'Being competitive is the key ingredient'

Why did you choose India to outsource this project?

We evaluated several options for this project, including doing it in-house, in-sourcing, buying a product in the market and outsourcing. Of all these options, the benefit of leveraging on the flexibility of a large skilled resource pool and taking into account the overall cost including the cost of ownership, tilted the decision towards outsourcing the project to a company that has a presence in the US and has an offshore development center. For offshore development, India is anyways an obvious choice owing to operational compatibility and the IT talent pool.

In what ways did outsourcing work to India help you?

Primarily, cost and additionally outsourcing to India helped us concentrate on our core competencies, which is not software development.

How did outsourcing to India help you in cost saving?

By at least 35%. It is even more than 35% had it been buying a product, customizing it and the cost of ownership. 

What was your experience and comfort level in interacting with an Indian company?

I must rate it as excellent and easy to work with, especially when they front-ended in the US.

What were the key SLA parameters you were looking at in the agreement?

Phased delivery turnaround time.

What problems did you face in doing business with India?

Culturally, they seem to be very accommodative and less affected by the fear of adversity in relationships. It’s a matter of time before both the sides understand each
other.

Giving the current backlash against outsourcing, how do you think it would affect your future decisions on outsourcing work?

The need to secure an effective business system at an affordable cost is the primary driving force. Being competitive in the world market is the key ingredient. Countries must be flexible to meet the challenges from abroad.