7 Factors That Matter When Evaluating A Software Company to Hire in Canada
15 Apr 2022 | Software Development
15 Apr 2022 | Software Development
As more software agencies come into the market, finding a perfect software company to hire is becoming more challenging.
Whether you want to build a new software application, a powerful web app, or a general digital solution for your company, you need to find an agency that will align with your goals and vision.
Because if you choose a subpar company for your project, it will cost you a lot of money, energy, and time that you could have otherwise dedicated to the growth of your business.
There are many software development companies in Canada, and it can be very daunting to pick the best.
Even if your scope is only your city, say you want a software company in Calgary, it is still challenging.
Do you think of hiring a vendor to build your software? Here’s what to consider when evaluating software agencies.
Let’s dive right in.
Before making a deal with any software company in Canada, the trustworthiness of a company is the most significant factor to consider.
Measuring the credibility of software vendors involves checking their expertise, trustworthiness, and dynamism.
Some companies are new to the market, yet they can create credible relationships between developers and users to ensure maximum user satisfaction.
More so, if a company can pay attention to your needs and can show their ability to deliver the same to your company, consider hiring them for your project.
To assess the reputation, expertise, and generosity of a software firm, here is what you can regard:
Another factor to consider when hiring a software development agency is the scope of your project.
How will the scope determine the agency to hire? You wonder.
Scoping a project is paramount because it helps define what you want to get from your desired software company.
Scoping is a way to let software developers know what you want and your overall expectation for the software that you want to build.
Different firms use different methodologies in how they work on your project. Every software development company in Canada has a different level of strength at every stage of your project’s development cycle.
For example, if you do not have a scope for your project, you may have to choose a firm that can do it for you.
If you have clear expectations of what you want to get, you might choose a firm oriented to project execution.
So, the level of how much you know of what you want determines the agency you will hire to work on your project.
There are a lot of aspects that have changed about software development in the last few years. Modern development cycles are significantly becoming shorter and more adaptive to changes with time.
Agility is the ability of a software firm to provide short, built-in feedback cycles to allow the software development team to adapt to your needs as they build your software.
With agility, you do not need to get it all right at the start. Moreso, you do not have a limited timeline on when to check progress or add new ideas to it. This way, you don’t risk getting a low-value application.
The traditional Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) does not support the agile perspective on software development, so it is more rigid and has little leverage for adapting to modern software paradigms.
You may hire a new software development firm with the ability to adapt to changes rapidly and have top-notch communications, or you pick those companies that still use traditional models for their software development cycles.
There is nothing as worst as hiring a software company that has below the standard in customer support.
You will waste time waiting for them to check your ticket. Even after waiting, you may risk getting your request tagged as a low priority when it should be urgent.
Many software development companies in Canada indeed excel in what they do.
However, how about their customer service?
Let’s say you pick a company to build a web app to manage your employees for your company. In a few weeks, they deliver the best app to your expectations.
The app is intuitive and works as expected. Weeks later, you want to update the status of workers on leave, but the update button is unresponsive.
You shoot a long email to the company’s support desk explaining your problem. A few hours passed, no response. Two more days passed, no reply.
You feel helpless.
You wanted a quick fix, but no one is responding. Later, you receive an email telling you to wait for 72 hours as they are busy working with another application.
The lesson?
You realize that good customer support for any software company you hire should be a top priority.
Whether it is the technical support, onboarding issue, or just troubleshooting, you don’t want to choose a company that takes years to attend to you.
A dedicated approach to customer service must be admittedly unbeatable. You should check to see if their vision embodies a customer-centred philosophy.
Software companies who care and understand their customers are so special that hiring them is the wisest decision you can make, even if you are sure you won’t need their support later after the service.
No matter what you need or how you want it, there is always a price that almost suits everyone’s budget.
If you have a big budget, you will enjoy plentitudes of choices for the software development companies to work with for your project.
If your options are minimal because of a much lower budget, you will have to do more research on the few companies that can accommodate your price.
Software companies that charge less may still be young and have fewer reviews. So, you will take more time to consider other factors before hiring them for your projects.
Budget affects the complexity, conformity, and uniqueness of your software application.
The nature of the software application that you want determines how much you need to pay for and for whom you will choose to build your software.
For example, software with more functionality is more complex and expensive than simple applications that any company can handle.
Therefore, the more your budget shapes the type of application that you need, the more you will have to hire a different software company for your project.
Many companies nowadays provide several services in tiers that give flexibility in terms of budget, timeline, and scope.
Recently, more companies are adjusting their options to fill the unique preferences of each of their customers.
It is no surprise that a software company in Calgary may personalize your software requirements based on the following variables:
Budget and timeline: If you have a fixed budget or delivery time for your project, a software company may work with you to see if it is ideal for what you want.
Otherwise, you will work with them to see the features to sacrifice to accommodate your budget or timeline.
Full feature functionality: Some software companies may ask you to outline all the features you need to make for a complete and quality application. Then they will suggest an ideal budget and timeline for your project.
Software viability: To achieve the best within a limited budget and timeline, you may want an application with basic features. These features are necessary for your application to work known as the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Then, you can add more nice-to-have features anytime at an extra cost.
While a single company may give you all the flexibility you need, it is noteworthy to know that not all software companies provide such.
Choose the companies that provide more alternatives to your software requirements to get what you want with ease. You also have to check that they are the most ideal options for your software solutions.
The value proposition for every company is different. Many software companies offer the same pricing and expertise for the services you want, yet the value you get will differ from each one.
Measuring the value of a company is the hardest thing to do when evaluating a software company to hire, but it is the most rewarding factor when you get it right.
If you have already identified a credible company with the best pricing and great customer support service, you’re halfway through then.
From there, determine the company’s value by evaluating its brand.
Find how the software company describes itself through their mission, vision, brand strategy, or any other statements that summarize why they think you should hire them over others.
Then check if they follow through with what the brand says about them.
The more the company’s description clicks with what you want, the chances are you should hire them for your next project—unless you found out that they don’t follow through!
Even though there are countless software development companies to hire in Canada, the paralysis of choice can set it when you want to evaluate the best.
To pick the best, you need to consider the factors that focus on your situation and the company’s ability to deliver the best software project that meets all your expectations.
