You, landing on this page clearly denote that you are ready to take the mobile route and expand your business’s reach to active mobile audience. Plus, you’re looking forward to the opportunities that a mobile solution can accord you with.
You might be an entrepreneur with an idea like Instagram, WhatsApp or Uber popped inside your head, which you look to grant life to. Or, you might be running a business from a decade, which needs wings to fly across geographical boundaries. Whoever you are, the mobile solution can benefit your business in the uncanniest way- enabling you to discover new horizons of success. So, what is the wait for? Enter the wild and make most of the opportunities on offer.
Numbers tell the growing story
According to the stats, revenue generated by mobile apps will overshadow multiple domains in the years to come.
The statistical report states that in 2012, global mobile app revenue was approximately 18.56 billion US dollars, which is expected to rise to 76.52 billion US dollars by the end of this year. This incredible rise invites multiple businesses to switch their ways and adopt modern mobile way to prevail and excel in the market.
So, now when you get to read the stat showing real potential of this mobile domain, it’s time to dive in the ocean of possibilities and make something amazing right now. For that, you need a proficient app development company, which can take care of behind the scenes operations.
How to get started?
You have two options, either you hire experts and form an in-house team or you can look for an experienced app development agency to get associated with. The former looks daunting as the process of hiring a full-fledged team of professionals is no joke. While the latter seems to be a feasible option, especially if it’s your first mobile app.
You need to find the fittest of all from a variety of service providers keeping in mind certain aspects that’ll define your app’s success.
Following are the aspects that you need to keep in mind while selecting the right mobile app development company,
- Understand your app’s requirements
It might look obvious to all, but only some understand it for real. In majority of the cases, discussion with the professional service provider ends or halts abruptly due to the vagueness of the idea. You might have the concept in mind, but only vaguely.
Make sure the concept is clear with requisites on the paper before you head towards discussing the concept with the technical partner. Answer the probable questions for clear understanding and making up your mind for the ultimate phase. The possible questions that require answers at an early stage include the following:
- What is the purpose of the app?
- What features you want to include?
- How it’ll benefit the user?
- Which problem of the society does it address?
- What is your targeted user base?
- How scalable is it?
- How do you plan to monetize?
- What is the expected ROI after two or probably five years?
- What is the current market scenario (domain-specific)?
No problem if you are not able to answer these questions precisely, at least have an idea about the same and document it. The picture will get clear once you discuss your thoughts with the mobile development team. They can further suggest ideas or cases to be considered required to make it big and alter your answers accordingly.
- Budget estimation
Next is allocating the budget to the project. Since you are unaware of the fact that how much does a specific feature costs, the best way to learn the same is by speaking to the technical consultant. Based on the industry norms, standards, feature list, size and complexity of the app, a tentative value can be known. For your knowledge, here is a quick estimation of building industry specific apps:
- A normal quality app costs around $20,000,
- An enterprise app ranges from $30,000 to $55,000
- An app like WhatsApp will cost you around $60,000
- An event app is expected to loosen your pocket by $20,000
These figures vary depending on the functionality, features, complexity, time, resources and size of the app in addition to the app development firm you get associated with.
- Stay away from Google
The pool of mobile app development companies is huge and if you wish to find the desired technical partner, then you need to ditch Google.
While searching for the perfect mobile development company for your business, don’t trust Google results. The ones topping the charts are keyword friendly and might lack in real mobile proficiency. There can be companies with excellent client satisfaction, produce quality products and still not rank in the search results. If you are looking for an SEO agency, then you could probably rely on the Google’s first page search results.
So, it is advised to skip Google results and look for service providers within your network or approach app owners whose app fascinates you the most. There is possibility of that app being developed by an in-house team but in majority of the cases, the app is produced by a third party mobile agency.
Ask for the referral and if the agency was really good and impressed the client, they’d readily reveal the name whom you can contact for further assistance. Business referrals are hard to come but if the agency has done quality work in the past, the client won’t hesitate in referring new business opportunities to them.
- Partner that fits the bill
Now with a handful of options left, you can interview them as per your wish. You can fire any question their way whose answer can help you infer their capabilities and competence. Feel free to ask queries and clear all your doubts at the start, ensuring you two are on the same page. Make sure that right questions are being asked and you don’t fall in a lucrative trap formed by their low pricing or enticing maintenance support.
Ask for the portfolio and not just the portfolio because the agency might have built amazingly pleasing apps, but if they haven’t attracted good revenues and traffic, then they are waste for an app owner like you.
What do you want at the end of the day is more users, more revenues, right? Hence, covering the same aspect ask the mobile agency to share those success numbers with you prior to app development. And, if in the past, they have achieved extraordinary numbers for their clients then it’ll just be the beginning of heyday for you.
Interview the team who’ll be working on your project. Companies might introduce you to their best employees in the beginning but during the course of the development they tend to switch employees with the ones working on hourly and cheap rates, in short outsource the project to a cheap development firm. Take note of the same by knowing the set of members who’d be responsible for design and development. Also, make sure you directly communicate with them instead of a third person. By doing this, misunderstandings won’t creep in and the development can be carried out in a smooth fashion.
- Take the final call wisely
After scrutinizing each aspect and verifying the mobile agency on your terms, it would be all set for a perfect kick off. You’d feel comfortable with the offered proposal and happy with the way things are turning up. The agency might be really good, trustworthy and has a reputed name in the industry as well. You’d be ready to wave the green flag for them to start working, but wait, look for someone who can evaluate the proposal and its worthiness.
Look around in your network and surely, you’d find someone with considerable hands on experience in project development or is a senior person working in a reputed company. They would be more than happy to help you on this front, especially if you could offer them a fee. This fee would be one of the best investments you can make before investing the hefty sum in the entire app development.
If you don’t find such a person in your network, then find them on LinkedIn. Because this is as crucial as any other aspect of the app development. Before you commit to something make sure everything is fine as per your desires, legit and abiding the standards. Ensure you choose the agency that suits your requirements even if it’s not the best in the industry.
Closure
After enough research and evaluation, you’d have a good idea of choosing the right agency for your needs that can believe in your vision and has the potential to produce a game-changing product. It’s time to make the right move in making your million-dollar idea, a reality. Don’t hold back and trust your instincts and get the thing rolling.
Manish Jain
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