More people have access to mobile phones and WiFi than ever before. With this global landscape of mobile users, comes a great deal of new opportunities for ecommerce and services.
For example, over 50% of Amazon’s sales come from its mobile app. Without it, they’d be losing out on a lot of money. If you run a service-based or e-commerce company, but don’t yet have a mobile app, you are likely to be missing out on business.
If you’re considering having an app created for your company, you should first understand what to look for when hiring mobile app developers.
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Things to Consider
Across IOS and Android, there are over 5.7 million apps currently available. This signifies that the mobile app industry is highly competitive. As a result, to gain maximum exposure, your app needs to stand out from the others. The best way to do this is by developing a high-quality mobile app that properly serves its intended function. This means you’ll need to hire a first-rate mobile app developer. If your app is developed poorly, you could risk wasting money on large amounts of bug fixes. So hiring the right mobile app developers is imperative.
Independent Vs. App Development Company
In order to find the right app developer, you first need to decide whether you wish to hire an independent or app development agency. When you hire an mobile appindependent developer who works independently, you get a highly skilled individual dedicated to your project. However, a mobile application requires the use of several different technologies, and therefore skill sets.
As a result, an independent developer must act as a ‘jack-of-all-trades’, meaning their scope of expertise is highly limited. This is what distinguishes development agencies, like Idea Maker, from independent developers. At Idea Maker, we have dedicated experts working on specialized tasks, such as cloud services, backend coding, quality assurance and SQL integration.
When hiring an app development company, you’re able to take advantage of a varied skill set of specialists. This results in a timely development, and an app free from hard-to-find bugs easily missed by one set of eyes.
Portfolio
Before hiring a mobile app development company, you must first explore their body of work. This will allow you to determine if their expertise suits your needs. For example, you may discover that they have little experience working in your industry. Therefore, they could be underqualified to develop your app.
Inspecting the development agency’s portfolio will provide you with leads to their most recent software. You can then follow these leads to app stores and download their work. This gives you the opportunity to understand their development capabilities through first-hand use of their products.
Most mobile app developers will feature a portfolio on their website. However, in some cases, it may be worth reaching out to the company directly. This way they are able to provide relevant samples of work.
Customer Testimonials
The quality of both the customer experience and software itself can be determined through customer testimonials. App development companies will usually have a page dedicated to client reviews on their website. However, this page will likely contain only the best testimonials, and may not provide you with a balanced view of their services. Ensure on-site testimonials are externally verifiable.
Reaching out to past clients can help you to understand the quality of the developers’ previous work. You can either contact them directly or read through their reviews on customer satisfaction websites such as Clutch. Clutch works extensively to ensure client reviews are genuine. All users of Clutch must log in using their real Linkedin Account to verify their identity. In some cases they may even call and speak with reviewers, or investigate their social media to find client connections. This means that reviews on Clutch are honest and authentic.
Do They Have a Clearly Defined Procedure?
Working with a company that knows what they’re doing is a must. It may sound obvious, but not all development agencies have a clearly outlined process. At Idea Maker, we have a seven-step procedure for development. This helps you to understand exactly what you’re paying for, and how your vision is made a reality.
From the developers’ side, having a clear process allows for better project management. It means the development team is able to create a clear production plan and roadmap to completion, while avoiding unnecessary errors. This results in a streamlined process, leading to a high-quality mobile app that meets your expectations.
Cost of Development
When hiring a mobile app development company, it’s important to understand how much it will cost. This means asking for their package cost is a key step in finding the right agency. Certain packages, such as cross-platform development, may provide better value for money, so consulting the company on price can be beneficial to finding an agency that aligns with your finances.
Developing a stand-out mobile app can be costly, but when you’re paying for high quality it’s worth the price. Gaining a financial understanding of development fees allows you to better manage your budget, while helping you take advantage of the most cost-effective services.
Post-Release Support
Ensuring your chosen app development company is able to continue supporting you after release is important for the future of your application. Inevitably, your mobile app will run into bugs at some point post-release. If no one is there to fix them, you will be left with a broken app and frustrated users. The development agency of your choice must be able to provide post-release support.
Post-release support is a professional duty, one that we here at Idea Maker take very seriously. However, many app development agencies claim to provide post-launch maintenance but fail to do so when the time comes. One way to find out if they’re adequately providing these services is to explore their current client list and download their applications. That way, you can see if their apps still function correctly.
Idea Maker Mobile App Development
After reading this guide, you should now understand how to hire what to look out for when hiring a mobile app developer who fits perfectly for your project. Here at Idea Maker, we strive to help your business thrive through software development and make your ideas a reality. We offer bespoke cross-platform app development services from a team of experienced professionals that suits your needs. If you’re looking to create a successful mobile application for IOS and Android, schedule a free consultation with us today.