Software outsourcing companies have been around long enough to learn how to get flexible; this means that their services can now cater to startups and smaller companies, by serving deliverables that are equally small in size and frequency. But what makes a software outsourcing agency particularly suitable and reliable enough for a startup?
Here, we explore how startup needs differ from that of larger and more established businesses, when it comes to software development – and how to spot an outsourcing partner that is ideal for startup needs.
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All organisations irrespective of size are constantly in a race against time, to ensure their customers remain satisfied, and they stay relevant in a marketplace that is highly competitive. However, startups differ in certain key ways from their more established enterprise counterparts, owing to a variety of reasons that range from being new to the market, to facing challenges around brand recognition.
Here’s a laundry list of the factors that affect startups, and how each of these impact their software development requirements.
Unless it’s a startup that has been able to amass much funds following multiple investment rounds from impressed investors, the typical startup is bound to be constrained – in terms of manpower, budget and even time. During phases such as these, the right software outsourcing partner will be mindful of any such constraints, and be resourceful as best as possible to facilitate deliverables. This may mean recruiting only a three of four member team, as well as building an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) during early product launch.
An MVP especially becomes all the more crucial, as both parties want to curb wastage in terms of budget, time and efforts as much as possible. As an MVP makes teams commit only to the most essential of functionalities with successive versions being released based on candid feedback from users, software outsourcing companies and their clients both benefit from reducing the time it takes to market the product, while also staying within budget and deadlines.
The typical stage of infancy for any startup involves long working hours on the part of its small team, with each team member wearing multiple hats in order to stay resourceful and keep things progressing. This infancy stage is also the most vulnerable, as fluctuations in customer demand, the economy, or other hits of any sort are bound to cause more strain within an already constrained environment. It may be easier to sail through when times are better, but during the lows, startups need to buckle up tighter, so to speak, in order to keep things afloat.
Additionally, this also brings forth the importance of keeping the lows at a minimum – both in terms of quantity, and duration. At this precarious stage, software outsourcing companies need to be open to scaling down as required, while delivering what’s necessary to propel the objectives of their startup client forward.
Whether this means pausing the hire of offshore AI developers that may have been on the pipeline for any AI efforts, or reducing monthly commitments to cloud-based infrastructure, a responsible software outsourcing company should be willing to identify solutions even during the toughest of times to keep things progressing, as opposed to forcing a hard stop.
Startups can experience bursts of growth, especially once sufficient brand recognition is achieved and increasing customer numbers lead to a surge in sales. However, things can go the other way too, if stagnant or dwindling customer numbers cause repeated losses for the company. From a software product standpoint, how can software outsourcing partners support their startup clientele?
This can be done in multiple ways, which include (but aren’t limited to):
With more factors at stake for startup companies as opposed to their better established, larger counterparts, a number of items need to be considered in order to determine whether a software outsourcing agency prospect is a suitable fit for the business model and culture of said startup. Additionally, startups that have already partnered with a software outsourcing agency can still revisit these points of consideration from time to time, to ascertain whether their project continues to stay well aligned with customer preferences and overall business objectives.
Such items of consideration for startups include:
By staying vigilant of your software outsourcing partner’s level of responsiveness, quality of deliverables and their willingness to adapt to a change in needs based on the pointers above, your team can gauge both the longevity of your project as well as of the working partnership.
The software outsourcing industry has become flexible by leaps and bounds, enabling even the smallest and most boutique of startups to avail their services. However, the constrained nature of most startups entail high fluctuations, which demand the need to scale up or down with utmost flexibility, on the part of software outsourcing companies.
For this reason, startups need to be mindful of the software outsourcing agency they partner with. Gauging whether an agency partner is willing to work with constrained budgets while being open to scaling down even further is one of the biggest indicators of a reliable and competent partnership, among other factors such as undivided attention and consistently personalised service.
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