Time zone differences are a common obstacle in international business. But you can overcome them if you know how to handle them. Whether you're working with a partner in India or any other part of the globe, this article will help you understand what you need to do!

The time differences between the US and India

The time difference between the US and India varies according to which state you're situated in, but a common time separation to follow is a 12 hour difference, which means that it's already midnight in New Delhi when you wake up. It could be noon for your team in California—but that doesn't mean they'll be at their desks right away.

If you're working with an Indian company on a project that spans multiple states, remember this: You won't have any idea how long it will take before they begin work on their end because they'll have to coordinate with each other as well as their partners in other countries (and possibly even some places outside of Asia). This can make things tricky if you only want them to start working after 9am PST or 2pm IST every day because once everyone gets started on tasks related to one task or another, there isn't much room left over for additional tasks—and then again there isn't much room left over when everyone finishes theirs!

The impact of being on the other side of the world

As an outsourcer, you’re going to have to deal with time zone differences. The impact of being on the other side of the world is that it can be hard to communicate with your outsourcing partners, team members and customers. It also makes it difficult for you or other stakeholders in your company (such as investors) to get information about what's happening in India at any given time. Regardless of these issues, the pros of outsourcing can far outweigh the cons if you and your outsourcing partner function efficiently. Read more about this here.

Handling the time zone differences

If you have a live-chat option, that's great. But even if it's not available, you could use Skype as a chat tool to communicate with your outsourced team members over email or phone call. You can also set up an instant messaging (IM) account with them so they can stay in touch with each other while working on the same project. It's important that everyone knows how they should respond when an IM is sent through their workspace (e.g., "I'm busy right now"). This will help avoid confusion later down the road when someone tries to contact someone else via IM and gets no response back from them because no one checks their messages regularly enough!

If you're working with someone in another time zone, it's critical that you set up a schedule for when each person can work on the project and potentially used a shared project calendar with your offshore team leader. This way, no one gets left behind because they're not available at the same time as their counterparts and you're both extremely clear on deadlines. If possible, consider setting aside specific days of the week for everyone to work on this project together so that there are no conflicts.

Time zone differences are not an excuse for having less than effective communication with your outsourcing partners. You can overcome this by planning ahead and using tools to help you get all of the information you need from them in one place.

Conclusion

The reality is that time zone differences are not going to be the only thing that hinders effective communication between your team and their counterparts in India. But they can certainly make things harder, and with good planning, you can mitigate the impact of these differences. By taking steps to manage them effectively, you can ensure that your business relationships with Indian outsourcing partners like us stay strong for years. At Glocal Pinnacle, we've found ways to ensure you receive the best possible service with as little hindrance as possible; proven by our 150+ satisfied international clients! Connect with us today to learn about how we can help your business grow.