The importance of technology integration into business in the contemporary business world is now unanimously accepted and acknowledged. In the era of globalization where the world has come together as a closely knitted community and operational successes are driven by speed and efficiency, cutting-edge technological tools become a key to business success. For these reasons, most businesses today are jumping on to the app and software bandwagon. Replacing manual operations with software allows for speedier communication, efficient operations, better customer engagement and better database management.
When it comes to switching to a software, a client has a choice to either buy a ready-made software off the rack or get a customized one that is designed to cater the specific business needs. The benefit of buying a ready-made software is that it is relatively cheaper since they are designed for the mass market and are tried and tested for quality and efficiency. However, they are only good if your business is in its teething phase or is small scale. If your business is growing and has its own set of unique demands that cannot be catered to by an off the rack product, it is always a wise decision to invest in a customized software. A customized product might cost you a bit more than the regular off the rack software, and the development and testing phase may require some time but the benefits that it will bring in the long run makes it worth every penny.
In order to get a customized software for your business, you will have to hire a customized software development company. Most businesses dealing with third-party software development companies assume that since they are already paying them for the job, they have little to supervise and research and they will definitely get what they are looking for. Unfortunately, this is not the ground reality. It is true that you outsource the software customization project to a third party because they are better equipped to handle the task, however, still, a lot can go wrong if you do not choose the right software company. Here are a few things
Number of Years in Business
When you are trusting a company with something as crucial as software development, it is important to see how long the company has been in business. This because you will be relying on the company for a lot of important elements such as an efficient software that fulfils your business needs, timely delivery and confidentiality of your data. A software house which has been in the business for quite a while with a proven track record and a good client portfolio will be more reliable compared to a firm that is new and has a new team to handle clients. Moreover, firms that are old are in constant process of improving and upgrading their systems while the new ones are still in the initial phases. This means that you are more likely to get a better quality product and service from an established business than from a relatively new one.
Technology Expertise
Technology is a very broad field with a diver scope. The company that you are working with may have worked with only one or few technologies or may have a diverse portfolio. The more diverse their technological expertise, the more suited they will be to handle a complex set of tasks. However, if you feel that your requirements focus on a certain technology only then you may choose a company whose primary expertise lies in that particular technology.
Project Portfolio
Just like technological expertise, a company may have either a diverse project portfolio or a focused one. The projects may belong to different industries and may have different levels of complexity, a project portfolio will help you to assess how effective they can handle complicated tasks and whether they have any expertise in handling projects that are similar to yours.
Accommodating Changes
Technological requirements change dynamically and there is a chance that you might want to have some changes made in the project during the development process and much after you have turned in your brief for the order. It is important to consider to what extent the company can accommodate changes at the later stages.
Post Development Support
When you buy any product, there may be times when you might require after sales service or assistance with your product. This stands true in case of technology products as well. In fact, when it comes to technological products such as customized software or applications there will be a lot of stages when you will need the company to assist you with the support and maintenance. For off the rack software, you can still find some degree of troubleshooting online. However, if you are using something that was customized for you, you will need consistent support. It is very important to consider that to what extent your software company is willing to provide you with post-development service.
