FAQ

Q: How long have you been in business?

A: Indovance has been in business since 2003 and over the years, we have worked with number of clients across USA, Australia, UK and Europe.

Q: Where is your office located?

A: The US office is located in Cary, North Carolina and the Indian operations is located in Pune (near Mumbai).

Q: Why should I even consider CAD outsourcing?

A: Customers approach Indovance for CAD outsourcing for a numerous reasons. One of the biggest advantages is of course cost-savings (more than 50% cost savings), without the headache of human resource management. Some customers simply can't find qualified people in their geography or are not able to retain good employees and they have no choice but to outsource. Startup companies and small group companies like to outsource too - they don't want to grow too big too early, without testing the waters. Others like the fact that they can count on reliable CAD Services Company without people management issues. A lot of designers don't want to get involved in detailing - another reason to outsource CAD detailing. For a lot of clients, we deliver work overnight or within a very short period of time and that's an incredible competitive advantage for our customers - they love the 24 hour work cycle. Another important reason to consider outsourcing is the ability to scale up the team size easily, as your business grows over time.

Q: Why Indovance? What differentiates you from the herd?

A: First, we are not brokers - the ones who accept projects from clients and then in-turn outsource to another company in Argentina, Philippines, China or India. We have our own offshore production office and we control the quality of the people we hire, the processes and every small detail that matters. Secondly, we are experienced working on hundreds of projects around the world and we have developed time-tested work processes to make outsourcing really work for you. Lastly, most firms work with large firms only - At Indovance, we work with a wide range of sizes of companies (1 Person Company to companies with hundreds of employees) - we bring the prowess of CAD outsourcing to the mainstream, not just to the big players.

Q: How do we start with CAD outsourcing?

A: The steps that generally needs to be followed when you decide to start with outsourcing:

• First prioritize the reasons you would like to outsource (cost, quality, scalability, etc.)
• Are you seeking ongoing (long-term) or short-term CAD support
• Contact Indovance with your specific CAD needs
• An Indovance representative will help you prepare the right solution for your CAD needs. If we are not the right company for you, we may be able to re-direct you to appropriate solutions providers.

Q: Why Indian engineers?

A: India is considered the favored destination for outsourcing for a lot of reasons: the primary reason being India has the highest population of English speaking highly educated people. Additional reasons include:

• Pioneer in leading the way to knowledge outsourcing
• Experienced working with world class companies for decades
• Indian Engineers have proven quick learning abilities
• Loyalty towards the company
• Hard working and commitment towards the job
• Large pool of highly qualified Engineers
• Proficient in English
• Professionalism

Q: Do you provide a free trial?

A: Yes. Indovance focus is in providing ongoing CAD support (long-term) and we do provide a free trial of our services, to help you evaluate the benefits before committing to CAD outsourcing.

Q: Do you have an office or representative in the US who can meet with us?

A:Yes. We have an office in Cary, North Carolina. Our representative would be more than happy to meet you at your office to assist with your CAD outsourcing venture.

Q: What is the preferred means of communication?

A: The means of communication is customized based on client needs. In most cases, for day-to-day work, email, FTP and markups tends to work great for project related communication. However, depending on specific needs, we support web-conference well as tele-conference meeting. For larger projects or team sizes, we can also locate a coordinator at your office, to facilitate day-to-day communication.

Q: How do I (our customer) work with your team in India?

A: When working with a dedicated team (Studio Model), the customer had direct access (emails) to his team in India and in general, before the end of the customer's day, the customer would upload the work content onto the FTP, email the Indian team the project specific comments and instructions for the day's work. Specifically for US customers, this means that by the time you reach home in the evening, it's the start of the day in India and the Indovance team will start working on the project information that is available. The project input can be in the form of marked-up images, CAD files, notes, sketches or anything else that would communicate the project work. Once the Indovance team has worked on the project, it will get it reviewed from the team leader and then upload the completed work along with comments, if any, for the customer's review. By the time the US customer reaches the office the next day morning, the project work should be ready for him to download, review and either ask for modifications/ corrections or move on to the next task. Customer would also conduct regular (once a week or bi-weekly) web-conference meeting with the Indian team, to review the work progress and set agenda for the time ahead.

Q: Do your working hours overlap with client?

A: Yes. Our office timings are adjusted in such a way that we have at least some overlap with clients working hours (typically morning time for US customers). We can accommodate working hours as need arises.

Q: If I decide to setup a studio (Back Office) with you, how will it work?

A: When Indovance sets up a studio (Back Office) for you, a dedicated team is allocated to work specifically on your projects, along with a team leader/ project manager. With a studio, you are the boss of your dedicated team and you control the project schedule, the project deadline and get regular project update (on demand) similar to the way you work with your in-office team. Communication is the key to the success for CAD outsourcing, and Indovance offers numerous ways of collaboration (email, telephone, instant messaging, FTP, web-conferencing, etc.) with your dedicated team. However, you decide how to collaborate, based on your preference or style of working. Indovance will manage the team and will deliver the project on-schedule and as per your quality standards. Indovance has strict quality assurance processes in place to review each and every drawing that is sent back to you, to ensure CAD accuracy and to make sure your in-house CAD standards are followed. We want you to feel as if the drawings were created in your own office, not at the remote office.

Q: What should I be prepared for, if I want to start with the first project?

A: Three things: Full management commitment: Getting started with the first outsourcing project is invariably a bumpy ride to start with (for the first couple of weeks) and without strong management commitment, outsourcing simply cannot be successful. Project Coordinator: The second point is about communication and as much as Indovance will be available for project coordination and communication, it is important that someone from your office is available to provide timely information to the Indovance team and to keep the project work moving, especially during the early stages of our companies working together.
Information access: Lastly, it is also critical for the client to provide us with as much information about the project as possible. Apart from the project input data, typical other inputs should include the list of drawings we should be working on, a similar reference project for us to understand your drafting standards and requirements and any other material that is relevant for completing the project. Especially for the first project, it is helpful to lay out the expectations fully and communicate in as much length as possible - one important point to keep in mind is that more information is better than less, especially for the first project. Outsourcing is not a test of whether we have all the knowledge to the work. It is about providing all the tools and knowledge that you would provide to a new hire and then compare if Indovance can now outperform that new hire?

Q: How do I send assignments to you, who will I have to contact?

A: In general, we will use FTP to manage project files and the FTP account will be setup for you by Indovance. Depending on the specific nature of projects, other methods of communication may as well be used, as appropriate.

Q: In what format can the drawings be sent?

A: Indovance supports a large variety of drawing formats and covers most of the popular graphics as well as CAD software formats used in the industry, today.

Q: Can I mail or courier the paper originals?

A: Yes, you can mail or courier your paper originals/copies to our office.

Q: Can you please explain the software capability of Indovance ?

A: Indovance can support multiple software depending on the engineering requirements:

• Civil: AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Land development desktop, Terramodel, Microstation, BC Framer,  BC Calc, Mitek, Vertex BD
• Architecture: Autocad, Architectural Desktop (ADT), Revit, ArchiCAD, 3Dmax.
• Mechanical: Solidworks, Pro-E, Solidedge, Inventor, Autocad.

Q: Do you provide paper to CAD conversion service?

A: Yes, we can help you with paper-to-CAD conversion. We take copies of your paper drawings and convert them to CAD. We do accurate manual conversions.

Q: How are 3D rendering projects executed?

A: Following steps are followed when we work with 3D modeling projects.Upon receiving the input data of your 3D modeling projects, CAD & team conducts a detailed requirement analysis by reviewing the input data provided and will provide our quote with lead time.

• Upon getting the approval, purchase order and time schedule from you, we create a draft rendering and submit it for your review for confirmation of colors, view, textures, etc.
• Once the draft is approved, we apply changes to colors, textures, add more details and submit the rendering for your approval.
• The finishing touches incorporating all updates are done in this stage and the final proof is submitted.
• Once the rendering is approved, we can then send you high-resolution images or the files as per your need.

Q: What kind of quality control measures do you have in place to ensure quality output?

A: To ensure quality, we adhere to stringent Quality Assurance procedures. It comprises of output review in accordance with input and instructions provided. All members of the staff involved in the work are highly qualified and trained in their areas of specialization. Skills sets of staff are regularly updated by providing in-house training as well as external training courses.

Q: How do you deliver the final output?

A: The final output is uploaded on FTP. The final output format would be as per client’s requirement. It can be in form of PDF, drawing etc. as per client need.

Q: How do we manage (CAD) data files transfer? FTP?

A: Yes. Indovance can setup FTP account for your company or we can also use your FTP, if you prefer.

Q: What is your disaster management strategy?

A: To maintain the client data safe, confidential and to avoid disturbance in day to day work 

• We backup all our data regularly. Data is stored on storage device as well as secure online database.
• Maintain multiple high speed internet service providers, to avoid Internet connectivity delays.
• 24x7 power backup for the entire office.

Q: How small or large a project can you undertake?

A: We work with small boutique shops to large firms, however, the size of the project we work on is not important, it's the regularity of the work. For most of the clients, we have setup studios (Back Offices) within our office and that has resulted in small dedicated teams to work for specific clients. It takes time for our teams to understand each others way of working and develop an understanding that is critical for long-term CAD outsourcing. In general, we have clients who provide us work either continuously or regularly. Having said that, we also work on one time project, if the project size is justifiable.

Q: Can you dedicate CADD professionals to work for my company?

A: Yes. Indovance can specifically train and allocate CADD professionals to work on your projects. The dedicated professionals work on your projects on a monthly rate for on-site and off-site requirements. More details and terms can be discussed with an Indovance representative.

Q: How can I know the cost and time schedule?

A: Some projects are easy to estimate, while other are not. Wherever possible, Indovance will provided a detailed proposal outlining the project cost as well as the schedule.

Q: What kind of turnaround time can be expected?

A: The turnaround time depends completely on the project specifics and the deadline you desire. We will try to work around your tight deadlines, whenever possible.

Q: What are the measures adopted by you to ensure the confidentiality of data provided by us?

A:  Indovance signs an agreement with every customer to promise confidentiality of data. Here are some of the important steps we follow to ensure client confidentiality:

• All of our company premises are secure and can't be accesses without authenticated "fingerprints"
• We use industry standard secure FTP servers to store all of the data
• None of the project teams have access to internet, from within the office
• Office PCs are secured so as not allow any user to copy data out of the company premises
• Team members are provided access to the data only that is relevant to the projects they are working on, not otherwise
• All our processes are designed to ensure security and confidentiality through stringent privacy policy implementations that conforms to international standards
• All employees are required to sign a Non-disclosure agreement at the beginning of employment
• We make every effort to safe guard the project details during the course of the project

Q: Would you be willing to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement?

A: Yes. We sign a Non-Disclosure agreement with all the clients we work with.

Q: Do you have a standard Services Agreement?

A: Yes - we can provide you the agreement, once you are ready to take the next step towards CAD outsourcing.

Q: Are these services permissible under law?

A: Yes. Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) are covered under WTO agreement and are signed by more than 100 countries around the Globe.

Q: Can you provide me with references of existing clients?

A: Indovance maintains strict non-disclosure agreements with all of our customers and hence contractually, we are not allowed to publish our client list. However, you can read some of the client testimonials here. It might also help you to know that Indovance has worked on hundreds of client projects across the world and specifically we have some of the top engineering firms in US on our clientele list.We do not provide references, but instead offer free trial of our services, to help you evaluate first hand, the benefits of working with Indovance. Working on a trial project is the only sure way for you to verify if Indovance is a good fit for your CAD needs.

Q: What are the major concerns when considering offshore CAD outsourcing?

A: Communication is far one of the biggest concerns, for the outsourcing venture to be successful. Communication is a two way street. As much as Indovance offers a number of avenues for communication, every client (you) need to commit to communicating promptly for Indovance to be able to deliver work successfully. Full management committment is another requirement that will help us work together through the initial (2-4 weeks) bumpy ride, before you can really benefit from CAD outsourcing. Another factor to look for, before you decide on the outsourcing partner is the reliability of the service provider. Indovance has Service Level Agreements (SLA) for each process. We are committed to providing the highest quality professional CAD Services on time, and on budget. When you give us an assignment, we become a member of your team, responding to your leadership and requirements. We are here to solve to your Engineering design related issues.

With effective communication, project management tools and follow up, we ensure that most of the problems with off shore CAD outsourcing are reduced substantially. Building a long-term relationship with your offshore vendor can give you a strategic edge in your business. Our purpose is to make our customers feel that we are next door and available on demand and yes, at a competitive price-point.

Q: How many firms are currently outsourcing CAD services?

A: The CAD outsourcing marketplace is changing rapidly, especially over last few years. Until recently, CAD outsourcing was not being openly discussed in the user meetings and conferences, however, that is changing quickly. Until a couple of years ago, only large Architectural and engineering firms were seriously pursuing CAD outsourcing and smaller firms were feeling left out. Indovance is changing that marketplace by offering even smaller firms an opportunity to leverage the competitive advantages of outsourcing and empowering them with CAD outsourcing solutions that really work. The number of firms that are currently outsourcing is still small (maybe 5% or less), however, within a short period of time (5-10 years), the number is expected to go up drastically and the companies that jump on the CAD outsourcing boat today, will have a strong competitive advantage, tomorrow.