For years, offshore development has battled against outdated assumptions. Questions around communication, quality, trust and cultural alignment still linger in many industries - particularly in the legal sector, where reliability and relationships matter enormously.
But those assumptions deserve to be challenged.
The reality is that the strongest international partnerships are no longer built purely on cost efficiencies or remote delivery models. They are built on shared values, aligned ambitions and genuine human connection.
That is exactly what is developing between Xperate and Document Direct.
Over the last three months, Xperate has been working closely with Document Direct on the continued development of its mobile dictation app - a solution designed to help law firms dictate securely and efficiently whilst on the move. What began as a technical collaboration has quickly evolved into something much deeper: a relationship grounded in trust, mutual respect and a shared passion for innovation within the legal sector.
Most recently, Document Direct’s Founder and CEO, Martyn Best, travelled to Pune to spend time with the wider Xperate team - meeting developers, project leads and leadership face-to-face after months of remote collaboration. The visit reinforced something both businesses already suspected: whilst Teams and Zoom make global working possible, the very best working relationships are still built in person.
Martyn’s trip to Pune came together quite organically. Whilst travelling in Thailand during the Songkran festival, he was speaking with Mark Garnish, who happened to be out in Pune with the Xperate team at the same time. Although Thailand and India are not exactly neighbouring destinations, the relatively short flight across South Asia presented a rare opportunity to finally meet face-to-face after months of close collaboration. Rather than letting the moment pass, Martyn decided to make the trip - a decision that would go on to strengthen relationships across both businesses and provide valuable insight into the people and culture behind the partnership.
More Than Just a Supplier Relationship
Martyn has known Xperate founders Mark Garnish and Simon Hill for over a decade, but the recent collaboration has created an opportunity to work together far more closely.
The connection between the three goes beyond technology and business. Shared passions for travel, cycling, international business and helping law firms embrace smarter technology have created a natural alignment between both organisations.
Martyn said:
“There’s a huge amount of synergy between us. We all genuinely enjoy solving problems for law firms and improving how people work. But outside of that, we share similar values and interests that make collaboration feel very natural.”
Those shared interests helped strengthen the relationship during Martyn’s visit to India, where business conversations were balanced with cultural experiences and team dinners.
He explained:
“It’s convenient to build relationships over Zoom calls, but spending time together in person takes things to another level. You build trust much faster when you can sit down together, share experiences and really understand the people behind the business.”
Challenging the Perception of Offshore Development
Document Direct’s recent mobile app project gave Martyn and his team first-hand experience of what modern offshore collaboration can look like when it is done properly.
The business had previously faced challenges with mobile app development over a number of years, working with several developers without ever fully resolving some ongoing technical issues. Xperate stepped in to support the project and quickly identified the root causes of a couple of minor long-standing problems, mainly including bugs affecting older mobile devices; but more crucially for our continuous development, they proactively identified a number of issues which could become troublesome as updates from Apple and Google added additional security.
Equally importantly, the project was delivered proactively, on schedule and within budget, with Xperate providing additional guidance around cybersecurity and smartphone capacity planning along the way.
The Pune visit further reinforced the quality of the team behind the work.
Meeting members of staff in person gave Martyn greater visibility into the calibre of talent Xperate has assembled - something he believes challenges many outdated perceptions around offshoring.
Martyn also added:
“One of the biggest misconceptions people still have around outsourcing is that offshore means lower quality. What I saw in Pune completely challenges that. These are incredibly talented people, many from top universities, working in a really professional environment with strong leadership and high standards. Ultimately, good people are good people - regardless of where they’re based in the world.”
Face-to-Face Still Matters
Remote working technology has transformed how businesses collaborate internationally. Teams meetings, Slack channels and project management tools make it possible to work seamlessly across continents.
But Martyn believes there is still no substitute for in-person interaction when building long-term partnerships.
The trip itself became part of the relationship-building process. Coordinated alongside Martyn’s wider travel plans through Thailand during Songkran festival season, the visit included time in Pune and Mumbai, exposure to local culture, an exciting IPL cricket match and plenty of opportunities to connect informally with the Xperate team.
Martyn reflected:
“The energy in India was incredible. The people, the culture, the enthusiasm - it’s something you can’t fully appreciate until you experience it yourself.”
For Xperate, those personal relationships are central to how the business approaches partnerships.
Mark Garnish, COO at Xperate, commented:
“Technology projects succeed when there’s trust, communication and shared commitment on both sides. Working with Martyn and the Document Direct team has felt collaborative from day one. Visiting Pune helped strengthen that relationship even further and showed how much can be achieved when businesses genuinely align culturally as well as commercially.”
The Beginning of a Longer-Term Partnership
Whilst the recent mobile app project has been a major success, both businesses see it as only the beginning.
Early discussions are already underway around broader collaboration opportunities, including implementation support for legal technology projects and expansion into international markets such as Australia, where both businesses have established connections.
For Xperate, the partnership reflects the direction modern technology relationships are heading.
Not outsourcing.
Not offshoring.
But globally connected teams working together through trust, collaboration and shared ambition.
And sometimes, that starts with a plane ticket to Pune!