Steps to hire the best mobile app development company

It seems that nowadays anyone and everyone wants to launch or develop an app. Companies are seeing real potential to increase brand recognition and revenue with apps, and the majority of companies are trying to push out their own apps even though many of them have no idea how to make one. But with dozens of apps being released on a daily basis it must be a fairly easy endeavor. Or is it?

Ask any enterprise business what their app development turnaround time looks like and you will most likely be greeted with frowns. A recent statistic showed that approximately 85% of enterprise businesses are facing an app development backlog. When mere 6% of all enterprise believe that they have the necessary in-house technical talent to develop their apps from start to finish, it is no wonder why so many are facing a backlog. To magnify the headache, those companies who are facing development delays are not just necessarily dealing with a single app, but up to twenty.

When those figures come into play you can easily see how the problems increase exponentially. What the market is currently facing is an enterprise mobility bottleneck. So many apps that need to be built and shipped but not enough people to do it. Sure, most companies tend to lean towards hiring a developer or programmer and investing in them and making them part of the team. But it takes time and resources to find the right candidate. And once they’re found it can take six to twelve months or more to onboard them. If you’re a company that is looking to ship ten or more apps, then you don’t have the luxury to wait while a developer is found and gets up and running.

More and more, companies are outsourcing their mobile app development. These companies have the human and technical resources to bring an app to market. Those new to hiring mobile app development companies are understandably shy to pull the trigger at times. After all, for many businesses this is virgin territory. Taking an app from idea to paper to a functioning program is hard enough, and now they are being asked to get a third party involved.

AppFutura was born out of this concern to connect people in need of outsourcing their app development efforts to reliable partners all around the world. By asking the right questions and taking certain factors into consideration, navigating the world of app development companies can be fairly easy and straightforward.

A good company

When looking for the right mobile app development company treat the search like you would treat any other professional service. References are always a good place to start and a legit mobile app dev company should be more than happy to provide you with a list of satisfied clients. In fact, at AppFutura we like getting to know the companies we work with and we make efforts to find references on them as well, so keep in mind we can help you through the selection process as an impartial third party.

Asking them what phone and apps they use may seem like a simple and even silly question, but lends a ton of insight into the mind of the developer (you can also review our interview series to the top mobile app development companies for that!). Think of it this way, if you are looking to create an Android app then wouldn’t you want your developer to be an Android Jedi, and is intimately familiar with the OS, the Google Play Store and any similar (or competitive) apps? Finally, money. Make sure that they know how to implement the revenue model you have in mind. Will you be charging consumers to download the app? If not, then your developer must be versed in in-app purchasing, ad integration and setting up subscriptions.

Before signing on the dotted line, make sure that you know exactly the kind of mobile app development company you are jumping in bed with. Their AppFutura profiles are a great way to find out a lot of information about them. Know the details of their operation as best as you can as factors, such as company size, employee count and experience will give you an idea regarding the efficiency of their operation, response and delivery times, and finally redundancies in case of disruption of work.

The value of experience

Experience matters. It shows that the company or professional knows how to build an app to a client’s specifications, ship it on time, and on budget. But, that is only half of it. The truth is that developing mobile apps requires agility. It requires a mobile app developer to adjust with the ever facing landscape of the mobile app world, to be current and up to date with the latest and greatest. New blood, or freshers, add their own new spin on things and usually attack projects with youthful passion. Since they are new to the workforce many of these freshers can be had for a fraction of the cost of seasoned pros. The answer therefore, lies in the middle. Integrate new talent with veteran developers. Let the energy of the former infect the latter. And, let the wisdom of the latter cascade onto the former.

Review

Do your due diligence before giving your hard earned money to just any old developer. Yes, you should always contact previous clients of theirs to only ensure that jobs were completed but always to get a feel of how the company interacts with a client. The AppFutura profiles include validated Business Cases with review from clients, which are a key aspect for you to understand their client satisfaction rate. Ask for a list of apps they have developed on Apple’s App Store or on Google Play. Download and play with the apps if you can. Then ask yourself: How does it feel? Does it work? Does it convey the message or brand? Do people even like it? The number of downloads as well as the feedbacks on the app are priceless pieces of information.

Should you outsource your next mobile app development project?

If you’re still on the fence on whether or not to partner with an app developer, ask yourself these questions. Does my company have the dedicated resources to produce the app(s)? Does my in-house development team have the agile capabilities required to adapt to changes in technology and market? Do I even have the talent required to pull this off? If you hesitated for even a second, you should seriously consider an app development company to run with your project. Sure it may cost you a pretty penny and you may have to take a small leap of faith, but the likelihood that the app be completely will be significantly higher. Not only that, but you also have the potential to expand to new platforms and be in a position to build a lasting (and hopefully profitable) relationship with the developer. Moreover, keep in mind that AppFutura will be here to support you throughout the complete process to ensure you get what you need. You are not alone!

Outsource close or far?

In the days before the internet, headaches arising from outsourcing overseas or to different time zones can only be avoided by meticulous planning and timing. These days, a developer from Bangalore, can work in unison with a coder from Korea to produce a report for someone in California, and all without missing a beat. The key is to set rules, define standards and expectations, and above all stay in constant communication. Efficient communication has proved to be a key factor in the success of any professional relationship when outsourcing. Make sure you hire someone reliable in this department as well. This may seem hard at first but just look at how fast someone can respond to a Facebook post. Today’s technology allows multiple developers from multiple geographic locations to work simultaneously on a single project. It’s simple; outsource near or far as long as everyone is communicating and it gets done on schedule.

Why hiring an app development company?

We can all agree that freelancer have their perks. However, AppFutura believes companies can be a more reliable partner when it comes to outsourcing. Unlike freelancers, companies have the infrastructure in place to meet your needs and tackle the various challenges along the way. Most importantly, the manpower a company has allows you to make your app grow in the future in countless different directions. Finally, it will provide you with the safety of knowing that there will always someone occupying the position in charge of your app.

Protect your money

Yes, you have to get that app out as soon as possible. Yes, it is important for you, your business and maybe even your investors for it to see the light of day. But you know what else is important? Your money. People often overlook this simple fact when dealing with outsourced developers. Often throwing caution to the wind and simply giving developers (both expensive and inexpensive alike) their money and then hoping for the best. This seems silly, but there are countless businesses out there that shelled large sums of cash and have been stuck with a non-functioning or, worse yet, non-existing app. Use the AppFutura escrow payment services to protect the transaction side of things. As a third party, AppFutura will essentially hold the payment until the developer has completed the task they have been contracted for and you confirm it. For the developer it is a sure way to get paid as long they hand over the deliverable.

Are you a mobile app project owner? If you are looking for the right place to publish your project, you can post it here and check our directory to find top mobile app development companies worldwide.

If you want to know more about how to hire the best mobile app development company for your app project, you can join our forum discussion about this topic.