Every great idea needs a well-crafted plan and loving people to see through it. Or else, it remains a dream.
Similarly, in business, you need a partner who will help you develop your product and its growth starting from the scratch.
A tech-partner, who will not only meet but exceed your expectations.
Considering the importance of a tech-partner, doing your homework before choosing the right- tech solution is vital.
So, in this article, we have explained how to choose a tech-partner who's willing to help you achieve those goals.
1. Surfing the waves:
"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together"
Not everyone agrees with this but you've probably heard about tech-partners and tech vendors, it implies the same for them.
Tech-vendors deliver the product or a piece of technology as service as a whole whereas tech-partners deliver product, service by being an extension part of your business.
In other words, look for a partner who'll go beyond the services to help you develop your business by providing expertise, resources, support, etc.
Keeping that in mind, it's important to choose a provider who'll be willing to surf the waves along with you, rather than standing aside aloof.
2. Understanding the game:
While it can be tempting to only focus on the app, a perfect partner will also understand your client's business and what problem is the app going to solve.
While choosing a proper partner for your business solution, you may be trapped by tech-vendors who'll state that building the app is all that matters. However, an ideal tech-partner would do justice by understanding you and your client's entire business.
Look at it like: You want an online solution for your business; a tech-vendor may provide you with an eCommerce solution whereas a true-tech vendor will first ask you questions about your business, your clients, and then will look for the problem that needs to be solved considering different factors like targeted audience, the competition, different user personas, metrics and KPI's, etc. and eventually will suggest you with the best possible solution.
A great technology partner won't just focus on technical sides, instead help you grow your business considering it as his own.
3. Slow Improvements:
If products are difficult to use or unreliable, this is a warning
The market is growing rapidly and so must the partner's product grow.
Look out for your partner's product development pattern. Do product updates, functions and functionalities meet your toughest challenges? Do the vendors quest for being the first with trendy tech?
Is the complexity of the product skeptical for you and your clients?
If you're paying for a product, it's not your work to make the user's experience simple.
It’s the work of your partner/ vendor to make it easy to use and those that don't care about your feedbacks and improvements are likely not interested in a long-term success.
Remember, tech-partners who commit to market driven innovation to solve problems will give you a top position in evolving market.
4. Proven results:
Practically, everywhere you'll find software development companies sharing a bunch of case studies, testimonials, and references.
Of course, they will provide you with a lot of help but inquiring with a future technology partner about the list of clients and their portfolios you can skim through is essential.
In addition, you can evaluate the vendors understanding of their solution and its performance based on your business's bottom line.
As you combine your data metrics with their KPI's, it's important that your tech provider is able to articulate the corresponding ROI.
5. Transparency
It's important to have an open-line conversation with your tech- partner. This includes the product requirements, goals, resources, development, support and maintenance - a complete development phase.
If a company is not ready to give you access to development stage or status updates, you should look for a more transparent technical partner to work with.
However, a tech-vendor may give you a complete solution but a tech -partner will involve you in analyzing the goals, targets, processes and activities that were successful and as well the different improvements.
6. Maintenance and Support
One thing that companies fear is being left out after product launch.
Steer your tech vendors and ask them how they will help you with the maintenance, marketing, and analytics.
If your vendor moves aside claiming we don't have anything left to do once the product is delivered, then it's a red flag.
Don't get into their words of swearing that product would never have a down fall and don't get carried away with their cool features without thinking about the overall perspective.
For instance, tech partners will undergo many digital changes together with you.
They will always be available to assist you and would also keep the system updated with the latest technologies and fixations.
7. Designing a custom solution
Companies who only look for a solution in front of them with a simple cost-savings get easily targeted by mere vendors.
These solutions fail to focus on long-term relationship and overall use of customers, sales, and other users.
Mere- vendors may force you to pay for customer service or forgo it all.
Even they may trick you into a solution that's not well suited for you.
Look for technology partners who'll provide you with the customized solution as per your business.
Where mere-vendors may trick you into purchasing an entire solution, a true-tech partner will suggest you the solution tailored for your business.
A solution, that you can increase with your increasing business.
Is this tech-partner a perfect choice?
Ask how tech-partner will handle your growth, your business?
Do they've functionality that you may need in future?
Are they easily adaptable to new technology?
Can they meet all your needs?
If the answer is no - then that means you need a wider functionality provider tech-partner.
A vendor may provide you with some solutions today but new technologies can add complexity to your business in the long run, so what about the future?
As you mull over the information you gather, ask a single question, Can this tech partner meet all my needs?
That's the key to your business's success.
With the right partner, it's going to be exciting and perfect. Stay ahead of your customers expectations with a real partner. i.e. IntelliSoftwares®.
We at IntelliSoftwares would love to boost your business with top quality features.