How to Hire A Mobile App Development Company

For businesses to stay on top of the competition and boost business growth, a mobile application is a must. Mobile apps can help extend to the new markets and reach out to all those who can be your next clients. Unfortunately, the mobile app world is rapidly evolving and the rules are constantly changing which means that building a good app is getting more and more complicated.

Even if you have a business and you are an expert in what you do, it doesn’t really mean that you might know how to create a mobile  app. The fastest and easiest way to get an app is to hire a professional team of developers who can build an app for you. Here are the things to consider when looking for a mobile app development company:

Prepare the Project Requirements

Before turning to any company make sure you have all project requirements prepared beforehand. It can be a detailed technical specification or just a brief project scope description.

Consider the following points:

• do you need an app to extend your current business or you want to launch a new startup company – a well-developed business has its brand image and your app should reflect it, while a newly established company has to build its brand and app image from scratch;
• which business goals does your future app have to accomplish and how should it do that – this will help you to focus on the key functionality you need to include in your app;
• who is your target audience – by defining your target audience you can better understand how to launch your app marketing campaigns and how to develop your product after its release;
• which essential functionalities and technologies should mobile app developers embedded in your app – this point determines the type of mobile app you need to create and the budget involved in the app development.

Inevitably, it should include such important information as the target audience of an app and the business goals you are trying to reach. It will further depend on the type of an app to be developed (native, hybrid or cross-platform). It is crucial as it determines whether you as a business and your users can get the maximum benefit from the app. To choose the right type of an app, you can check out our Native vs Hybrid App Comparison.

When choosing an app development company, examine what types of applications they can develop and make sure their offer corresponds to your business needs. If you need a native app (iOS, Android), you should be looking for a team that has a clear understanding of the guidelines for building native apps. If you need a cross-platform app, make sure the company you’ve chosen has the needed programming stack and experience in cross-platform app development. If you are not sure what type of an app you require, turn to the app development company for a consultation.

Check out the Portfolio

The second thing you should do when looking for an app development team is to check its previous experience in the area you require. If you spend some time researching how long they have been in the business and what they specialize in, check their client portfolio and references, you will get an understanding of the team’s skills and capabilities, and the company’s reputation. For example, if a company has been developing mobile apps for more than 10 years and has most positive reviews from its clients, then the cooperation with such a company will most likely allow you to get a high-quality app.

The portfolio of work should include similar products to the one you want to build. Once you find the matching apps to your solution, you need to:

• look at the specifics of the developed app;
• download the apps on your gadget and check if they run smoothly and are popular among their users.

Besides that, check the chosen companies’ Tech stack, which services they provide, and what features they can include in your product. For example, if you need to develop a mobile app for digital banking, the candidate company should have extensive experience in working with FinTech and Banking-as-a-Platform services.

Also, check the case studies, even if they aren’t related to your project and years of experience. This will help you to understand how long the company has been offering its services and if it’s successful in the market.

Ask for References

The next step is to make a shortlist of the chosen companies. Look through all the candidates you’ve chosen and make a top 5 list of the best ones. Now, it’s time to get in contact with them.

Before the first call, make a list of questions you would like to clarify. These can be the questions on Tech-stack IT companies can offer to build your app, a team of specialists with resumes and portfolios, communication tools, and references.

References and testimonials from previous customers can provide you with valuable insights on the working style and team qualifications in the chosen IT companies. You can call the former clients and ask them for feedback or find the testimonials on specialized IT sites such as UpWork, Clutch, Github, LinkedIn.

Read the Reviews

A reputable development company will be transparent in displaying client feedback, even if some of the reviews are negative. Many of them have been in this business for a very long time and have acquired a great number of customers. Though you may be impressed with the client portfolio, try to find out how many years the company has been engaged with its clients. It will help you to understand whether the company is committed to long-term relationships.

Ask the company for direct recommendations. Reach out to their clients and ask if they were satisfied with their service. This can potentially help you hire an experienced team and have a mutually beneficial partnership.

Make Quality a Priority

Don’t let price drive you. When you start searching for development companies, there will be a multitude of companies charging different prices for relatively similar services. Staying within your own budget constraints, let the development team’s expertise and experience decide whether or not they are right for the job.

Consider the risks. In the long run, it may be more profitable to hire a company with a higher pricing level. Cheaper service may result in lower quality, so, if you want to get a high-quality product you may want to go for a slightly more expensive service.

Check Team Size and Expertise

Check the potential size and structure of the team. If you need 15 iOS developers check how many of those a company has and will it cover your needs.

Besides that, learn about other specialists you might require, like designers. Creating an app is not only about coding, but also building a fully functional interface with user experience in mind. The team might also include a Project Manager and QA testing specialists. Sometimes a Business Analyst is required if the project’s requirements are not set. He will analyze the needs of the customer and help to prepare the technical specification document important for the further development process.

Make sure the development team has a full set of skills required for the successful project implementation:

• Learning skills: the team should be interested in doing projects with full dedication and upgrading themselves with new technologies.
• Communication skills: the team should not only have expertise in the technical field but also get timely updates on the tasks.
• Technical skills: team members with non-technical expertise should be aware of the technology that you want to use in your app.
• Decision-making skills: once you have technical problems with your app, a team that has good decision-making skills can provide you with a workable solution.

Conduct an interview with the team members and ask them about all those skills as well as previous experience on similar projects.

Build A Relationship

Any service should be purchased with the intent of working for a long term. When choosing an app development company, search for the one that will truly understand the way your business works. Search for a reliable development team that will be interested in your business and the outcome of your cooperation, not just in the development process.

Building a good relationship with the company you’re hiring is so important because you might need them again later (you may need some upgrades over time). If you really succeed in building a strong relationship with the development team, they may go the extra mile and come up with actionable ideas to help improve your app.

The number of companies offering app development services can make you feel overwhelmed and confused. That is why it is extremely important to thoroughly assess the options. A good mobile app development company should have considerable technical expertise, good communication skills, proven history, and a passion for what they are doing. Only a professional team can bring your app idea to life, so it’s crucial to choose wisely.

For having strong professional relationships in your future mobile app development team, you need to choose the company you feel comfortable working with. For this you can:

• have face to face interviews with each team member you hire in your team;
• if you have a remote mobile app development company, then visit them for real-time offline communication;
• get engaged in the development process and ask questions to the project managers and team members.

Company managers should be ready to explain in simple terms how the app development process is going and solve the working issues politely and in a friendly manner.

SCAND has more than 10+ years of experience in mobile app development and has a proven track record in providing custom mobile development services for our customers across a variety of business domains. Contact us to see what we can do for you!