Web Development Can be Confusing, Here’s 4 Tips to Get the Most from Your Web Development Company
Web developers aren’t all the same. And neither are you the same as other businesses in your industry.
If and when you make the decision to hire a web development company to build you web-based software applications to help your business processes run more smoothly, you’ll want to be sure you get exactly what you want.
Seems obvious, right? But what’s the best way to work with a developer?
Follow these easy tips when collaborating with a web developer to design your purpose-built business software:
- Make sure they truly understand your company. Not simply your type of company. A web development company worth their salt should spend a lot of time getting to know you. If you’re feeling like they don’t get you or are just trying to treat you like one of their other clients, you might want to schedule a meeting with them so you can clarify who you and your customers are and why you need a custom web application. Otherwise, it may not end up being truly customized.
- Be honest with them. If your web development company is going to be able to help you be successful, you need to know thyself and be open with them about your company’s challenges. The more you can tell them about the nature of your pain the better they can customize your purpose-built software to make it go away (or at least lessen it).
- Make a solid plan. A good web development team will do this for you. Once you’ve gone through the discovery phase with them and they understand you and your specific needs, they should come back to you with a clear map to success. Don’t let them tell you they’ll get back to you with a solution in a few weeks without one; they may come back to you with a big fat lemon, and unless you’re in the cold beverage industry, that’s no bueno. Time and money are lost.
- Test and test some more — then tweak and tweak some more. Before your custom web application goes live (i.e., you and your employees and/or customers start using it), make sure that you and the developers have tested it thoroughly in both a production and live setting. Your purpose-built software may need some adjustment to function properly. And even after you’ve been using it for awhile, it may need to be tweaked based on ongoing user feedback. Be sure your web development company will be there to support you all along the way from testing, tweaking, and beyond.