Hiring a mobile app development company is a big decision. You need to find an agency that is both technically competent and understands the marketing realities of your vertical. Failing to do so can lead to a host of issues.
In this post, we look at some of the mistakes to avoid when hiring an app development company.
Mistake #1: Going Too Cheap
CEOs and senior managers know that keeping costs as low as possible protects their bottom line. But trying to go too cheap is often a recipe for disaster and leads to false economies. When you go too cheap, you spend a significant sum of money on an app, only to find that it isn’t fit for purpose.
Where possible, balance skill with the price. You need affordable professionals and developers who understand the needs of your vertical and the technical aspects of app development. A minimum level of expertise is vital if you want to avoid paying better developers to solve the app’s problems for you later on.
Mistake #2: Only Using Local App Developers
In some cases, it makes sense to use local app developers, but rarely. What you really want is the skills and knowledge to create a compelling app on your behalf.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you use developers from your home town or the other side of the world, so long as they understand your brief and can execute.
Mistake #3: Failing To Interview App Developers
Businesses can get the impression that mobile apps development is an off-the-shelf solution, just like accounting services or blogging. But taking that view could mean that you’re missing out.
Yes – there are turn-key app development solutions out there. But high-quality app development is always a dialogue – a to-and-fro between you and the developer.
Direct communication allows you to keep tabs on progress and lets you explain what you want from the app more fully. You’re also able to determine whether the developer is a “culture fit” for your organization.
Mistake #4: Trying To Move Too Fast
While you want to get your app out to users as quickly as possible, moving too fast is a mistake.
Proper app development takes time. It’s not something anyone can cook up in the space of an afternoon. It requires proper consultation and testing to get right. And that process can often last many weeks.
If a mobile app developer tells you that they can have an app ready by the end of the week, run away. Development timeframes on that scale are simply unrealistic. No matter how skilled, nobody can put together a well-tested and comprehensive app in a couple of days. It’s just not possible.
Mistake #5: Choosing A Developer With No Experience In Your Vertical
Ideally, the app developer you choose should have experience in your particular niche. You want somebody who already understands the sector in which you operate and knows what your users want.
Sometimes, app developers will miss the goalposts by a wide margin and develop an app for the wrong kind of user. App developers that build retail investing apps, for instance, probably don’t have much insight on how to make a shopping app for women’s clothing websites. It’s just not in their repertoire.
Mistake #6: Hiring Developers Who Can’t Develop Across Multiple Platforms
Think about the many ways your customers interact with your business digitally. You have people coming from all over the place, using a variety of devices, supported by mutually exclusive vendors.
Given this fact, it’s wise to hire app developers with cross-platform experience. There’s no point getting an Android-only developer to create a program for you if half your customers use Apple devices.
Before agreeing to anything, check that your developer can create an app for both Apple and Android at the very least. Ideally, you also want developers who can synchronize your app across the cloud and incorporate it in emerging IoT applications too.
Mistake #7: Failing To Consider The App’s Long-Term Support Requirements
Very few businesses stay the same for long. Most go through massive changes over the years. And that means that their apps require regular updating.
Some app developers will simply churn out the vanilla version of the app and then expect you to keep it updated. But if you don’t have the in-house skills to do that, you can find yourself stuck. Always choose app developers who can partner with you over the long-term to support your app as your business model changes.