Today, traditional business or startups find their main advantages or differentiators on technology. The digital world is taking over, and the presence of software supporting the operations makes companies of the 21 century either strong or weak.
We see end-users choosing their service provider based on user experience, and we see companies innovating to grow their customer database.
While businesses seek to maximize profits or reduce costs, to get new clients they need to increase the quality of their products and their customer service; automation and digitalization of their business processes generally allow them to start thinking on this.
To create the most efficient system for your business needs, you would generally need scalable custom software; however, to create the right and high-quality software, you need the right software development partner.
For many different reasons, you can find yourself in the position where you need to find a vendor to perform this task, and even if you have a great business idea but you lack the skills to execute it, or you are a skilled developer without the team or time to do it, the process to choose a software development company is often long and tedious.
In this article, you will find useful information on how to find a software development company that fits your needs.
How to choose the right software development company?
When looking for a software development company, business owners often make the decision based on budget, word-of-mouth, or brand. However, these factors do not assure success on the venture.
To develop, improve, or create the right product requires more than a group of developers and an office, you need a software development partner that can guide you during the process to get it done right and in time. Remember you will work along with your partner till the product is finished, and usually, you will keep it helping you with assistance, maintenance, or upgrade of the result.
However, having a good relationship is not enough; you want a partner that helps you scale your business, with knowledge and experience in the field you are working in, but most importantly, with the experience and capabilities to deliver excellence regarding the most critical aspects of your product.
Start by understanding your customers’ needs and make them your project objectives
A clear scope and objectives are of essential importance when diving into a new venture. As we mentioned before, your software will either make your company strong or weak, your brand and your customers will follow that trend.
Furthermore, when looking for the right partner, it will narrow your search, allowing you to be more precise in the finding process. Recognize your pain points and areas of growth, and consider always UI/UX (User interface and user experience), security and safety, and technology-specific needs (blockchain, AI, VR/AR, big data).
Be meticulous
The complicated process of finding a software development partner can be eased by following the next few steps:
- Get and consider referrals
Ask in your network and find referrals for custom software developers and companies. It will help you to accelerate the process, and also to gather honest feedback about them.
- Talk about process and technology
Make sure they have an oiled process for development using agile and clean code methodologies, but also they understand the technologies you need to work with, make your homework, you want to avoid buggy code and rework.
- Check the portfolios
Understand their past projects and get an idea of the applications they have been building and how that match your needs. If they already developed something similar, that will lower the times and add value to your product.
- Prioritize delivery time
Choose a company with a proven track record of on-time delivery. This will give you and your team enough time to test the software and report bugs (if any); and also, your employees can train and orient themselves to make better use of the application.
Tip: Decide the deadline of the application in the initial negotiation phase. Set the timeframe considering the time to be taken for debugging and training.
- Communication matters
A team of good developers is not enough, make sure you can talk with them and they understand you, ask for regular updates and ask questions to initiate discussions.
- User Experience is core
Choose a software development company that has the competence and resources to provide an exceptional user experience. A short-term solution will not serve for any purpose and will cause several collateral costs: rethink and rework.
- Contemplate and discuss security
You need answers to questions like, how do we treat the sensitive data of my customers? What kind of risks are involved if the software works incorrectly?
Ensure you feel comfortable with the answers you receive.
Conclusion
Your software development partner decision can either prejudice or assure the success of your project but also can help you reduce times of development consequently reducing the costs associated with them.
- Save time
- Save money
- Receive reliable advise
- Get access to deep market knowledge and specialization
- Find the right contacts
These are just some advantages when choosing the right software development company, and how they can add value to your organization; overall, what you are looking for is professional, well-educated advice from an expert in the matter.
Whenever you are creating a new product, upgrading or iterating one, looking for automation or advice, outsourcing part of your development process the right software development partner will be for your company as an expert guide through the whole process.
If reading this article on how to choose a software development company has awakened your interest, you may be looking to find the perfect company to help your next software decision.
Evotek, with their abundance of knowledge and experience around software development and consultancy efforts, is undoubtedly the first port of call.
Get in touch with us today, on +84 (0) 97 825-5568, or send us an email to [email protected].
