8 Things To Consider When Selecting The App Development Company

Ever since WHO announced COVID-19 as a global pandemic, consumer behaviour has changed across the planet. Not only consumers but changing workforce policies to include a hybrid culture that balanced stay-at-home workforce and office employees has revealed technology gaps in the operations. Regardless of the size, organisations are forced to re-evaluate their business model and incorporate digital transformation as a strategic priority to deliver the right customer and employee experience. Resultantly, they are upgrading legacy systems and introducing new platforms to become digitally focused.  

At the same time, the pandemic has made businesses realise that mobile presence is imperative to survival. Mobility, like always, is redefining how industries operate. However, tapping into the market where mobile-first companies already thriving requires extensive planning and the right technology partner who understands your business and its challenges. Choosing one such mobile app development company is daunting.

To help you, here we have prepared a list of factors to consider to make the right decision. 

Recommended Read – How To Hire An Android App Development Company?

1. Area of Mobile App Development Expertise And USP

The first thing to look for in a mobile app development company is expertise and the USP of their services. Expertise doesn’t just imply their catch of iOS and Android app development practices but also their ability to add value to your project. An expert mobile development company holds in-depth knowledge about the domain, requirements and challenges that businesses in your domain face and the traits of the target audience that helps them deliver the right mobile apps.  

Their expertise is backed by industry acclamation via series of awards and recognition. The right mix of talent, expertise and practices deliver to you an app that creates your value in front of the target audience, attracts loyal customers, and builds your credibility. 

2 . Portfolio of Past Projects to Get a Glimpse of the Quality

Go through the website of the app development company and check for their portfolio. Start with analysing common problems their customers face and how expertly they address them with their mobile app development services. Move on to download some of these applications delivered by them and evaluate the look and feel. Investing time in this will help you ensure that your users receive nothing but the best experience. You can also check for the applications delivered for the businesses in your niche to get insights into how well they understand your business and customers. Analyse if the technologies they have implemented make sense to the current industry trends and if they have a certified team in the advanced technology.  

In a nutshell, you would want to rate them based on the following metrics: 

• Type of mobile apps delivered by them 
• Clients they have served and if they belong to startups or enterprises 
• The complexity of the projects handled by them 
• The user experience delivered by the mobile apps 
• Technologies they have expertise in 
• Portfolio of the mobile apps in your niche 
• How did they add value to the projects? 

3. Reviews and Testimonials of the Past Clients

Seeking the right customer experience for yourself is also crucial. If the company boasts of being a game-changer in the industry, it does not necessarily mean they offer a delightful experience to you as a client. To ensure that you don’t fall prey to their expensive market tactics, research their clients on the internet. Check for the recognised client feedback portals such as Clutch.co, GoodFirms, and more to see what their clients are talking about. You can also check for these clients and find a way to connect to know about the policies followed by the mobile app development company and how it adds value to your interaction with them. Ensure how the mobile app development company follows seamless communication models, and do you ever get a chance to stay updated on your project progress.  

4. Mobile App Development Process

Companies have diverse mobile app development methodologies that they use to build the applications. While some brands operate on the traditional waterfall model, others have switched to the agile methodology to boost their services. With an average failure rate of only 8%, the agile methodology helps companies build better solutions for their customers and ensure the highest satisfaction. A survey has found that over 68% of organisations state faster product delivery is one of their critical drivers for agility. 

General steps of mobile app development include: 

• Step 1: Requirement analysis with business analysts 
• Step 2: Scope freezing 
• Step 3: UI/ UX engineering 
• Step 4: Product development 
• Step 5: QA and testing 
• Step 6: Deployment 
• Step 7: Post-launch support 

While choosing a mobile app development company is wise to communicate your expectations and understand how their processes will keep them aligned to your goals.  

5. Engagement Models that You Can Choose From

Engagement models are the mode of cooperation you choose to build a relationship with the mobile app development company. Every company offers a different engagement model, based on how you would want to hire them. Key options for engagement models include: 

A. Turnkey Engagement Model

Also known as the fixed price engagement model, the turnkey model works on the principle that once you have shared your requirements, the company would serve you based on a fixed price mutually agreed upon in the initial stage of development.

This model would suit you if you have one of the following requirements: 

• Short-term projects 
• Projects with a well-defined scope
• For assigning test tasks to the developers 

B. Time and Material Basis Model

As the name suggests, you pay the mobile app development company based on the time consumed for the development in this model. The hourly rate on which you are charged is mutually agreed upon initially. The service provider raises invoices at regular intervals based on the contract.

This engagement model will be right if you have one of the following requirements: 

• Unclear requirements or specifications 
• A long-term project with dynamic needs 
• Need more flexibility 

C. Dedicated Hiring Model

If you want to hire a dedicated team for your project, a dedicated hiring model is best-suited. The payment is made on time, and material basis, where you pay for the chosen development resources based on the hourly rate agreed upon at the start of the project.

You would find this model relevant if you have one of the following requirements:  

• Looking to extend in-house mobile app development team 
• Unclear project requirements 
• Want more flexibility 

6. Team Structure Offered

It is essential to understand the team that would work on your project and the experience they hold. Make sure the company that you hire offers you comprehensive information about the resources working on your project and enables you to choose.

Generally, you would need the following people in your team: 

• Requirement analyst 
• Project manager 
• UI/UX designer 
• iOS app developer/ Android app developer (For Native apps) 
• Cross-platform app developer (For multi-platform applications) 
• QA tester and engineer 

Communicate your goals to the team better and make sure they understand your company challenges and goals. Hire a mobile app development team that can do full justice to your project. 

7. Ability To Help You Stay Relevant In Technological Industry

Launching a mobile app is not the last stage. It is where the value addition begins. You could bump into runtime snags, and the challenges of highly demanding consumers can often make it obsolete. Not only this, the bizarre technological arena keeps evolving, introducing a new technology that steals the show. If you don’t upgrade with time, you naturally stay behind on the competition curve, and your mobile app ends up adding to the crowd. What’s the solution? 

A mobile app development company that goes beyond development and helps you adapt to changing marketing demands. Make sure the mobile app development company you choose keeps abreast of the technology trends. This will go a long run in keeping you relevant to the market trends.  

8. Post Launch Support And Value-Added Services

Although many fail to notice, post-launch support and value-added services are equally essential to ensure your mobile app thrives in the market. Let’s understand both aspects in detail here: 

Post-Launch Support 

Applications hit runtime snags even with the most efficient development and QA done. Not only does it impact user’s experience in the long run, but it also affects the company’s bottom line. To ensure that this doesn’t come in the way of your success journey, it is wise to check for post-launch support when you hire a mobile app development company. This ensures that your application is up to the market standards as well as seamless to operate. While some app development companies offer complementary support for 1-2 months after deployment, others may have different policies. You can also always hire the company on a contractual basis to cater to your support requests.  

Value-Added Services 

As we said, deploying the mobile application is not the end. You would also want it to reach your target market and bring the results you had in mind when you built the application. Make sure you hire a mobile app development company that also offers services such as expert digital marketing and, precisely, App Store Optimization to help you place your brand to the right set of customers. 

Take-Home Message 

The new normal is ubiquitous now. The organisations must understand that they are competing with each other now, but with mobile-first enterprises thriving. Having a mediocre app does not only cause your reputation to take a downfall but also costs you investment in terms of time and finances. Having the right technology partner by your side can give your mobile app development project the direction and expertise it needs. Rate the mobile app development companies on these metrics, and the one with the highest points is the one you need.  

If you are looking for a mobile app development company in the UK, Matellio can help. Not only we are one of the highly-rated technology partners, but we also enable our customers to leverage cost-effective services with a quick turnaround. To know more, reach out to our team here.