How does one go about choosing a company to develop a bespoke software development in the UK and how do you choose which company is right for the project and your company? Well, the following checklist will help you choose a UK software development company that is the best fit for your needs.
1. What type of custom software would you like to have developed?
Are you looking for a mobile app, an enterprise application or an e-commerce platform? This critically important question will help you get the best company which can do the specific job. Most companies are good at developing one of these things – some are exceptionally brilliant in developing mobile apps. Some are renowned for their proficiency in developing enterprise applications. You need to ensure that the company you choose is competent in developing the type of software you require.
2. Do they offer a service which meets your requirements?
The next check with help you understand if this company has the capability and infrastructure needed to execute your custom application development project successfully. The answer lies in their prior experience. Try to find out if they have any prior experience in developing custom apps like yours and if so, what was the project scope and how long did it take to complete? To ensure that they can offer a complete service package, ask them questions about their capability for mobile app development, native app development, mobile application testing and mobile user interface (UI) design. These are core aspects of mobile app development and ensure that the company is competent in offering the complete package for your project.
3. Do they have a satisfied client portfolio?
A custom software development company which has developed successful bespoke apps should be able to show you some of its previous work (ideally, all projects should have been successfully completed). If they are not able to show you a portfolio of successful projects, then this means that they don’t have the capability or resources to develop custom applications.
4. How do their software developers work?
To find out how streamlined and efficient their processes are, ask them about the code revision process for new programmers on their project teams. Find out about the number of hours they need to complete a project, how are their expenses calculated, do they have flat rate billing process? The rule-of-thumb is that the more streamlined and efficient processes are, the better it is for your company because you will get solutions faster without any extra expense or lengthy development cycle.
5. Have they worked with clients like you before?
To find out if they have worked with clients like you before, ask them specific questions about their work in previous projects (the more the better). Their answers should give you a fair idea of how familiar they are in building your kind of custom application. If the company has not worked with clients like you before, it would be better to look for another company which has prior experience in building custom applications like yours.
6. Do they have an established client relationship?
An established client relationship is the foundation of any good company-client relationship where both parties ‘know each other’ and can rely on each other for mutual benefit. Discuss their client acquisition strategy with the company’s client manager to find out how it works. The main factors which will affect your decision are; how long they have been in business, the number of projects executed successfully, the number of clients acquired (existing and new), their marketing strategy and customer service process.
7. Are you comfortable communicating with them?
This check is important because it will help you determine the level of comfort you have with the company’s management, development team and project managers. Discuss your requirements with them to gauge this factor. You need to ensure that your communication is comfortable with them since you will be communicating on a daily basis.
8. Is their pricing competitive?
This is an important factor in any software development project since it will affect your profit margins. Compare their pricing with other companies to ensure that you are getting the best deal for your money. Ensure that there are no hidden costs.
9. How do they handle project management?
A custom software development company which has a good project management process ensures that you will get the best results with minimum hiccups and interruptions so it is critical to ensure that their processes are efficient and streamlined. This is where your comfort level comes in play again since you will be discussing project status on a daily basis.
10. Do they have good rapport with their clients?
Since you will be working on a day-to-day basis, having good rapport with the company’s management, development team and project managers is an important factor to consider. You must ensure that your relationship is comfortable with them since you will be communicating on a daily basis.
