Since all businesses are becoming modernized these days, having your personalized software is essential if you want to be on the right path in the corporate world. However, not every business owner knows how to code, so creating that type of personalized software is a lot easier said than done.
Whenever you have a project that you cannot create on your own, one of the best things that you can do is to collaborate with a software development company. Or, if you are not skilled in that area at all, it might be a smart idea to let the company handle things on their own. If you are interested to find more information about the help Read here.
No matter what your goal is, if you decide to hire a software development company, you’ll need to be sure that you are making the right decision, and that’s exactly what we are here to help you with today.
In this guide, you will learn about the most important things you need to look for when shortlisting your options, so if you are currently in the middle of doing something like this, we suggest that you keep reading until the end. Let’s take a look.
Ask for suggestions
The best and most trustworthy form of marketing is when someone spreads the word by mouth because when people do this, it means that they are really satisfied with the service they received. If you have any colleagues, friends or family members who were in the same situation like you are at the moment, ask them for a suggestion, and they will be more than glad to help you out.
If you do this but you end up receiving no suggestions, you can move to some of the other following things which require you to research a bit on your own.
Research on your own
You can start looking for the best option by doing a quick Google search and then collecting all of the important information on a piece of paper, forming a list of competitors that might be good for your task.
Usually, the most famous company in your local area will show up first, but that doesn’t have to be your only choice. Keep researching, and pay a lot of attention to the “underdogs”, because they seem to be the ones who charge the least because they haven’t made a name yet. If you want to know what exactly software development companies offer, you can always visit Codete and learn some more about software development services.
Check previous experience
Although we did just mention that sometimes the newer companies should be given a chance if you are working on a really important project, you don’t want to risk anything, so choosing a more reputable company with a rich history of successful projects might be a very good idea.
If you do end up hiring such a company, keep in mind that you will be charged more, but sometimes this is not an issue if quality and finishing on time are what you are after.
Compare prices
If you need a project done professionally, you probably have a professional budget as well. However, that budget is not limitless, so you will have a certain point where you’ll know that something costs too much.
Price is always an important factor when choosing a company for your software development project, and you will often have to compare them between different competitors so that you can choose the cheapest one that’s going to get you the same results, or at least as close as possible.
Also, if you are completely new in this field, you probably don’t even have a clear idea about how much companies charge for such projects, so researching will give you enough insight to judge if something is fairly priced or not. You shouldn’t be paying thousands of dollars for a website when someone can do it for just a few hundred bucks.
Make sure of documentary guarantees
Are you worried about information and trade secrets leaks while your digital product development? You don’t have to be. Sites like GeekyAnts.com can help you with that.
Every self-respecting software development company that values its reputation and name itself will offer you to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), a legal agreement entered into by two parties for the purpose of mutual exchange of materials, knowledge, or other information with restriction of access to it to third parties.
Usually, this document regulates the following terms:
Definition of confidential information. A clearly written information about what data is considered confidential is a very important point in the agreement. For example, these include data stored on work devices and cloud storage of a company. You should also indicate that information that is not confidential.
Acceptable use of information. If necessary, the document lists all the tasks assigned to the contractor, indicating what kind of information will be used in them.
The concept of information disclosure and the establishment of sanctions. Illegal dissemination of confidential information most often means the sale of data, transfer to persons interested in it, and any use for personal purposes. In such a case, the most common imposition of a fine or damages.
NDA validity period. A nondisclosure agreement in terms of timing does not always correspond to the main agreement on joint work. In most cases, the duration of the NDA is 3-5 years longer than the cooperation itself. This is due to the relevance of privacy.
It should be remembered that any inaccuracy in the wording can negatively affect not only the relationship with the contractor but also cause tangible financial damage, therefore, the preparation of the NDA should be taken seriously.
Having a signed NDA that is customized for a specific case it is easy to prevent leakage of any confidential information: from trade secrets to personal data, as well as be confident of the collaboration with the software provider. YSBM Group software development company can help you with NDA requirements and examples.
Read reviews
Since almost everything is done on the internet these days, you can check the service reviews that certain customers leave after the company is done with their project, and this is one of the best ways to know if they are worth your time and money or not.
A bit of very useful advice is to always try to find alternative reviews, not the ones that the company posts on their website, because logically, they will only post the positive ones.
The reviews will often give you an insight into what you’re about to go through, so if you see a lot of unsatisfied customers, it might be a red-flag and an indicator that you should look for someone else. However, these are not always one hundred percent accurate, so don’t change your opinion by reading just one negative review.
The best way to find out about how a company operates is to collaborate with them, but since this costs money, and you most likely have deadlines, experimenting is not a great idea.
Some software development teams provide only open source solutions, while others offer custom solutions or a combination of both. Make sure you understand the implications before making a decision—some open source options may have license expenses that you hadn’t accounted for in your budget while custom options may require more up-front expenses but could end up being cheaper in the long run due to ongoing maintenance costs. Read here to get the best information regarding this topic.
Communicate
After you manage to shortlist about four or five companies, it’s time to start communicating with them and hear what they have to say. Simply do a phone-call or send an e-mail asking in-detail about what they can offer for your project, and wait a bit for an answer. Maybe some of them will reject you from the very start, or maybe they’ll all accept, but some will give you a sooner deadline or a better price.
Make sure that you sign all required contracts both for your safety and for theirs, and go through all of the legal procedures that will allow you to take action if the project fails somehow.
Ask for portfolios
Every successful company has a portfolio with completed projects that can be shown to upcoming customers, simply to assure them that they can get the job done. Make sure that you ask to see some previous work or at least some examples of projects which are currently active because this is the best way to see the closest results that you’ll get from them in the future.
