Companies are beginning to realize the importance of apps these days, so most of them have already developed their own business app to cater to their customers’ needs. Your business should follow the same path, but this may be a bit difficult if you have no experience with app building.
Companies that have in-house developers and coders, usually have no problem building their apps, but if you don’t have that luxury at your disposal, you need to find another way to create an app.
To meet the quick deployment of applications, Automation Testing must have introduced to enterprise QA. With the adoption of mobile app automation testing, the efficiency and agility of the software development life cycle are ensured and enterprises will be able to deliver quality software within a quick turnaround time.
Sometimes, the only way to have an app built is to hire an app development agency from the UK to do that for you. It is always better to have someone with a proven record in software development building your app than to experiment on your own.
If you choose to have your app developed by experts, here are a few things that you should pay attention to.
1. Check what technologies they use
Once you reach out to an app development company and start asking about their services, make sure to ask about the technologies they use to develop apps. For instance, you could ask about the technology stack they used to develop mobile apps on their previous project.
The company should be using efficient technologies and agile development methodology to develop applications for any platform. This means that they need to combine experience, knowledge, and efficient tools.
An app-maker company that utilizes reliable technologies along with experienced coders is surely going to bring you great results. Agile development is widely used, as it has features that help to develop an app faster. Consequently, that also leads to faster delivery compared to other methods.
2. Try to talk to their previous clients
A good idea would be to build a checklist for hiring an app development company and then contact their previous clients to learn about their experiences of working with that company.
For instance, some company officials contact other company officials who have worked with development companies to hear a little about the whole experience because private chats are usually more sincere than testimonials.
When two people talk on LinkedIn, for example, the chances are that the conversation will be more honest compared to a testimonial or a video testimonial on a development company’s website.
On top of that, a successful app development company will have no issue with you talking with their previous clients. They will tell you about their projects and what clients to contact. Take this as a clear sign that they are confident in their skills and knowledge.
3. Don’t underestimate the value of project management
A project manager is a middleman between you and the development team. Sometimes, if the project is bigger and more complex, there is a need for an IT project management company to accelerate the workflow while increasing productivity and maintaining the quality of the product.
The main goals of project management are:
a. Planning. In the dynamic app market, changes happen more often and more quickly than you could imagine. With a good and flexible plan, you will have a clear development process while still being able to introduce changes. Speaking of which…
b. Introducing changes. If there is a need to remove something or add a new feature to an app, it is up to the project manager to introduce those changes and inform the team.
c. Communication. You want to have a perfect app for your business but don’t want to spend hours communicating with the development team. That is why the project manager acts as a middleman and helps you find a common language with the developers.
d. Control. Similarly, you should have control of the entire development process without having to micromanage it. The PM is the person who handles all the details while being flexible enough and letting the developers get creative.
4. Check previous experience
Besides talking to their previous clients or even with company representatives, try to find their portfolio. Serious companies always have their portfolios included on their website so that potential clients can see who they have worked with and what they have achieved.
Check if they have a portfolio already available on their website and see if you can find their apps on various app stores.
In addition, take a look at the reviews and ratings of their apps. Be wary of companies that don’t have a proven portfolio or any apps available in the app store while claiming they have extensive experience in app development.
The insights you gather from a portfolio or a downloaded app can be quite important, as they offer many details you would not see otherwise.
On top of that, when asked about their previous projects, a reliable company should also be able to lead you through the whole process of development and how they managed to create the app for their previous client.
Once you establish this kind of rapport, the chances are that you will also get creative input that will be helpful based on their experience with other apps.
5. What about the timeline?
This may be a minor detail, but still an important one. Before you hire, make sure that the company can deliver the project on time.
To ensure this, you can create a project timeline that can be shared with the developers you are going to hire. Most experienced software developers do not accept projects they have no time or resources to work on. Always keep in mind that a responsible company will never accept work they cannot deliver on time.
6. Price matters
The final important thing you should know before hiring an app development company is that the price should never be your main factor. It is important you get a great product, not the cheapest one you could buy.
Allocate a decent budget for this project and let the quality of their previous work and their expertise decide whether or not they are the right fit for the job. On the other hand, having a clearly-defined budget and sticking to it is of the utmost importance, so don’t agree to terms you cannot meet.
Also, while discussing the project functionality and feature list, remember to ask about the payment methods and payment terms:
- How does the company calculate pricing?
- Are you going to make a full one-time payment?
- Will you have to pay at regular intervals?
- Can you set the milestones?
Finally, don’t forget to ask about additional costs that may occur during the development process. Good companies will never try to get more money from you by introducing sketchy extra costs, but it is better to ask upfront about that.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, you now have a clear idea of the things that you have to know and check before you sign a contract with an app development company. Keeping a check on these things will help you get the right app that meets your business requirements.
Make sure you do everything you can to get the best app possible for your organization. Remember, your rivals most likely already have their own apps and they are already reaping rewards thanks to that.
Do not lag behind. Instead, act now and you will enjoy the benefits of having an app very soon.
