Team augmentation is one of the well-known auxiliary human resource modules for enterprises. Still, is this service applicable to new-age startups and small-scale businesses?
Well, this question is evident as IT staff augmentation seems more suitable for companies with ample financial resources. However, staff augmentation services can also prove potent for growing your startup at a rapid pace.
Currently, staff augmentation has become a considerable service with a market value of USD 92.5 billion. Notably, this HR option has a broad utility, applicable to organizations with limited financial resources.
So, suppose you are an entrepreneur with a budding startup or own a small business. In that scenario, it is the perfect time to consider contacting staff augmentation companies.
Explore this blog to understand the concept, benefits, and available options to ‘augment’ your team and work output.
Table of Contents
IT Staff Augmentation: Solving a Major Challenge of Startups and Small Businesses
As a startup venture or small business, you need to avail yourself of staff augmentation consulting to address some practical corporate concerns. Why?
Team augmentation solves one of the main reasons for startup failure – the absence of the right team. In a Statista survey, the following pointers were some crucial observations:
Table: Why Most Startups Fail: Top Reasons
Sr. No.
Reason
Percentage Contribution
1
No need in the market
42%
2
Lack of cash or financial resources
29%
3
Absence of the right team
23%
4
Tough competition
19%
5
Pricing or costing issues
18%
As you can observe, 23% of startups failed due to the lack of an appropriate team. IT staff augmentation can cover this facet in the most suitable manner.
A Quick Look at IT Staff Augmentation Services
There can be two scenarios if you own a startup or small business:
You are unaware of team augmentation
Staff augmentation is a known concept, but you do not know how it is beneficial
This model is one of the pertinent options to boost the working capacity of your team
IT staff augmentation is a limited-period service in which your business does not need to offer any additional incentives
Notably, you have complete control over the type of specialists that you require to complete a project. The team augmentation vendor provides such individuals on a project basis.
In most cases, staff augmentation services are suitable for projects from six months to two years. So, you can choose the ramp-up capacity of your team depending on the nature and scale of your IT project.
Top 5 Benefits of IT Staff Augmentation That Can Prove as Gamechangers
Startups and small businesses are different from multi-national corporates. So, staff augmentation works uniquely to solve some practical challenges of such entities. This section explains five main advantages your startup or business can experience after connecting with top staff augmentation companies.
1. Saving in Costs and Unnecessary Expenditures
Startups and small-scale businesses do not have colossal funding. You might agree that the decision to spend money on hiring new employees can prove difficult in some cases.
As a result, hiring freelancers or contract workers can be a possible solution. However, such options have their shortcomings. You do not have decent control and know-how of the skills and output of these professionals.
Staff augmentation, thus, comes to the rescue by saving additional expenses. How? Consider the following pointers:
Through proper staff augmentation consulting, you hire trained professionals from a reliable vendor
Due to high skill, these staff members do not require training and development module
You end up saving overhead costs as augmented members are temporary workers that do not demand any other incentives
It is possible to use these monetary funds for other activities like sales, marketing, operations, etc.
This table will summarize and present a clear picture of the financial advantage of IT staff augmentation:
Table: Economic Benefit of IT Staff Augmentation Services
Sr. No.
Parameter
Factors or Output
1
Skilled Professionals
Zero investment in Training and Development activities
2
Short-term Presence
No need to spend resources on health insurance, social security, retirement benefits, or tax expenses.
3
Project-based Recruitment
Cost saving in recruitment and onboarding activities
2. Greater Level of Flexibility
IT staff augmentation allows businesses to adapt according to market changes. Here are some crucial pointers that can explain this facet:
You can increase or decrease the team’s size of professionals as per the requirement
It is possible to hire professionals with distinct skillsets according to the project
Managers can plan ongoing activities depending on the progress of the project
Scalability is thus a crucial advantage of staff augmentation services. You should be aware and informed of the right time to choose such a service. Here are pointers when you need to avail yourself of staff augmentation consulting:
Lack of resources in the team
The dearth of unique IT capabilities
Budget Constraints that impact hiring
You need to scale up your existing team
Note that you have a higher level of control over the employees in staff augmentation. This way, you can attain high flexibility and dedicate proper resources to complete specific projects.
3. Smooth Operations Due to Dedicated Experts
Be it a profitable startup or a steady small business, having all the experts in your technical team is impractical. You might require dedicated developers, creative content writers, or graphic designers for a project. In any case, having a complete team of all such skilled professionals is challenging for new-age startups.
IT staff augmentation can prove as a game-changer for such businesses. The domain-centric expertise of such staff members leads to fluent operations of the project.
As a result, you can notice the following benefits:
High efficiency
Quick deliverability
Good adaptability
Decent scalability
All these aspects ensure efficient operations in your organization. The different views of expert team members bring creativity and innovation to your staff. As a result, it becomes possible to deliver projects that stand out in the market.
So, IT staff augmentation can address the challenge of tough competition for businesses and startups. In addition to these factors, you can receive professionals with hands-on experience with different tools and technologies. This aspect allows you to offer a wide range of services, from front-end development to customized web portal creation.
4. Small Hiring and Recruitment Time
Startups and small companies often face the issue of sourcing the right talent. If you own such a business, you might be familiar with the lengthy hiring process.
A typical hiring and recruitment cycle consists of the following steps:
Identifying the required role
Discussing with decision-makers
Deciding on salary, incentives, and perks
Finalizing job description
Using appropriate platforms for communication
Finalizing candidates for outreach
Arranging interview rounds
Screening and evaluation
Discussing terms of joining
Onboarding the professionals
Following any of these steps is not mandatory and necessary in the event of staff augmentation. All you need is to contact a dependable team augmentation partner, and voila! You receive access to the following aspects:
Table: Hiring Benefits of IT Staff Augmentation
International Talent Pool
Access to Vetted Professionals
IT Innovation Expertise
Low Development Rates
Flexible Team Selection
Chance to Skip Assessment Rounds
So, your team does not need to conduct a thorough hiring cycle and complete intricate formalities after availing of this service. An experienced and authentic IT company that offers staff augmentation services has a ready team of screened candidates who can work on your project.
Notably, these professionals offer their services in a dedicated manner to complete your project.
5. Empowerment of In-house Team
Time is of the essence for startup ventures and small businesses. You cannot afford to spend too many resources on training your employees in all the new technologies in the IT domain.
Realistically, no small-scale company has a complete technical professional team that knows all the new tools. So, in such cases, you notice a skill gap in the organization. IT staff augmentation solves this challenge by providing skilled talent adept in particular technologies.
Despite the complexities of a project, reliable staff augmentation companies can offer vetted professionals that are well-versed in their jobs. Their presence for a temporary period can empower other members of your in-house team to gain crucial technical insights. Such learning experience leads to the following advantages:
Reduction of workload
Distribution of responsibilities
Supply of specialized skills
Fruitful brainstorming and exchange of ideas
Overall, proper staff augmentation consulting can give you insights into the potential improvement in your company’s output. It is thus crucial to contact a proficient team augmentation vendor and experience this essential benefit.
What to Consider Before Choosing Staff Augmentation Services?
The significant benefits of IT staff augmentation are clear from the previous section. So, you might be eager to try this outsourcing option from a suitable vendor.
However, making informed choices before appearing for staff augmentation consulting is vital.
Here are some of the essential facets that you should note to simplify your thought process:
Requirements of and from the staff: You should be clear about the desired skillsets, length of the project, and other factors before considering IT staff augmentation
The expertise of the augmentation vendor: In this stage, you should evaluate the list of available staff augmentation vendors and compare portfolios to make the right decision
Budgetary considerations: Staff augmentation services often have high ROI. However, you still need to consider the team size, skills, and quotation of the vendor before finalizing a deal
Length of your project: Finally, it is vital to have a clear idea of the IT project’s duration. This way, you can discuss availing of customized services like short-term or long-term IT staff augmentation
These four factors can help you gain a clear idea of staff augmentation. Consequently, you end up making informed choices and making the best utilization of this outsourcing module. To go one step ahead, you can choose a suitable augmentation strategy for the best results. So, exploring a detailed guide on IT staff augmentation could prove beneficial.
Options to Explore for Availing Yourself of Top IT Staff Augmentation Services
Some organizations in the market are prominent for offering top-notch staff augmentation services. By contacting such companies, you have a better chance to experience all or most of the benefits.
Here is a list of team augmentation vendors that can guide startups or small businesses on their road to attaining corporate success:
So, follow the easy steps to choose the best staff augmentation partner and notice the positive change in your work output.
In a Nutshell
IT staff augmentation services is the need of the hour to adapt and deliver significant technical output. This type of outsourcing facility is also helpful for startups and small-scale businesses.
After proper implementation, such companies can save costs, attain flexibility, and create a smooth operational process. In addition, startups can experience main benefits like a reduction in hiring time and in-house team empowerment.
The choice of vendor for IT staff augmentation services becomes vital to experience all these advantages. Also, you need to consider some practical aspects while choosing a team augmentation vendor.
With over two decades of technical expertise, eLuminous Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is one of the Best IT Staff Augmentation Company which can prove a remarkable choice for your staff augmentation requirements. It is possible to acquire specialized talent at reasonable rates by connecting with such organizations.
So, grow your startup or small business by leveraging the power of IT staff augmentation without delay.
Nitin has over 20 years of IT experience and 3+ years of experience in on-site work in Arizona, USA. In all these years, he has held the positions of delivery manager, module lead, and senior consultant. Expert in advocating product life cycle phases while using self-motivational skills and problem-solving abilities. He works on the principle of “Always Deliver More than Expected.”
