Today, technology is a dominant pillar in the success of any enterprise. No matter what industry your business belongs to, investing in the right software and tools is extremely important to stay ahead of the market competition. And here is when choosing the right customized channel software development partner becomes paramount.
According to the latest Statista report, investment in software and tools is anticipated to reach around $675 billion, showcasing an 11% increase from the previous year. If you have decided to leverage the power of the latest technology tools to grow your business, finding a software development partner is the first step.
What is a software development partner
The terminology ‘software development partner’ refers to an IT company or a group of IT developers proficient in company software development. The term is also used for a dedicated software developer who is an expert in developing SaaS products.
So, whether you are seeking a dedicated software development team to have single-handed control over the project or to collaborate with a reputable software development company for more efficient development, choosing the right company software development partner is a crucial decision.
A software development partner is mainly a technology outsourcing company hired by businesses or technology peers to reduce costs associated with developers’ hiring and technology set-up.
This outsourcing software development partner provides you with technical know-how, tools and fast-track development services at a slashed price. The developers have years of coding experience to build software from scratch and scale existing software applications for your business industry.
- A company software development partner can provide you with,
- A dedicated team of remote developers
- A new feature/functioning in the existing software
- A software Upgrade
- A Tech-support to migrate to a new and more advanced platform
- Dedicated technical support team
- A comprehensive Software Development
Why companies look for a software development partner
Collaborating with the right software development company can be a milestone for your company for several key reasons, as mentioned below.
- You have a short-term project and don’t want to hire in-house software developers.
- Your existing workforce lacks the expertise and experience in the latest tech.
- You don’t have the technology set-up required to scale or complete the project.
- You want to leverage the best industry experts to create an end-to-end bespoke software solution for your business without overheating existing operations.
- You want to complete the company software development project within the stipulated time and budget.
If any of the above purposes match your business requirements, hiring a software development outsourcing partner is indeed the best solution.
How to find software development partner: 6 easy steps
So, here is a step-by-step guide to choosing the right software development company for your project.
Evaluate the scope of the project
Well, before you go on searching the web to find a reputable Microsoft software development partner, take a step back. The very first thing to do is define your project scope in detail.
So, the following are some key factors that will help you evaluate your project scope.
Decide on budget
When creating the rough draft of your software development partner responsibilities, you must decide on a budget first.
Below-listed factors are key components to consider while deciding on the budget.
- Project complexity
- The size of the development team
- Type of features and functionality
- Target Customers and community
- Overall design complexity
- Technology stack
- Post-development support and maintenance
- Testing and Scaling
Choose better quality over cheaper quotes when deciding how much to invest in customizable channel partner software development. This approach will help you receive a high-quality end product.
Estimate delivery timeframe
Here is when you decide when your company software development project should be completed. If you lack technological know-how, you may find it difficult to determine the timeframe for your project completion.
But you need not worry. Your partner software development company can provide you with a project manager who can help you assess timeframes for all different parts of the project development. Some important events such as bug fixing, maintenance, finding and resolving technical errors, updating software and adding new features will also need to be counted while estimating the timeframe for your project.
Determine the type of outsourcing model
The next step is to decide how to outsource your partner software development company. There are several ways to do it.
Staff Augmentation: Here, you hire remote developers for contracted time to augment your company’s tech stack. These remote developers will work closely with your existing workforce. An in-house manager can easily administer the new app development partners.
Project-based Hiring: In this model, you don’t involve your existing workforce in the development process. Instead, you choose a software development company responsible for the complete development cycle. While this is a cost-effective model for companies with limited staff and short deadlines, the project’s success completely relies on selecting the software development outsourcing partner.
Location of the company
|
Onshore | Nearshore |
Offshore |
| Hiring resources from local software development companies from your own country.
Same language and Cultural understanding Hassle-free collaboration High Investment Lack of talented developers | Hiring resources from your nearby countries.
Almost similar language and culture Hassle-free collaboration Investment is lower than onshoring and more than offshoring Access to very limited high-quality developers | Hiring resources from a very distant country Language and culture differences may exist, however, many reputed software development companies in India don’t have these limitations Time zone differences exist Lowest Budget Access to the best and vast pool of app development partners |
Perform thorough research
Now that you clearly know your customized channel partner software development requirement, it should be easy to find the right nearshore app development partner. There are several ways you can conduct your search.
- Ask your industry peers. Your industry contacts may help you find some references for tech outsourcing partners.
- Write a post on your LinkedIn wall. This can also fetch you so many recommendations from your existing network.
- Google it: Use the most relevant keywords, such as software development company, web application development company, nearshore mobile app development company, software development outsourcing partner, etc., to find a huge list of companies matching your search.
- Trending platforms for company review: Platforms like Clutch, Goodfirms, DesignRush, Upwork and CrunchBase are some of the most reliable and trending platforms that offer reviews and ratings for many reputable software development companies. Evaluating these reviews will help you shortlist a few IT outsourcing companies.
At this point, it is essential that you shortlist a few companies before you follow the next steps.
Check company portfolio
You are already half past the road. You have a list of companies on hand. You want to choose the most potential candidate for software development partner responsibilities. Check all the projects developed by the company in the last two years in your niche. This will help you understand the quality of their work, the challenges they are capable of handling and their expertise relevancy for your niche.
Visit the testimonial page of their website to assess how the company’s software development partner is serving their offshore clients. You can also refer to case studies published by the outsourcing company to understand the specific technology and features they have worked on. Studying the company’s testimonials and case studies will help you ensure that the company’s services match your software development requirements.
For instance, the features and functioning of a healthcare app will not be similar to those of a real estate, eCommerce, fintech or any other industry app.
Get in touch and further map their expertise
Study the company website thoroughly to find out what technology services the company is offering. Get in direct touch with the company and if you are receiving the most relevant information drafted most effectively in a prompt manner, it is surely a positive sign. Suppose you are going to build a long-term relationship with the tech partner. In that case, communication is a key factor to success.
Next, set up an interview call with a team of software developers. Sales teams are always pro at delivering sales pitches but talking to the coders themselves will give you a real picture of the technical capability of the company.
Size of the company
If the company is too big and has worked with large-scale businesses over the years, there are chances that they may fail to ensure ample attention to small and medium-scale projects. On the other hand, if the company size is very small, they may not have enough experienced developers to work on all ongoing projects. Hire a software development partner with talented resources for all phases of the development cycle, such as business analytics, UI/UX design development, data management, support, migration, etc.
Understand their culture
Knowing the company’s work culture will help you gauge their business values. You may also get in touch with one of their old clients to learn more about the company’s work ethic. It is strongly recommended that you check the company’s reviews on Great Place To Work, it is an esteemed international authority to conduct employee surveys and gain insights into the company’s work culture.
How much does it cost to hire a software development partner?
Some of the most crucial factors that determine the cost of company software development include but are not limited to the type of software, experience of the developers involved, location of the development company, tech stack and the type of developers you are collaborating with. Here tech stack refers to multiple programming languages, language frameworks and tools the software development companies use to build an app or an IT solution.
A reputable software development company can charge anywhere between $25,000 and $75000 to begin your project. On the other hand, hiring a dedicated developer costs between $50 and $350 per hour. Always remember that an established company will have more resources and tech set-up at its disposal to fulfill your specific software development needs.
Best software development partner
As the demand for software development services skyrockets, new companies are emerging as IT solutions providers. But only some firms can be a right fit. You need to conduct detailed research to find a team of tech specialists who turn out to be the right fit for your business needs.
With a successful track record of over 400 projects for 30+ countries, ViitorCloud is a leading software development company. Our goal is to go beyond milestones to provide best-in-class development services. We offer a whole gamut of software development top partner programs to help you grow your business revenues.
Industries we cater to,
- Public Sector
- E-commerce
- FMCG
- Retail
- Logistics
- Non-Profit
- Travel and Tourism
- Domestic Services
- Hospitality
- Professional Services
- IT Infrastructure
- Education
To wrap up
Finding the right software development partner takes a good amount of work. As you can see, so many steps are involved in making the informed final decision. Factors like the pricing model, work methodology and location of the company will also play a crucial role in the selection process.
Have you visited our portfolio? Let’s get in touch!
Many factors such as cost, timeframe, technology expertise, IT infrastructure, company culture and size and industry relevance of the company matter in choosing the right software development partner.
Check the case studies, testimonials and previously developed products of the company to evaluate the ability of the company in meeting your software development requirements.
Some obvious cues are exaggerated quotes, frequently missing deadlines, low-quality software development, zero scope of scalability and ineffective communication. These signs signify the right time to change to a new software development partner.
Use your social and professional circle to find some good references. You can also check business communities like Clutch, UpWork, Goodfirms, DesignRush and CrunchBase to check reviews on top-notch IT outsourcing companies.
The role of a software development IT company is to provide you with an end-to-end development solution starting from conceptualization, design and development to the launch of the product. The best software development company goes beyond this and lends post-development support and scalability to ensure you meet your business goal.
A software development company first understands your business niche and the specific industry-related processes to help you build a bespoke IT solution that helps improve existing operations, enhance customer service and result in more sales.
