Frequently asked questions

General

Hiring staff

Fixed-price projects

General

Does OffshoreDC offer a money-back guarantee?

We provide a 14-Day Money Back Guarantee when you hire staff on a month-to-month basis. Under this guarantee, if you are not completely satisfied with our service then you can cancel within the first 14 days of the first month and we will refund the unused portion of your fees in full.

For fixed-price projects, you make an initial deposit and then make progressive payments once milestones have been reached. In this way, you are able to verify completion of the milestone before you pay.

What payment methods will OffshoreDC accept?

We accept payment via PayPal. PayPal accepts a range of payment methods including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, electronic check and direct debit.

Hiring staff

How does month-to-month hiring work?

Hiring staff from us on a month-to-month basis is much like hiring your own in-house staff but the staff work from our offices instead of yours and are employees of our company rather than yours. Because they are our employees, you do not have to pay for all those employment-related overheads, like paying for office space, equipment, furniture, retirement benefits, leave entitlements, medical insurance and so on.

Our service is highly scalable too. Add staff during peak work periods and easily remove staff in quieter periods.

The staff assigned to you work exclusively for you during your daily support period, so you can assign as much work to them as time permits. You can assign single or multiple projects. To maximize the value you receive from the time you have paid for, it is important that you assign a sufficient volume of work to keep your staff busy throughout each shift.

You retain full control of the development process. You allocate tasks directly to the staff you hire, and they report directly back to you. In this way, you can easily set priorities, monitor work and adjust project specifications during the development phase if you wish. You can also decide what shortcuts to take and what areas you want your staff to spend more time on. You can therefore ensure an efficient development process which delivers the product you want.

The payment cycle is monthly-in-advance via automated recurring billing (PayPal subscription). You can cancel at any time to avoid further charges.

How does weekly hiring work?

Weekly hiring works much the same as month-to-month hiring but you have the choice of either:

  • Ongoing week-to-week service: This service option works in the same way as month-to-month hiring but the payment cycle is weekly-in-advance via automated recurring billing (PayPal subscription). Since the weekly price is higher than the monthly price, we recommend that this option only be used for short-term hiring.
  • Distinct blocks of service: With this option, you can purchase a specific number of weeks of service. Once the weeks have been worked we will automatically discontinue service and the staff member you have hired may be re-assigned immediately to another customer. To avoid staff changes before your project has been completed, it is therefore important that you ensure that you purchase a sufficient number of weeks of service to complete the work you have in mind. If you are unsure how long the project will take then we recommend using the ongoing week-to-week service and then cancelling service once the project has been completed.

Can I start part-time and upgrade to full-time?

You are welcome to do this but one drawback of this approach is that the staff member who is working for you on a part-time basis may not be available to work for you on a full-time basis. Therefore, a staff change may be necessary upon upgrade.

What hours will my staff member work?

The hours worked by each staff member are explained on the individual's profile page. To access an individual's profile page, please view the List of Available Staff and click on the More Info button next to the staff member of interest.

Who handles project management?

When you hire staff on a monthly or weekly basis, we provide basic supervision only, meaning that we ensure that your staff are at work at the required times and apply themselves in a professional manner while at work. You would control the project by assigning tasks directly to your allocated staff and monitoring their work. For further details please refer to the How does month-to-month hiring work? FAQ above.

Where are the staff located?

Our web designers and developers, mobile app developers and system administrators work from our offices in India. Our virtual assistants and copywriters work from our offices in the Philippines.

Fixed-price projects

What types of projects can be completed for a fixed price?

We can build many websites on a fixed-price basis including standard (HTML-based), Wordpress and Joomla websites. To see the full range of options available, please visit our:

Instant Web Design Quote Calculator

We can also complete a huge range of other projects at very low prices through our hire-by-the-month option - please see our:

List of Available Staff

How long does it take to get a quote?

You can generate a quote within minutes using our Instant Web Design Quote Calculator.

How long will it take to complete my fixed-price project?

Normally we commence work on your project immediately upon receipt of your order and project specifications. In most cases, the first stages of your project (such as the design mockups or Wordpress/Joomla installation) will be completed within 3 working days. Our staff will work hard to provide a fast turnaround at all stages of the project. You can help expedite the process by providing clear initial instructions and by reviewing work and providing clear feedback promptly during the course of the project.

When do I provide my project details?

You will be able to upload or email through your project specifications and content for your website as soon as we process your order. To avoid delays, please ensure that your specifications are within the scope of the service you have purchased. Usually, the more information you can provide in your project specifications the better.

Will you keep the my information confidential?

Absolutely. We will only use the information about your project for the purpose of providing service to you and completing your project. We will not pass the information to any third party whatsoever.

Who will undertake the work?

Our staff in India or the Philippines will carry out the work for you. You will be able to communicate directly with the staff undertaking the work.

What payment schedule will apply?

50% of the total project price is payable at the time you place your order. The remainder will be payable upon completion of the project. Kindly note that we retain full ownership of the work until the total project price has been paid, so you will not be able to use any part of the work prior to paying the remaining 50% of the total project price.

Can I adjust the project specifications during the development phase?

The scope of each quote is determined by the project specifications you provide prior to us constructing the quote for you. If you would like to change the specifications during the development process, then additional charges will apply if the changes require extra time or resources to be allocated to your project. We will of course discuss the costs and options with you before commencing such additional work.

Is there a minimum project price?

Generally a minimum price of US$250 applies for each project.

Why Us?

We are an established outsourcing provider with robust infrastructure, qualified staff and truly unbeatable prices.

Reliability

Our first-class premises have robust and reliable infrastructure including full backup power, uninterruptable power supply, redundant ISP connections and more.