Imagine yourself in this situation. You spotted the most sophisticated and perfect piece of furniture online. It’s a 4-drawer cabinet that’s supposed to be a gift for your mom. You hit the “buy” button and you literally cannot wait to get it and put your hands on it.
And so it arrived, but instead of a cabinet that’s already put together, you’re left there with an assembly guide and a million of intricate pieces that remind you of puzzles.
If you hadn’t called a specialist to help you out, you wouldn’t have made it on time before your spouse came home.
The above analogy perfectly describes the app business environments. With the only difference – the price you pay if things go wrong.
Expectations vs reality of the tech world
Despite being well-equipped with developers, many companies often suffer from a skill-gap when it comes to in-house app development. They start realizing this gap only when
they are already knee-deep in a project.
The never-ending developments in the tech industry and the ever-growing demand of new digital products leave companies with no other choice but to invest in their own apps – be it web or mobile. Here’s a little knowledge refresher from 2017 - take a look at the Statista’s list of the most outsourced IT services with software web and mobile app development being the leader and software app maintenance the runner-up.
And as long as businesses understand the need to have their own app, they are also often faced with doubts before beginning the project – whether to employ an in-house development team or outsource the project to an outsourcing company.
In-house app development risks
Have you ever considered the risks that come with building a product in-house? Even if you know what you want to build and you have your own in-house team, there are many things to consider before making the final decision:
Are there enough developers on your team?
Do they have the right skills-set?
If not, how much will it cost you to hire more experts or train your team?
Can your company afford a bad reputation associated with a bad product?
When app development meets outsourcing
The answers to the above questions will further clarify your decision-making process. However, as of 2020, over 44% of chief intelligence officers say that they are more likely to use outsourcing suppliers than they were just five years ago. So let’s take a look at why you should outsource your app development rather than build it in-house.
Expertise
If you want to build an app that runs on several platforms and functions well, you will need a team who can write highly-quality code that will include C++, .NET, Java and more, and cover at least Android and iOS. On top of that, software houses most often have UI designers to prepare the user interface with a great user experience, and testers to ensure high-quality in your product.
Hiring a professional app development software house equals hiring knowledge backed up by years of experience. You hire a perfect blend of skills that are needed to build a great product.
Cost efficiency and transparency
We all know how competitive the tech industry is, right? Right! And because of that, software houses often offer services at lower costs. Some of them can even decrease the cost of a demanding project to eliminate the competition while still maintaining high standards.
Plus, outsourcing companies offer whole project packages with detailed quote breakdowns that come at affordable prices. That saves you from large overhead expenses, ensures hassle-free scalable teams, and services that come after the release as marketing or customer service.
Your own dedicated team
A lot of firms offer dedicated software development teams that are instantly available to start working on one project only and therefore accelerate growth faster. Such team adapts to your individual needs, processes, and tools right away. Keep in mind that hiring a developer can take up to 42 days and take more than $4,000 out of your pocket.
Also, in this model there will be no shortage of developers. If the company handles several serious projects at the same time, they need to have a team for any kind of emergency. This approach allows both sides to finish a project and solve problems on time.
As a matter of fact, many outsourcing firms even encourage their clients to hire a dedicated team to take care of their projects only. They even provide a Project Manager as a process guardian. This is a huge win-win to both sides, the client gets to handle and work closely with the dedicated team while the software house stays dedicated to every other project.
Scalability
Another underestimated aspect is the project's scalability. What if you want to expand the project's original scope? If the product is built in-house, will the outsourced team be able to take it over smoothly from your in-house devs? Probably not.
That's why once you decide to choose an outsourcing firm for your project, you can be sure that your product will stay fully scalable. A large team of developers can support it or even complete the project in a shorter period of time and under bigger pressure.
Superior technology
The competitiveness of the outsourcing app development industry and new companies entering that market has forced businesses that have been around for years to start offering the highest quality of development possible to keep their survival continued. This puts everyone in a position to keep adopting the latest tech trends in order to stay relevant to the market needs and always one step of the competition. This kind of approach ensures you that the level of services is at its peak.
The bottom line
The decision to choose between outsourcing and in-house is completely up to you, the cost and the risk. So before you decide, think about it twice and answer yourself: how high are your stakes? Remember that outsourcing companies are already in the public, and they can't hide anything from their future clients. Not even influence the positive feedback. They really have no choice but to keep up the high level of services through diligence and expertise.
