How to Choose the Best Offshore Software Testing Service Provider Company for QA Outsourcing

Quality assurance, software testing and test automation are often the most overlooked piece of the SDLC process. There are certain key aspects to consider before outsourcing QA and Software Testing Services to Offshore Software Testing Company. It is very important to understand how outsourcing the QA testing and test automation activities can benefit your business.

We discussed the benefits of outsourcing QA Services to a specialist Software Testing Company in our previous article. Now that we have discussed about “why a business should outsource their QA, software testing services to an offshore software testing company”, it’s time to discuss “how to select the best offshore software testing company for outsourcing quality assurance activities”.

What is Offshore Software Testing Company and Its Benefits?

Offshore software testing is a strategy where a company outsources its software testing activities to a third-party service provider located in a different country, typically in a region with lower labor costs. This practice has gained popularity due to its potential for cost savings, access to a global talent pool, and the ability to focus on core business activities.  Offshore software testing involves delegating the testing phase of software development to external organizations located in different geographical locations, often in countries with lower operational costs. These service providers specialize in various testing services, including functional testing, performance testing, security testing, and more.

Outsourcing the software testing activities to a specialized, independent testing company can prove to be a winning strategy for your business. QA outsourcing can benefit your business a lot if it is planned and executes correctly. These simple but often overlooked tips can help you in selecting the best testing company that suits your QA outsourcing needs.

But even when you’ve decided to outsource QA and software testing services, have a clear plan, and know what tests you want to performed and which tests need to be automated, the process of choosing the best offshore QA, software testing, test automation service provider partner can be daunting because many of those companies and their services sound very similar. Use this guide to choose the best offshore outsourcing software testing company who can perform offshore QA testing tasks for your project.

How To Select The Best Offshore Software Testing Company in India for Outsourcing QA Services?

This simple 5 point checklist sums up the most important things to keep in mind while shortlisting, selecting and choosing the right strategic software testing company partner who can provide you with the best possible QA, software testing outsourcing services within your budget and on time, without compromising on the quality of their service.

1. Industry Experience is Important… and So is Technical Proficiency

To maximize the ROI of your project and to maximize payback, choosing to outsource your quality assurance work to a testing company that has relevant industry experience is almost as important as their technical proficiency, ability to work with various latest technologies and tools. However, at the outset it may be difficult to judge the level of industry expertise that your testing partner may possess. Hence, clients should ensure that the software testing providers have sufficient experience working with past projects, have proper on-boarding programs and have ongoing technology training.

FURTHER READING: 5 Latest Trends to Consider When Hiring a Software Testing Company

Thus a team of QA testing professionals who truly understand how your business works not only will add tremendous value to testing, but also can help prioritize quality assurance efforts to ensure that the functionality with the highest level of business impact will get the highest testing priority.

2. Lowest Rate is NOT Equal to Lowest Total Cost of Engagement

The most common fallacy while outsourcing any sort of software service and not just QA, testing services is that, as a business you must religiously search for firms, vendors and outsourcing partners with the lowest rate cards, right? Wrong!

It is often observed that most of the testing companies offering cheapest and lowest rates for their quality assurance services are actually firms with testers who are trainees, new recruits and employees with minimal to no past experience when it came to testing and test automation.

It is easy to be tempted to select a QA testing company who is offering you a virtual army of mediocre testers for what appears like a very attractive price, but from our experience, hiring a smaller team of rock-star, award winning testers is more effective than relying on a large pool of untrained test engineers. Hence, keep this point in mind while sourcing your next offshore software testing company.

3. Does the QA Services Provider Follow a Testing Framework and Best Practices?

Always make it a practice to request a prospective software testing vendor to provide a list of unique IP, testing framework and best practices it can bring to your project. You’d want a testing company that has executed similar quality assurance projects several times before and has a mature practice at place from its years of experience and proven track record in completing projects successfully.

They should by now have a clear set of best practices, accelerators, testing methodologies, and automation tool kits. Having these assets available already will help accelerate your quality assurance efforts and thus reduce time to market.

4. Is the Software Testing Company Agile?

For several years now, the role of testing and quality assurance in agile development environments is well defined. But still there are many organizations who find it tough while integrating testing into their agile development methods.

FURTHER READING: Benefits of Outsourcing Testing, Test Automation, QA Services

This is why you must choose a testing partner that can easily fit into your existing delivery model, create and integrate a test strategy that can easily be integrated into your continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines.

5. Choosing the Right Engagement Model from the QA, Testing Company

Finally, look for testing services vendors who are flexible when it comes to engagement models. Each project is unique and hence being offered with just one or two engagement models to pick from may not be fair. Depending on the project’s size, complexity, expected duration, technology stack being used and a lot of other factors choose a QA services provider with at least 3-4 engagement models and carefully pick one that suits you best.

Benefits of Offshore Software Testing Companies in India

1. Cost Efficiency

One of the primary advantages of offshore software testing is cost savings. By outsourcing to countries with lower labor costs, companies can significantly reduce their testing expenses. This includes savings on salaries, infrastructure, and other operational costs.

2. Access to Global Talent

Offshore testing provides access to a diverse pool of skilled testers with expertise in various domains and technologies. This can enhance the quality and scope of testing, as offshore teams often bring fresh perspectives and specialized knowledge.

3. Focus on Core Activities

By outsourcing testing activities, companies can focus more on their core competencies, such as product development, marketing, and customer engagement. This can lead to improved efficiency and productivity.

4. Time Zone Advantage

Working with offshore teams in different time zones can enable round-the-clock testing and faster turnaround times. While the in-house team is off-duty, the offshore team can continue working, ensuring continuous progress.

5. Scalability

Offshore testing services offer the flexibility to scale testing efforts up or down based on project requirements. This is particularly useful for handling varying workloads and accommodating project timelines.

Challenges of Offshore Software Testing

1. Communication Barriers

Differences in language, time zones, and cultural norms can lead to communication challenges. Misunderstandings and delays in communication can affect project timelines and quality.

2. Quality Control

Ensuring consistent quality across geographically dispersed teams can be difficult. Varying standards and practices between the in-house and offshore teams may result in discrepancies in testing outcomes.

3. Security Concerns

Outsourcing testing activities can pose security risks, especially when dealing with sensitive data. Ensuring that offshore providers adhere to strict security protocols and data protection regulations is crucial.

4. Coordination and Management

Managing and coordinating offshore teams requires robust project management practices. Differences in working hours and project management methodologies can complicate the coordination process.

5. Hidden Costs

While cost savings are a significant benefit, hidden costs such as travel expenses, communication infrastructure, and training can add up, potentially offsetting the initial savings.

Best Practices for Offshore Software Testing

1. Clear Communication Channels

Establish clear and effective communication channels to bridge the gap between in-house and offshore teams. Use collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to facilitate real-time communication.

2. Detailed Documentation

Provide detailed documentation, including test plans, test cases, and requirements, to ensure that offshore teams have a clear understanding of project expectations and deliverables.

3. Robust Security Measures

Implement stringent security measures to protect sensitive data. Ensure that offshore providers comply with relevant data protection regulations and conduct regular security audits.

4. Strong Project Management

Adopt robust project management practices to coordinate activities between in-house and offshore teams. Use project management tools like Jira, Trello, or Asana to track progress and manage tasks.

5. Regular Meetings and Reviews

Conduct regular meetings and reviews to monitor progress, address issues, and ensure alignment between teams. Daily stand-ups, weekly progress meetings, and periodic performance reviews can help maintain project momentum.

6. Pilot Projects

Start with a pilot project to evaluate the capabilities and compatibility of the offshore provider. This can help identify potential issues and build a strong working relationship before scaling up.

7. Cultural Awareness

Foster cultural awareness and sensitivity to bridge cultural differences. Understanding and respecting cultural norms can improve collaboration and reduce friction.

Case Studies of Offshore Software Testing

Case Study 1: Global Retailer

A global retailer outsourced its testing activities to an offshore provider in India. By doing so, the retailer achieved a 40% reduction in testing costs and accelerated its testing cycles by leveraging the time zone difference. The offshore team provided specialized expertise in automation testing, enhancing the overall quality of the retailer’s software applications.

Case Study 2: Financial Services Firm

A financial services firm faced challenges in maintaining consistent quality across its software applications. By partnering with an offshore provider in Eastern Europe, the firm gained access to a pool of skilled testers with domain expertise in financial services. This resulted in improved testing quality and reduced time-to-market for new software releases.

Conclusion

Still undecided how to select the best offshore software testing company in India? We at CredibleSoft have an award-winning rockstar testing team who have been helping SMBs, Fortune 500 companies as well as Startups with their QA, testing and test automation needs for over a decade now. If you are a business who is looking for some serious QA testing services to be outsourced, then look no further.

Industry experience, technological proficiency, competitive rates, a mature test framework with best practices matured over years of experience with past projects, experience working with CI, CD and DevOps oriented Agile testing environments, and as many as 4 engagement models to choose from — we have got all the bases covered for you. So what are you waiting for? Use this form to request an estimation and we’ll prepare and share the same with you free of cost.