How to select a web development company?

“We've got an Indian company presently developing and designing this site and we're just not terribly impressed with what we're seeing. We need people with an element of imagination to really imbue the website with something unique” – Wale.

Wale was someone like you who visited our website and enquired with us. There is nothing worse than starting a project and then realizing that you have ended up in the wrong place. Let us help you in selecting the most appropriate vendor for your project.

Apart from assessing the infrastructure and the capabilities of your prospective vendor, the following are the aspects that you need to check while selecting an offshore web development company.

See the portfolio

Experience counts. If you are browsing through the website of a web development company the first thing that you should be looking for is the portfolio section. Check the portfolio section for:

• The types of projects that have been undertaken
• Number of projects completed
• The type of clients, big or small, that has been served

The portfolio of a web development company will help you decide on the first hand whether you want to do business with them or not.

Do they have experience in handling outsourcing projects? Probe the website to find an answer for this question. Experience in outsourcing matters a lot because your vendor is not at an easily reachable distance. This involves a lot of risk and you'll surely not want your work to reach the wrong hands.

See if there is an element of passion for work

There are lot many companies who offer web development and website development services. Would you choose a company who are ‘just another web development company'? There is one mistake that outsourcer's make forgetting the long term purpose. For the sake of marginal cost savings, they end up selecting the cheapest service. But this would be at the expense of quality. Would you make such a compromise?

See if they have a carefully defined web development process

Whether you are looking for a small project on web design or a complicated web application development, you must make sure that your vendor company has a well defined web development process. Having a process is critical because a lot of nitty gritties go into web development. Without a clear cut process, you'll find your project going messy.

Probe into Information Security Policies

No one needs to tell you about this aspect of outsourcing. Of course, countries like India have stringent security measures to ensure confidential information security. But it is in your hands to make sure that the company you choose to do business with has proper security policies.

Before getting into the details of your project, make sure that you sign a confidential Non Disclosure Agreement. This agreement will have a legal binding on both parties to ensure information security.

Also assess the infrastructure of the vendor company. Check if they have proper firewall systems, secured VPN and network, and restricted employee access systems.

Check references

If you are buying a new car, won't you ask the opinion of those people who have used that car? Same here. Ask the clients of the vendor company about its reliability, credibility, professionalism and work efficiency. They will be able to guide your decision making. Don't forget to browse through the ‘client quotes' on the website of your vendor company.

Ask for a Single point of contact

At the beginning of the project the vendor company will assign one person to whom you'll explain all your requirements. In between if the company assigns another person for your project, you'll have to start everything from the beginning. What a waste of time and effort! Ensure this does not happen to you. Ask you vendor company to assign one or two persons who will be completely in charge of your project.

Clarify on legal issues

Hold on. Don't worry. Outsourcing is not all that scary that we are speaking about legal issues right away. This is just to make sure that you have enough insight and are prepared to outsource your work.

The laws governing outsourcing are different in different countries. To make good for this, you'll need to ensure that the contract that you sign with your vendor covers all the legal aspects. Make provisions for all possible legal disputes.

Be clear on how to manage your outsourcing relationship

For any vendor company getting an outsourcing project is a great thing. But how do you proceed from there? The project has to be completed and finally both the parties must benefit from the association.

• Look for those companies who are committed to building a long term relationship with you.
• Engage with an ethical outsourcing partner
• Make sure that your partnership does not put a burden on your profitability
• Assess the time frame of your project and ensure that your project does not lag.

Ask yourself

You will get a lot of tips about how to evaluate your prospective vendor company. But you need to throw light onto how you and your organization are prepared to handle the outsourcing project.

• Are you someone who knows in and out about the requirements of your web project?
• Do you have a Request for Proposal?
• Do you know what all goes into the development of a web project?
• Is your organization technically equipped to co-ordinate the outsourcing project?
• Are you someone who'll allow flexibilities to your project?
• What is the ROI that you intend to get through your web project?
• Is your organization equipped enough to co-ordinate and handle outsourcing?

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