The development of a mobile application is an understandable and logical option for a business. Therefore, the question of whether a company needs such a product is usually not raised. The benefits of its creation are obvious. The question is different: how to choose a software development agency?
In addition to official websites and portfolios, be sure to consult independent third-party sources: check industry rankings and reviews, find unbiased reviews, and find out which organizations your potential suppliers partner with. This will definitely give you food for thought and help you make the right outsourcing decision. Next, we will talk about this in more detail.
What Options Do You Have?
Although the development of mobile applications requires special skills, and there are much fewer similar offers on the market than for creating a landing page or an online store, the number of offers still makes you wonder who and for how much to hire, so that the result is not adequate for the investment spent.
Actually, you can go only three ways:
- Hire a freelancer.
- Contact a professional studio.
- Develop a mobile application yourself.
What’s wrong with freelancers? There are two types of problems that can arise with freelancers: you either choose an inexpensive freelancer, that is, in other words, a beginner specialist or you turn to the guru and it’s not cheap.
In the first case, be prepared that you will have to stand daily over such a specialist, direct and control all his work. That is, you must be well versed in the technical kitchen that is associated with the development of a mobile application.
But even this option will not protect you from the fact that having done part of the work, such a specialist, for whatever reason, disappears in an unknown direction. You can simply forget about the subsequent technical support of the created mobile application. A pro, as a rule, is a person not only with vast experience and excellent knowledge of the technical base but also with gigantic ambitions. Be prepared that he will constantly criticize you and your project. If you are ready for this, you can try this option.
The studio option is the simplest and most reliable. Fortunately, all operations are carried out in accordance with the signed contract. But, in addition to the availability of a staff of qualified specialists, in this case, there is another huge undoubted plus: in such a company there is always a person, as a rule, this is a manager who becomes a kind of transmitter. That is, as a translator, he explains your wishes and ideas directly to techies, and vice versa – explains to you what programmers and other specialists say.
This not only greatly simplifies the process, but also saves nerves. Otherwise, situations inevitably arise when the client does not understand why the programmer does not want to do what he needs, and the programmer, angry and annoyed, try to prove to the customer the futility of his undertaking, unable to offer an alternative in a language understandable to the client.
Criteria for Selecting a Software Development Company
Let’s look at the criteria for finding a reliable developer.
Portfolio
Pay attention to how many ready-made products of the company are in the AppStore and Google Play. If they are few, but they are good – great! If there are a lot of them, and they are of decent quality – great!
Reviews
Most buyers claim that online recommendations affect their trust in a seller. Some outsourcing companies publish customer reviews on their websites, but they are all mostly positive and laudatory (which, however, is not surprising). Fortunately, there are a number of independent platforms – Goodfirms, Clutch, and many others – that analyze the B2B market, rank IT companies, and publish detailed, objective interviews with clients of the company they represent.
Such platforms constantly care about the reliability of their ratings and reviews. On Clutch, for example, all users who create business profiles or leave reviews must verify their identity through their LinkedIn accounts. Clients with projects under $25,000 can leave a review by filling out a form on the site. If the project cost more than $25,000, a Clutch analyst will contact the client and conduct a telephone interview. Clutch only publishes verified reviews that you can truly trust.
Availability and readiness for work
It is worth remembering that you are working with living people who can simply get sick. Therefore, make sure that you have a convenient and convenient method of communication for everyone, whether it be mail, phone, or instant messenger. The fact that the studio is ready to immediately take on any work speaks against it. Good specialists are always valuable, and it is unlikely that they are ready to take on your job right the second you contact them with an order.
Transaction security and project evaluation speed
A specialist who has repeatedly been involved in the development of mobile applications will not only quickly give an assessment of the main parameters of your project, but will also agree to work under a contract. Always work within the framework of a safe transaction – under the contract! This is what will protect your interests.
Blog
A decent studio immersed in a topic tends to blog as an expert. Take the time to look through a few articles to appreciate if not the quality of the materials, then at least the style.
Competition
Ask your chosen studio about the competition. A qualified specialist always values his reputation and perfectly understands what business ethics is. And because of this, he will not throw mud at even a direct competitor. If he does this, then you are an unprincipled person, and you should not work with him. Criticism, if any, should be constructive without going over specific individuals.
Summary
Finding a reliable software development partner can be a daunting task. To do this, companies need to conduct in-depth research of the IT companies they find and make sure that they meet the requirements of their business. Therefore, we advise you to listen to our advice on finding a professional software development agency, and then you will be able to get a truly high-quality final product.
