits, and choosing and onboarding new talent.

If you would like to get started with nearshore staff augmentation with the help of ParallelStaff, contact us today to find the right solution for you.

Mike Hernandez