Hiring SaaS development companies can be an intimidating prospect because of the number of options you have. What kind of company do you look for? Do you outsource it to companies overseas or right here in the U.S.? How do you find them and make sure they can deliver what you need? This guide on how to hire a SaaS development company will help you find, screen, and work with the right company so that your product becomes more than just an idea; it becomes a reality.
Build a shortlist
The first step in hiring any service provider is figuring out which providers you want to work with. To do that, make a list of everyone you think would be good for your project and write down what you like about each one. Think about how much experience they have and how well their portfolio speaks to your needs. Next, narrow down your list by reading reviews or contacting other customers. Doing so will help you vet candidates—and find out if they’re right for your project—before talking too much money with anyone.
Get recommendations from colleagues and friends
If you have friends or colleagues who are working with software developers, ask them for recommendations. Make sure that you get references and at least five contact details so that you can schedule interviews. Ask if they’re happy with their choice of software developers, how long they’ve been using them, and whether they would recommend others do business with them in future. For example: Hi Sarah. You introduced me to developer Dave last year when I asked about virtual apps for our sales team. How is he doing? If it looks like things are going well, proceed; if not, take notes on what went wrong and why you should avoid working with them in future.
Read online reviews
Before you even think about picking up the phone, start doing your research. Check out reviews of potential candidates on independent sites like G2 Crowd and Clutch. These sites feature crowdsourced reviews from real users that can help give you an objective sense of how companies are viewed in their industry. You’ll also want to check review sites like Yelp or Better Business Bureau (BBB) if you see some local businesses pop up in your search results. Note that online reviews aren’t always completely accurate and may be heavily skewed depending on whether or not someone was happy with their experience, but they’re still better than nothing!
Create a list of criteria for shortlisting
It can be difficult to know where and how to start looking for a development company. One way is by creating a list of criteria that narrows down your choices and make it easier for you to select an expert who fits your requirements. The basic factors that you should include in your search are: staff size, previous experience, proficiency in technology, creative approach, references from other companies, reputation and price-quality ratio. An experienced software company will understand what you expect from them, so provide clear guidelines of expectations at every stage of project during development phase. Once you have made up your mind about which one’s best for you then proceed with business proposition preparation after discussing over all these points mentioned above.
Get an expert on board (to get accurate estimates)
It’s always easier to get an accurate estimate from someone who’s an expert on your product or service. And that’s especially true for software development, where it can be difficult for newbies and non-technical stakeholders (like clients) to estimate timeframes and costs. When you have little experience hiring developers, turn to fellow entrepreneurs or other trusted professionals who have been through it before. They might even know someone they can refer you to—saving you valuable time and resources.
Negotiate with the developers
If you’re working with an outsourcing firm, one of your responsibilities is ensuring your project moves forward in a timely manner. Your development team should be able to meet deadlines and complete their work on time, which helps ensure things run smoothly and allows you to maintain some semblance of control over when your application launches. If things start running late or managers don’t respond well to constructive criticism, it may be time for you to consider finding a new firm.
Select which one you want to hire and enter into an agreement
Once you’ve decided on a contractor, it’s time to sit down and sign an agreement. However, if you’re doing things right, you should already have one in place before getting into serious discussions with your new development partner.
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