The smartphone has become an indispensable tool to businesses -both in the delivery of services and in improving operational efficiency. You’ve probably already considered developing mobile applications of your own to better equip your organization for today’s challenging marketplace. Finding the right company to whom to entrust the task of creating your app is a critical first step of the process.
Here are five questions you need to ask yourself as you go on your search for the perfect mobile development company.
- What’s in their portfolio?
Most companies talk about their various capabilities on their websites. Go through them in detail to see if the company can offer you the services that you are looking for. What are the tools and technologies they will be using? Are they only developers or do they design interfaces as well?
But most importantly, make sure you take a look at some of their previous work to see how their stated capabilities translate into real-world delivery. And if they have experience in delivering projects that involve similar challenges to your own, that’s even better.
- How can their expertise be verified?
Most companies out there claim to have expertise in a range of services and technologies, but it is important to not take such claims at face value. Third-party certifications and compliance to statutory standards are often reliable ways to assess a company’s capabilities and reliability.
Additionally, companies that publish original white papers, write informative blogs, answer technical questions on common online platforms and participate in developer forums are typically more committed to constant learning and to sharing their knowledge with the world. This is another good gauge of inherent technical prowess.
- What do their customers think?
A company’s website is often a good place to view testimonials from clients. However, it is necessary to remember that these are testimonials and not review – only positive feedback is showcased on most websites.
Therefore, it is worth taking the time to read legitimate third-party reviews on reliable sites and forums like G2Crowd and Clutch. Additionally, do also contact people whom you know personally, and ask them who developed their app, and how their experience was. Even today, word of mouth is often still the most reliable way to seek information!
- What kind of support will be offered, and for how long?
The key to keeping your application competitive and performing optimally is often to keep it regularly updated. Whether it is the addition of minor new features, updates to the user interface, bug fixes or future upgrades, it is important to have a mobile application development partner who will remain at your side through the life of the application.
Therefore it is important to understand the type, extent, and duration of support that each company will offer you before you make a decision on who to work with.
- Does their pricing fit your budget?
This must be the last item on your list of criteria in choosing the mobile app development company, but it’s definitely important – for obvious reasons!
Compare the pricing, the value you estimated for the project, and the returns you hope to gain with the project. Take into account that there may be hidden charges. Before you call a company about their charges, however, remember to do your own research on how much a project like yours is usually valued at.
The Next Step
Once you have shortlisted a handful of companies based on these questions, meet with each of their teams individually and hold a high-level discussion on your vision for the application. Analyze whether they are asking the right questions, especially with regard to the end users and the business plan behind the project. Beyond this, ask probing questions that are specific to the challenges they foresee while working on your project, how they plan to overcome them, and so on. All of this groundwork will set you up well to take an informed decision on your custom mobile application development partner.
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