Weighing your options can be insanely tricky especially if you are outsourcing your very first software development project. I mean gone are the days when any random pick or choosing a software outsourcing company by flipping a coin would work for you.
You nailed your development project right in the head or not; trust me, a lot depends on your outsourcing partners here. In the present scenario, every business/enterprises including small, medium, and large ones continue to foray into the challenging and turbulent market space with a need for quality products to gain their marketplace. Developing relevant software applications seems like the only option left. When nothing feels right turn left!
Some of the Software Development Industry Stats to consider:
- 2 million software engineers in the United States in 2015
- The employment of software developers is projected to grow 21% between 2018 and 2028.
- There are 5.9 million android software developers and 2.8 million iOS software developers around.
Custom Software Development – The What and Why Part
The term Custom Software also known as Bespoke is nothing but an application developed to suit a business, in particular, to fulfil specific objectives. Now let us consider the why part.
Software development cannot be defined in a particular way I mean it can be conducted in several forms like website development or mobile application development, software tools, back-end development, API, cloud computing, embedded system and more according to Vishal Shah, He is Technical Analyst in a Software Outsourcing Company TatvaSoft.com.
Often times I am being asked which industries can use custom software? Well, do you think any company including the tech giants such as Google, Amazon, Airbnb, Netflix would make it work or be successful without having custom software? Guess not! Now let us focus on the “why” part.
#1 Tailored to address your brand’s exact needs and specifications
One of the most obvious advantages of conducting a custom software development project is your end product is created on the basis of your needs and specifications. Of course, you may come across numerous ready-made solutions around but do you think they will always work or help you ace the race. Probably not! Because every business serves a different purpose so should be their software development projects.
A custom software development is done only with your business in mind, which means it can include every requirement you need to succeed.
#2 Personalization
It’s not only you but your clients do get to experience a rare sense of personalization. There are companies who prefer read-made solutions because they are quite cheaper but that doesn’t mean they are effective enough. In case, you are searching for some long-term solution make sure to shell out for more money than they anticipated with ready-made software.
Although customized software solutions have higher upfront costs for development and execution, they don’t require long-term recurring fees, which often make them far less expensive over time and that’s not even counting the likely increase in return on investment!
#3 Compatibility
Most businesses prefer an architecture model where all the outputs are generated by a specific procedure. I am pretty sure you must be well-acquainted with the fact that having a smooth flow of information is pretty important while streamlining your business model. Every time using different processor packages, third party apps or gadgets can definitely disrupt the data flow.
#4 Support & maintenance becomes easy
What makes a custom software a cut above than off-the-shelf is that there is no limit to how long your custom software solution will be maintained. However, that’s not the case with commercial, ready-made software.
Here we are talking about ownership of the software. If the company that developed it decides to stop making and supporting the software, there is not much you can do about it. If that happens, your only option is to switch to another software and that alone takes time and money.
When you are using bespoke software, on the other hand, you can simply contact the software development company that created it for you in the first place and ask for a specific update or modification and they will get on it.
This can go on for as long as you want to use that software and you are not tied down to any licenses.
#5 Security
One of the major concerns for many B2B and B2C companies, data access and security concerns affect many end-users in the market today. Everyone is willing to ensure their transactions are safe and secure at all times. If that’s not the case, then there are high chances of you losing your competitive edge in the market. By choosing custom software development, the power is totally in your hands and you are the one deciding which data-security technology or protocol to follow.
What to do When Choosing a Custom Software Development Company?
Of course, the concept of custom software development cannot be explained via just a post but here I would definitely like to cover things to consider when choosing a reliable custom software development company.
To be precise, here we will be talking about outsourcing a custom software development company. What are the key factors in successful outsourcing and how do you find the best outsourcing partner?
First and foremost, it is very important for you to understand that here you are not hiring just one professional but hiring an entire team of software developers for your project. So never hire the first person whose resume lands on your lap.
Down below I would like to mention a few pointers that will help you in analyzing the most credible outsourcing partner.
1. Know the IT gaps you are typing to address
As soon as you figure out that there is more work than people available to do it in your business, it’s time you need to get through the situation. First what needs to be done is capture your needs and priorities, and review them with your existing team in mind.
You’re looking for the best match between potential outsourcing projects and existing skill sets and bandwidth. What remains are the gaps which must be filled in! As soon as you have identified these gaps are a key input to your outsourcing partner selection. After this, you can drill down further and define which technology stacks you need help in, whether they’re established stacks, such as Java, .Net and LAMP, or more specialized technical skill sets.
Let me explain with the help of an example, you have set a portfolio of existing software systems which you would like to keep on improving and simultaneously you have several applications to build in the upcoming year. What to do? Well, you can allow your team to handle some of the work and leave the rest by outsourcing a software development company.
2. Search for Software Outsourcing Companies – Testimonials, Blogs, Portfolios
Isn’t it obvious that your next step has to be looking around for outsourcing software development companies but hangs on! Here’s the big question – where to get started! What to exactly look for! Googling vendors seems to be the easiest option, but is it? Well, it can be if you are being specific by using technical keywords and avoiding long phrases. This trick definitely helps in narrowing down your search result.
Try paying some close attention to who they are and what they do, do not put them on your list of potential candidates just because they came to you, but on the other hand, don’t cross them out straight away.
Once you find a reliable outsourcing software development company, do visit their website and go through it. In addition to which you can also consider,
- Testimonials – Software Development Companies, in general, tend to publish their clients’ testimonials on their websites or previously mentioned firm catalogues. Client reviews will give you an idea of the collaboration process and the vendor’s relationship with previous partners.
- Portfolio – Do take a close look at their portfolio and case studies. They usually include detailed descriptions of their previous works, functionalities, technologies used.
- Blog – If you are an avid reader companies blog say a lot about them. You can easily judge how much technical or business values they incorporate. In fact, This is a good source to look into when reviewing specific developers.
3. Choose the ones who are customer-centric
Do you think businesses or business deals should be limited to a contract? Of course not! Human behaviour is something that must be taken in technology transactions as well. It doesn’t matter whether the service provider is rich or not, make sure he is able to offer superior tech solutions and expertise. Above all, customer service is one such aspect that cannot be ignored at any rate.
So be very careful while choosing an outsourcing software development partner to make sure he is customer-centric. Because if he is not then the business relationship will get affected and which will result in release delays.
I have come across several vendors who want to make some quick money and have a short term business goal. Association with this kind of service provider could be a disaster for your business.
An ideal provider partner should have a comprehensive reporting process to monitor progress and display transparency about what the team is doing at any given time.
Have you Figured out your Approach yet?
Yes, choosing an outsourcing software development partner does require an approach and having the right approach will take you to the right place.
#1 Price-Oriented approach
This one is the most commonly used approach, especially by the first-timers. Keeping price in mind you tend to choose an outsourcing software development company. The cheaper the better is the mantra. The budget has a huge impact on the final decision here.
#2 Experience-Oriented approach
Like I said before, price is not everything especially if you are looking for some long-term software outsourcing development project. If you need help with UX you will look for partners with experience in website design. Moreover, you can think of choosing a vendor that has [previously worked with several companies within the same industry as you.
What’s more? You can think of choosing the outsourcing software development service providers by focusing on the main technology of expertise. Also whomsoever you choose just make sure that your service provider communicates clearly and has a great understanding of your needs.
Conclusion
No matter what approach you go for just ensure that you feel at ease working with the chosen outsourcing software development company. I hope you enjoyed reading the post. In case, you need any further assistance regarding software development, feel free to get in touch with us.
Interesting Related Article: “How Outsourcing Can Transform Your Amazon FBA Business“
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