Notora - a leading ERP Consultancy in Denmark – could not grow their business because they were struggling to find developers locally [struggle with capacity]. Potentiam helped them create an offshore team that would scale their business more profitably, with less risk and without the burden of set up costs in a foreign country.

Potentiam’s offshore model allowed Notora to increase the capacity of senior management in Denmark and increase the volume of customers they could engage with. 

Notora needed to increase the level of peak capacity they could manage, but the nature of Notora’s project-based work meant they experience peaks and troughs of work. Their offshore teams allow them more flexible capacity with increased profitability.

It was important that the offshore team integrated seamlessly and that the individuals selected were an excellent cultural fit.

If you find the right team lead, everything will be ok

Thomas Blak Administrative Director at Notora has experienced this firsthand. He had spent over a year looking for developers in Denmark. He knew that to grow their business, Notora would need to look beyond their borders.

“We had hired resources in many parts of the world, and our experience says that the right team composition is a good breeding ground for success,” says Thomas.

When offshoring with Potentiam, Notora made sure to take the time to find the right “first person” and build out the team from there. “If you find the right team lead, everything is going to be ok,” he says.

Notora found that their company culture was also better transferred this way. The team lead would be able to train and mentor the juniors more effectively because they are in the same location.

While offshoring can help a business accelerate their growth, doing it correctly is not a ‘quick fix’. Hiring one or two members of your team offshore to meet an immediate need is likely to lead to problems - or even failure down the line. Those employees must be integrated into the business. They need a clear career path. Otherwise, the talented individuals you just hired will likely find greener pastures elsewhere.

If you want a global company, you need a global mindset

Effectively integrating your company culture into remote teams is as vital as it is challenging. Making sure that Notora’s offshore team was integrated was a priority for Thomas.

Thomas points out that Notora’s approach to company culture is distinctly Danish. They did not require that their new team members ascribe to the existing company culture. Instead, they looked for ways to adapt their culture to suit their international team.

One of these is using English as the primary language throughout the company.

Thomas explains, “If you want to have a global company, you need a global mindset. At the Danish market we write and speak Danish, but slowly we have started to translate, for example, our marketing material into English as well.

He believes this is something other businesses might learn from should they wish to embrace offshoring and remote team members.

“Our offshore team is also involved in as much of the business as possible. We meet often to share experience.”

Starting small - Scaling Smart

Notora started offshoring with a single pilot role. “We didn't jump in and hire a team of eight developers. We tasked Potentiam with finding our first pilot role. This was a good way for us to try out offshoring with Potentiam. We could see if it was possible to find the right people – the people we had struggled for well over a year to find locally.”

This is a key part of Potentiam’s strategic framework, to understand how offshoring fits in with their client’s overall strategy for business growth and going about the best way to materialize that.

“We needed to start small, and work out any issues,” says Thomas. “We found Potentiam’s strategic framework particularly helpful in achieving this. They took the time to understand our business and our requirements. They were able to guide us to find the right people and offshoring successfully. The process takes time, and this investment from management needed to be well spent.”

Offshoring is part of a larger strategy not just a quick fix

Partnership was important to Thomas and his team at Notora. “I always tell my customers that I am looking to build a partnership that will be successful for many years. I appreciate that Potentiam is also focused on building partnership.”

Potentiam had the experience, competence, and infrastructure for offshoring that Notora lacked. “So, we team up and help each other,” says Thomas.

Because the success of offshoring relies on taking a longer-term, strategic approach, it is important to look for an offshore partner that has the expertise, experience, and specific industry insight to find the right people. Thomas emphasizes that it is imperative to have the right offshore partner. “If you are partnering with a company like Potentiam, you need to be sure that they have a clear understanding of your business. They must also have the internal capability to find the right people to shortlist for you and understand that offshoring is part of a larger strategy, not just meeting a short-term goal.”

Conclusion

Thomas is looking forward to building Notora's team in India. "I'm certain without any doubt that if we need two or three more, Potentiam will find them. In Denmark, we have a skilled workforce, but outside the Danish borders there are also just many skilled employees who can help Notora create growth.”