You may have a great app idea which might become the next big thing, or some thoughts on how to re-engineer your business processes using cloud & mobile technologies, but you don’t have the time or technical expertise to bring it to life. You will come across several people offering to develop an app for you, but the question really is, how do you decide whom to trust with this incredibly important endeavor?
6 things to consider when choosing an App Development company
1. The Portfolio, Clients, and Feedback
Every app development company proudly showcases their portfolio and clients. Before getting in touch with the company, you should research on their past work to have a good sense of the problems they have solved, the technologies they have worked on and the complexity of applications they have built.
If that seems convincing enough, you might also consider getting in touch with a few clients mentioned on their website for real feedback if possible, regarding the quality of their product that has been or is still being developed.
2. The Work Process
Learning the work process of the company will give you a good idea on how organized they are and whether or not they will be able to deliver on the timeline. The process has to be simple, effective, agile and collaborative. From the planning phase to support, you should have a clear understanding of how the company will be treating you through the development life-cycle.
3. The Cost and Communication
Do not hesitate to contact a company that meets your criteria. Usually, small and medium-sized businesses hesitate to get in touch with larger development companies, fearing budgetary problems. They try considering freelancer developers available on renowned portals instead and usually are upset with the quality of the eventual product. The misconception of applications developed by a company costing a lot higher needs to be dispelled. You will be surprised to discover many firms providing budget friendly applications for startups as well. All it takes is just a message to start a dialogue.
What communication also brings along is the understanding of how comfortable the whole experience would be. Good conversations make you feel confident about partnering with the company for your business.
4. Timely Delivery
Companies that have worked on many projects and with multinational brands will often hold expertise in providing timely completion of your project due to the nature of these projects (often extremely time sensitive). They would ensure quick time-to-market by meeting deadlines of almost all the agreed deliverables without compromising on quality.
During initial communication, you should often make it a habit to ask questions that will provide clarity on how much importance a company gives to meeting deadlines and what procedures they have in place to ensure this is given the highest priority.
5. White label Solution or a Customized App
Depending on your requirements, it’s essential to identify whether the company you are considering is creating a customized app for you or providing you with a white label solution. Let’s say you need a general app for your internal company use, and an app development company already has an off-the-shelf app which meets all your requirements. In such cases, a white label solution will work great as it would reduce the cost of development and provide you with an app of your branding in very less time. But, if you have an idea you want to give life to, you need to have a company who holds expertise in developing custom apps and thinking outside-the-box. A new idea requires unique functionality and design making it integral for the company to be innovative.
6. Scrutinizing Technical Competence
Who wouldn’t want their app to be developed by the best team possible? This makes it integral to understand the team involved in the development of your app. Feel free to ask the experience and expertise of developers, designers, and project managers who would be involved in providing you a great app. Doing this not only grows your confidence in the company, but it also helps you identify how smooth the work process is going to be and the support you will be getting when your product goes live.
Wrap up
If a company can deliver on time at the right price with high quality, nothing relaxes you more. It all comes with experience. It’s inevitably a lengthy process and involves a lot of research and meetings. But if you get these factors right and feel confident the company you are partnering with can provide you an innovative design and functionality exceeding your expectations, the end result would hopefully be a great app and a good ROI.
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