I just received the following email:

xxxxxx <xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxx.com> wrote:
i HAVE GOOD 500+ OFFSHORE DEVLOPER IN ALL TECHNOLOGIES IN INDIA IF YOU INTERST
WITH US REPLY ME

This type of spam makes me so mad, because it is what drives the impression of outsourced web development that most people have. Would you do business with a company that sends you an email like this? Of course not. There’s clearly no reason to list everything thats wrong with it, but I will anyway:

• No acknowledgment of addressee (Hi!)
• ALL CAPS
• misspelled “DEVLOPER” & “INTERST”
• Incorrect grammar
• No website for more info
• Completely unprofessional
• Obviously SPAM

While this email makes me angry with people who try to foist outsourced development on people as if they were buying a $19 DVD Player from Wal-Mart.

But… it also makes me happy, because I know the niche that we are targeting: high-quality, high-value outsourced web development exists because companies like this created an opening for us. This is why our focus on the user experience with outsourcing is what keeps our clients happy and is the reason client references keep us growing.

So, keep it up spammy outsourcers, you’re our best marketing.

As all global IT companies Flatsourcing faces factors that used to be difficult parts, but not in modern age! For example what if your company has several offices? Our company has two major offices in New Orleans (US) and Kazan (RU), not counting cities where other friendly development and management staff members are located.

What we do to stay connected like we’re in one company? We use IMs, web-cams, desktop sharing tools and social networks a lot. It probably becomes so common where you know about your own friend more not from sitting in same office room, but through facebook, for example. So knowing each others habit, birthdays, etc. is not a problem indeed! BTW recently have created flatsourcing facebook, and so we now have a fan club!

The main thing about having multiple offices is that each office has to have core staff, somebody who’s managing it all and unites the company offices! The info on the core staff of flatsourcing company, who’s managing its all aspects has been recently updated on the flatsourcing about page.

The sweetest part about our long successful global IT company experience is that just like we unite our company’s multiple offices, we’re also able to use those techniques with our partners and clients, so that we work with them just like they are part of our team (or we are part of their team)! And we really like to work with professionals! So everybody, let’s cooperate, and benefit from globalization, outsourcing, rather than suffer from it’s high competition factors!

Well there isn’t just one. You’ll find several here. We’ve developed a model that works. It’s not a get rich quick scheme (you’ll still have to work just as hard), but we can help you improve the quantity and quality of your clients by providing them quality development.

We’re not selling a scheme or a system. We sell development. We have offices in Kazan, Russia where our team works everyday. What we offer you is information on how to work with them to improve your efficiency. You can learn more about us here. For now let me give you some tips on outsourcing:

When you move your development offices abroad, you can’t micromanage your employees because they aren’t (literally) sitting in front of you. You’re essentially creating a trade off: micromanagement for cost.

The thing is micromanagement probably took up way too much of your time anyways. Now, you have a developer somewhere else and you can’t watch his every move. So what do you do?

You learn how to communicate. At the end of the day, good communication is what will make you succeed in your development pursuits. Now that sounds oversimplified – it is.

By good communication I mean:

• Tools – Video conferencing, project management tools, VoIP, and patience and respect
• Empathy – What is your new employees schedule? Find out how best to work together. Take time to see it from your employees time zone/perspective/level of communication.
• Goal Setting – You have to create goals for yourself and your team. They can’t hit your goals unless you establish them and communicate them effectively. Most people get this most important point all wrong.
• Trust – You can’t have a good working relationship without it. Trust until it’s broken. Then find the manager and tell them about it. Just because you got burned by some developers in (country here) back in (year here), doesn’t mean its going to happen every time. We have all been there.

Stay tuned: You’ll hear more info on each of those points from me. If you want to make sure you don’t miss it, RSS our blog.

Will