As your business successfully sails through the teething phase and starts to pick up, you are likely to feel that the standard MS Office tools or an off-the-rack ERP software are inadequate for your growing business needs. Each business has its own set of requirements, operational complexities, supply chain limitations and client base. Therefore, every business needs a software solution that is tailored to fit its requirements. This when most firms look out for a third party software company to get software designed for their business needs.
Outsourcing a software development project to a professional company is always a good idea. This is because your business might not have the required expertise and capacity to pull it off on its own. However, outsourcing will only be worth it if you can get the output that you were expecting. Many new businesses who are relatively natives and are not well versed with the tricks of the trade often get fooled by the wrong kinds of software companies. Here are a few fundamental mistakes that you should not make when you are hiring a software application development company.
Price versus Value
There is no doubt that business price and budgets have a vital role to play in business decisions. However, your business decisions need to be driven by the Return on Investment and not the cost of investment. In simple words, you need to focus more on value for money rather than focusing on getting the cheapest possible product. Imagine you waited weeks for your new software application while you were glad you got a steal deal, but you realize you are turned in a sub-par product at the end of the day. It is always better to consider the price of your new software application as an investment and evaluate how well it can pay you back regarding revenue generation, cost-effectiveness and overall profitability of the business.
Communication is The Key
One of the most common mistakes that many new entrepreneurs make is to go missing in action after they have outsourced the software development project. This is the biggest blunder that you can make. Remember a third-party is developing something scratch so that it fits perfectly with your business demands. It is imperative that you are involved, or at least connected at every single stage of development. Thanks to the advance Internet and Communication Technologies, you can now easily communicate to remote locations even via video conferencing. Make sure you are in touch with your software house and are well aware of how the project is heading.
Post Development Tech Support
Imagine you bought a shirt from the store and you find a defect after you went back home. You will expect an after-sales service. The same principle applies to software trade. Most entrepreneurs are not tech savvy enough to fix any bugs or glitches on their own. A post-development tech support is vital. Always make sure that your contract has a clause that holds a company liable to provide after sales tech support.
