Offshore Salesforce Development: Full Guide & Best Practices
June 6, 2024
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Salesforce development projects are notoriously expensive, especially when engaging with a consulting firm.
The average cost of a Salesforce implementation alone can range from $75,000 to $150,000 for large businesses. Customization, ongoing support, licenses, and training can potentially add another $100,000+ to that bill.
Given these high costs, it's understandable why many companies are exploring offshore Salesforce development as a cost-effective alternative.
In this FoundHQ guide, we’ll help you decide if offshore Salesforce development is right for you.
Let’s dive in.
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What Is Offshore Salesforce Development?
Offshore Salesforce development is a form of outsourcing where you delegate some or all aspects of a Salesforce project to a developer, team of developers, or a firm based in a different country from your business.
This approach is often chosen for a couple of reasons:
Access to a larger talent pool: Some Offshore locations (such as India, Ukraine, and Pakistan) often have a deeper well of Salesforce expertise, allowing you to tap into a wider range of skills and experiences.
Cost savings: Countries with lower labor costs can provide the same development expertise at a reduced price.
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However, finding a reliable offshore Salesforce developer can be tricky if you don’t know where to look for talent. At FoundHQ, we use our global network of 3,000+ Salesforce consultants to match businesses with the perfect fit for their projects—no manual searching required.
All our Salesforce consultants work remotely and are highly skilled professionals. We make it easy to put together a distributed team.
Factors to Consider When Offshoring Salesforce Development Work
Moving beyond the basics, it's important to consider various factors that could impact the success of your Salesforce development project, including:
Cost-effectiveness: Depending on where you’re located, offshore development may offer huge cost savings (more on that later). However, as with anything, you need to balance savings with long-term value. Salesforce can generate massive ROIs when implemented well. But a poorly implemented system could lead to increased costs over time. You need an experienced partner to make sure you're getting a great deal without sacrificing quality.
Data security & compliance: Data security regulations vary quite a bit internationally. If your company is under the jurisdiction of regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, or CCPA, you need to make sure you’re not becoming non-compliant by working with a specific offshore Salesforce developer or firm.
Technical expertise and certifications: The level of technical expertise in Salesforce technologies is crucial. Ensure that the offshore team has certified developers who are up-to-date with the latest Salesforce features and best practices. Certifications like Salesforce Certified Developer or Salesforce Certified Architect indicate that the team has a strong understanding of the platform.
Language & communication: Salesforce development requires a steady, two-way flow of information between the developers and the organization. With offshore Salesforce development, that means working out communication strategies to overcome distance, time zones, and language barriers.
Offshoring experience: The experience of your offshore partner in managing outsourced projects can greatly influence the project's success. Companies new to offshoring might face challenges such as miscommunication or misunderstanding of project goals. Working with an experienced offshore firm can smooth out many bumps. These firms know how to handle the typical offshoring problems, like delays or misunderstandings.
Scalability and flexibility: Consider how well the offshore team can scale up or down based on your project needs. Sometimes, project scopes change, and you might need more resources quickly. A flexible and scalable offshore partner can adjust resources without disrupting the project's progress.
Cost of Hiring An Offshore Salesforce Development Team
The cost of hiring an offshore Salesforce development team can vary quite a bit depending on many factors. The primary factor influencing this cost is ‘location’.
To illustrate, let's look at the average hourly rates for Salesforce development across various countries.
Offshore Salesforce development in the USA is the most expensive. By contrast, countries like India, the Philippines, or Ukraine offer significantly lower rates due to their economic structures and cost of living.
There’s a major financial incentive for businesses to seek out comparatively cheaper offshore destinations when they need development work done.
However, location isn't the only aspect that affects cost. There are plenty of other things that can drive your costs up (or down), including:
Project scope & complexity: Large-scale, complicated projects will be more expensive than small, simple ones no matter where you are in the world.
Availability of talent: Highly-skilled professionals command higher rates than those with less experience.
Development methodology: Agile and other advanced processes cost more than traditional waterfall approach.
Local labor laws & taxes: Payroll costs vary from country to country due to different labor regulations and taxes.
Benefits of Offshore Salesforce Development
Offshore Salesforce development offers several compelling advantages for businesses looking to optimize their CRM strategies.
Here are some of the key benefits:
Lower Salesforce Development Costs
Depending on your location and the specific nature of the development work required, working with offshore developers can reduce development costs by up to 90%..
This dramatic decrease is largely due to the lower hourly rates available in countries with lower living costs than the United States or Western Europe.
Access to Global Talent and Expertise
Offshoring opens the door to a vast pool of skilled professionals worldwide. This global network can be especially beneficial for finding specialized skills that are scarce or expensive in the domestic market.
Without geographical limitations, companies can access experts in:
Salesforce customization
Integration
advanced analytics
Greater Focus on Core Competencies
When you hand off Salesforce development responsibilities to an offshore partner, you free yourself up to focus on core business functions—marketing, customer relations, product development, whatever they may be.
Increased Flexibility
Offshore teams provide scalability that adapts to your project’s needs. For instance, if a project ramps up, adding more developers temporarily is easier with an offshore team that can scale quickly.
Innovation Boost
Working with a diverse set of minds can spark innovation. Offshore Salesforce engineers bring different perspectives that can lead to creative solutions, enhancing your Salesforce setup. For example, an offshore team might propose an integration that hadn’t been considered but proved highly beneficial.
Key Considerations When Choosing Offshore Salesforce Development
It's critical to focus on a few essential considerations that can make or break the success of your offshore Salesforce development project.
Assessing Technical Expertise and Resources
Start by checking the technical skills and resources of the offshore team. It’s important they have a solid background in Salesforce projects, which you can gauge from their previous work and the qualifications of their team members.
Also, make sure they have enough people and the right tech to handle your project’s needs. This helps prevent any delays or issues with the quality of work because you've confirmed they can handle the job from the start.
Understanding Cultural and Communication Factors
Cultural and communication differences can affect how smoothly your project will run. Choose a partner who matches your team's culture well and has strong communication skills.
Look at language skills, how well they handle different time zones, and their style of working. It's key to set up clear ways of communicating immediately—like regular meetings and updates—to keep everyone on the same page and working well together.
Data Security and Compliance Standards
Keeping your data safe is non-negotiable. Make sure the offshore team follows strict security measures and meets any legal standards relevant to your business, like GDPR for data protection or HIPAA for healthcare information. Ask them to show you how they protect data and check if they have the necessary security certifications. Also, get everything in writing about how they will handle your data, including what they’ll do if there's a security breach.
Challenges of Offshore Salesforce Development and How to Avoid Them
Quality Concerns & Lack of Control
Working with offshore Salesforce development teams inherently means sacrificing a bit of control and visibility.This isn’t always such a bad thing (I’m looking at you micromanagers), but it can easily lead to issues. For example, when delays happen, you’ll usually lack the project visibility to confirm or dispute the line your offshore team is feeding you.
Managing Quality Control of OffShore Salesforce Development
Only work with Salesforce partners you trust. If you don’t trust that your offshore partner is working hard, being honest, delivering quality work, and doing everything they can to stay on schedule, you’re going to run into issues.
Cultural Differences
Cultural differences in areas like working culture, language, time zones, and holidays can occasionally lead to challenges when working with offshore developers.
To give an example, there are huge differences between what constitutes an average work week in South Korea (40.63 hours), the U.S. (34.21 hours), and Germany (26.37 hours). Not understanding this going into a project can lead to problems with scheduling, communication, and expectations.
Effective Practices for Cross-Cultural Management
To handle this, focus on what needs to be done rather than how many hours people work. Set clear, mutually agreed-upon goals for deliverables. That way, everyone is clear on what they need to achieve. This allows everyone to work according to their own schedule while setting the stage for accountability if things fall through the cracks.
Communication Bottlenecks
Language barriers and time zones can exacerbate the communication bottlenecks that already impact distributed teams.
Tools and Techniques for Smooth Communication
Use language competency as one of your screening criteria when hiring offshore developers. Also, bridge the time zone gap by relying on asynchronous communication tools like Slack, Asana, and Zoom.
Who is FoundHQ?
Learn more about how FoundHQ matches you to the exact Salesforce Consultant or team you need to get work done.
Who Should Consider Offshore Salesforce Development?
Any business can benefit from the affordability and flexibility of offshore Salesforce development. That said, certain businesses may benefit more—namely:
The reason is simple—cost. Established mid-market and enterprise businesses generally have bigger development budgets that can splurge on high-quality, in-house developers or elite consulting firms.
Leaner operations will generally need to be more creative. Luckily, platforms like FoundHQ make those same high-level developers accessible to any business.
Here are some more scenarios where considering offshore Salesforce development could be beneficial:
Companies needing specialized skills: Useful for accessing niche Salesforce expertise that’s scarce or costly locally.
Fast-growing businesses: Provides scalable solutions that can quickly adapt to changing business needs.
Enterprises with continuous development needs: Ensures continuous support and development without overburdening in-house teams.
Organizations facing tight deadlines: Enables around-the-clock work by leveraging time zone differences, speeding up project completion.
Selecting the Right Offshore Salesforce Partner
The partner you choose will affect the quality of the delivered solution and your overall project timeline and budget. A good match can enhance your capabilities and provide substantial long-term value. A poor choice can lead to delays, increased costs, and frustration.
Criteria to Evaluate Potential Salesforce Partners
Experience with similar projects, as demonstrated by a portfolio of successful implementations
Client testimonials and references to gauge satisfaction and reliability
Technical certifications and skills in Salesforce and related technologies
Communication effectiveness, including language proficiency and responsiveness
Project management methodologies to ensure they align with your expectations
Data security measures and compliance with international standards
Cultural compatibility to facilitate smoother collaboration
Scalability of resources to meet project demands
Financial stability to ensure they can sustain long-term projects
Location advantages, considering time zones and potential logistical benefits
How to Find and Secure the Best Offshore Salesforce Development Team
When you're selecting a platform to hire an offshore Salesforce development team, several things can go wrong if the choice isn't right.
A reliable platform typically offers access to a vast, well-vetted talent pool, which means you're more likely to quickly find a developer or team that fits your project's specific needs. Good platforms also provide tools and features that enhance communication and project management.
Here are some options you can try:
Finding Offshore Salesforce Professionals Through FoundHQ
Looking for the right team for your Salesforce project? FoundHQ might just be what you need.
Here’s why FoundHQ is a great choice:
Tailored Matches Based on Experience
FoundHQ helps you find Salesforce pros who have worked on projects like yours. This means the freelancers you meet aren’t just skilled—they know exactly what you need because they’ve done it before.
Streamlined and Risk-Free Process
Worried about picking the wrong person? With FoundHQ, you can meet consultants before you decide to hire them. You can talk to them first, see if they fit your project, and feel sure about your choice. It’s like getting to know them before making big decisions, which helps avoid mix-ups.
Access to a Pre-Vetted Pool
Imagine choosing from over 3,000 Salesforce experts. Sounds overwhelming, right? But don’t worry—all of these consultants have already been checked out by FoundHQ. This means you save time and are more likely to find someone who quickly matches your project’s needs.
Pricing Transparency
No hidden fees here! FoundHQ shows all the costs upfront so you can plan your budget without any surprises. It helps manage your money and keeps things clear from the start.
If you’re happy with a candidate you can opt to hire. We’ll handle all the boring admin stuff like:
Contracts
Payroll and taxes
Insurance & compliance
All you need to do is schedule hours—no commitments, no unexpected fees, and no rigid SOWs.
When searching for Salesforce professionals through the Salesforce website, you can use several helpful filters to narrow down your options and find the right fit for your project needs. Here are some of the filters you can use:
Education: This filter allows you to select consultants based on their educational background, which can be useful if you're looking for someone with specific academic credentials.
Managed services: This filter helps you find firms or individuals who offer managed services, which include ongoing management and support of Salesforce environments.
Location: You can choose consultants based on their geographical location. For example, if you are looking for professionals in the United Kingdom, this filter will enable you to focus only on those available in that area.
Salesforce practice size: This filter lets you select the size of the Salesforce practice within a consulting firm, such as 21-100 or 101-200 consultants. This is beneficial if you're looking for a partner with a certain scale of operations or team size to handle your project.
However, going through these directories can sometimes be overwhelming due to the sheer number of listings. It can be challenging to determine the quality and reliability of each partner just from their directory profile.
Using Offshore Salesforce Development Companies
Working with offshore Salesforce development companies is a common approach for businesses looking to outsource their Salesforce projects. These companies often provide full services, including initial consultation, development, ongoing support, and maintenance.
Aside from Googling “Salesforce developer in [country]”, you can use business directories to quickly narrow down your search—resources like:
You have a ton of filters to work with, so it’s easy to find offshore firms within your search areas.
However, there are some downsides to consider. When you use a development company, it might be hard to change your team size quickly based on your project needs. The teams are set, which might not match perfectly with what your project requires. Also, communication can be slower if the company is large and the teams are in different places.
Additionally, while these companies might offer good rates, the total cost could still be higher than hiring freelancers directly.
Freelance Marketplaces
Freelance marketplaces such as Fiverr and Upwork are another option for finding Salesforce professionals for your projects. These platforms host various freelancers worldwide, offering different levels of expertise and rates.
The quality of freelancers can vary significantly, and it often requires a lot of time to sift through profiles and reviews to find the right match. There's also a higher risk of encountering freelancers who may not deliver as promised due to less stringent vetting processes compared to more curated platforms. Additionally, managing freelancers from these marketplaces can demand more oversight and coordination effort, as you're dealing with individuals rather than a team that's managed by a single company.
In contrast, FoundHQ specializes in matching businesses with Salesforce professionals who have directly relevant experience and proven track records. It can significantly reduce the risk of mismatches and ensure that the freelancers are well-prepared to handle the specific needs of your Salesforce project.
Types of Salesforce Projects Suitable for Offshore Development
Outsourcing Salesforce projects to offshore teams can be a smart move for many businesses. From customization and integration to app development and support, offshore teams can help you get the most out of your Salesforce investment. Let's explore the different types of Salesforce projects that are well-suited for offshore development and how they can benefit your business.
Offshore Salesforce Customization and Configuration
An offshore team can handle customizing and configuring Salesforce to fit your business processes.
For example, a mid-sized retail company may need custom workflows and automated processes within Salesforce. They can partner with an offshore team to customize their Salesforce environment, help streamline their operations, and improve customer service.
Integration with Other Systems
Offshore teams can expertly manage the integration of Salesforce with other systems like ERP, marketing automation, and customer support platforms.
Imagine a manufacturing firm that wants Salesforce to sync with its ERP system. The offshore team can develop a seamless integration. It enables real-time data exchange between the systems, which improves efficiency and reduces manual data entry.
Offshore Development of Salesforce Apps
Developing custom Salesforce apps can be cost-effective when outsourced. Offshore developers can build applications using Apex and Visualforce that extend Salesforce's functionality. These apps can streamline operations, improve data accuracy, and enhance customer service.
For example, if your field service team needs a custom app to manage on-site visits, an offshore team can create a mobile solution that integrates with Salesforce’s Field Service Lightning.
Here are some more examples:
Custom field service management app
Inventory tracking and management tool
Sales performance analytics dashboard
Automated customer feedback system
Employee onboarding workflow app
Offshore Salesforce Implementation and Migration Projects
Offshore teams are well-equipped to handle Salesforce implementation and migration projects. They can help you move from legacy systems to Salesforce.
If you’re migrating from an old CRM system, an offshore team can handle data cleansing, mapping, and migration, ensuring a smooth transition. They can also provide training and Salesforce offshore support to ensure your team is comfortable with the new system.
Offshore Salesforce Commerce Cloud Development
Offshore Salesforce Commerce Cloud partners help set up online stores, integrate payment gateways, and optimize the user experience.
Offshore development teams can design a seamless shopping experience that integrates with your existing inventory system. They can also implement personalized marketing campaigns using Commerce Cloud’s built-in tools, driving higher conversion rates.
Offshore Salesforce Support Services and Maintenance
Ongoing support and maintenance of your Salesforce environment can be effectively managed by an offshore team. They can handle routine updates, troubleshoot issues, and ensure your system runs smoothly without requiring an in-house team. For example, an offshore support team can monitor system performance, apply necessary updates, and provide user support, freeing your internal team to focus on strategic initiatives. They can also proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact your business, ensuring uninterrupted service.
Success Story: How ACV Auctions Hired Offshore Salesforce Developers Through FoundHQ
ACV Auctions is a leading online car auction company that connects buyers and sellers, founded in 2014. They provide an efficient, transparent, comprehensive platform for car dealerships to buy and sell vehicles.
Salesforce plays a vital role in their core product offering. ACV uses Salesforce products such as Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Multiple Communities, Field Service Lightning, and Lightning Web Components (LWC).
Offshore Salesforce Development Needs
They needed to rapidly scale their 6-7-person Salesforce development team, as they couldn't handle the influx of requests and needed to double or triple their headcount immediately. Because ACV was nearing its IPO, cost management was crucial, so they aimed to leverage nearshore and offshore Salesforce developers.
ACV Auctions required developers who were skilled in Salesforce and experienced in the automotive sector.
Matching With Offshore Salesforce Partners
FoundHQ’s partnership with ACV began in late 2021 with an urgent need to replace a Senior Salesforce Engineer during a critical phase of their Service Cloud and Telephony go-live.
Given ACV's need for speed, we outlined the specific headcount they planned to hire, an hourly budget for each contractor, and a realistic timeline for onboarding.
Within 48 hours of our kickoff call, FoundHQ presented a shortlist of three Senior Salesforce Engineers for a full-time, six-month project. ACV interviewed two candidates and onboarded their top choice within five days.
The partnership offered several benefits:
Streamlined Operations: The new Salesforce solutions allowed for better tracking of customer interactions and streamlined vehicle auctions.
Efficient Transaction Handling: With improved systems, ACV Auctions managed high volumes of transactions more efficiently.
Increased Customer Satisfaction: The enhancements led to smoother customer experiences and higher satisfaction rates.
ACV didn't commit to a minimum project duration or upfront payments. FoundHQ onboards all contractors and sends a single invoice for hours billed at the end of each month. Companies can cancel a contractor's work or stop the project altogether without notice.
We aim to deliver flexibility, connecting companies with the needed resources and enabling fast decision-making with minimal risk.
Alternatives to Offshore Salesforce Development
Not won over by the promise of lower development costs? You have plenty of alternatives—each with positives and negatives.
Here are a few of the most common:
In-House development: This approach involves assembling your own Salesforce development team (remote or in-office). It’s more time-consuming and expensive but offers benefits like increased control, project visibility, and ongoing support.
Salesforce consultancy services: This approach means working with an onshore Salesforce consultancy firm. This is another pricey option but does address the shortcomings of in-house development.
Freelance developers: This approach involves putting together a team of freelance Salesforce developers (usually with the help of a freelancer network like FoundHQ’s). It’s generally cheaper than consultancy services and gives you the freedom to pick and choose who you work with.
Staff augmentation: This approach involves filling skill or workload gaps in an existing Salesforce development team with outside help. With FoundHQ, we’ll match you with a Salesforce consultant that puts your existing team on track for success.
to work with (including location), so it’s easy to find offshore firms within your search areas.
Conclusion
Offshore Salesforce development can be a fantastic option for businesses looking to cut costs and focus on core competencies.
At FoundHQ, we offer businesses all the benefits of offshore Salesforce development with none of the risks. Get matched with the perfect fit for your project from our network of 3,000+ highly vetted Salesforce developers, and get to work. We’ll take care of the admin so you can focus on what matters most. Start hiring your new team member today!
FAQ about Offshore Salesforce Development
When is Salesforce offshore development better than internal hiring?
Offshore Salesforce development is often more cost-effective than internal hiring, providing access to a global talent pool at lower rates. It offers flexibility in scaling teams according to project needs, without the long-term commitments associated with full-time staff.
What is the typical duration for an offshore Salesforce project?
The duration of offshore Salesforce projects can vary significantly based on project scope, complexity, and team size. Generally, projects can range from a few months for basic implementations to over a year for extensive integrations and custom developments.
What metrics should I monitor to evaluate the performance of an offshore Salesforce development team?
To effectively evaluate the performance of an offshore Salesforce development team, you can monitor the following key metrics:
Project Completion Rate
Bug Rate
Adherence to Project Specifications
Response Time
Customer Satisfaction Scores
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