The software development industry is growing like crazy – and demands for application and web development are off the charts.
It’s amazing to see how many brands and even shops are stepping into the online world and thinking about reaching the fingertips of their target audience.
However, the increase in demand doesn’t mean that people fully understand the ins and the outs of software development.
That’s simply not the case.
In fact, all it means is that people understand that it’s a field that will help them have their own mobile application or a web-based application.
And that will ultimately help them make online sales.
That’s true.
But, is that why you are paying 10x more to software development teams?
Believe it or not, there’re a ton of reasons behind that expensive bill that you are bearing to get a mobile application or a web-based application for your brand.
Luckily you have landed on the right spot.
This blog post will help you save more money and smell the stink of unnecessarily expensive services from a mile away.
Here we go.
Reasons Why Software Development Teams Overcharge – And How You Can Reduce The Development Costs
Not Having A Well-Defined Plan
Having a well-defined plan doesn’t mean having a complete plan. Rather, it means that you at least know what features you want and how you want your application to operate.
The problem with most people who hire software development services is oftentimes they don’t know what they want – let alone have a plan.
That’s what gives leverage to software development companies
To be honest, at this point, you are at mercy of the software development company that you’re dealing with.
If they’re opportunists (let’s use a nice word – because why not 🙂 they’ll prepare a handsome bill because they know how to charge you.
But if they are honest and genuine, then they’ll help you understand the issue before moving into the development.
When we are dealing with a client who has a surface-level understanding of their requirements, we help them out through Online Meetings.
In these brainstorming sessions, we listen to the client’s understanding of their app and its features
Then we talk to them from a technical and development perspective so they fully understand the implementation as well.
How To Reduce Software Development Costs? | Forbes
Overloading The Development Team With Features
Okay, so there’s one thing that we know as ‘value addition’ – which is not the same as filling the rest of the chips bag with air.
What that basically means is when you, as a client, come up with a list of new & appealing features that the development team has to code and build, they reasonably charge you more for it.
By developing and adding those features, the development team actually adds value to your brand’s mobile application instead of inflating the price under artificial and made-up terms on your bill.
Bombarding the development team with a list of features is called ‘feature creep’ or ‘feature creeping’. In simple terms, it means requesting your development team to add new features during the development phase.
Feature creeping not only increases the cost of development that you’ll bear, but it also affects the user experience.
How Feature Creep Affects The User Experience
That’s why you will never see ‘fancy names’ on your bill when dealing with a legitimate software development company.
So here’s the takeaway: If you want the software development company to add new features to your application, then stay as precise and well-defined as you can.
Also consider limiting the number of features because no application is, and needs to be a holistic version of itself from the get-go. So take it easy and don’t fall prey to perfectionism.
Avoid Miscommunication
Miscommunication is one of the biggest problems that the software development industry faces. In fact, miscommunication is among the top 10 reasons why there can be bugs in the software.
Sometimes, miscommunication happens from the developer’s side.
As a software development company, we can tell you how that happens. They basically misinterpret your requirement by imagining something different than what you want.
When it happens from the client’s side, it’s usually because the flow of information is disorganized. Meaning that the client provided requirements in a hard-to-understand sequence.
So in this case, the development team works quite a lot to get the requirements and their meaning straight.
But even then, some of the features are not built according to the client’s wish. At this point, the software development team holds additional meetings to perform corrections.
In this case, what we do is talk to the client before we start developing the application.
Simply put, our client doesn’t have to be the most articulate person in the world.
Instead, we ask them the right questions and help them to explain what they’re finding hard to describe.
Don’t Be A Sleeping Partner, Stay Updated
One of the reasons why some software development companies are able to overcharge their client is because they act like a sleeping partner – Which they’re obviously not.
Remember, if you give them your project and come back a month later to check for updates, you’re increasing your chances of getting overcharged.
We’re not saying that honest software development services don’t exist. But what are the chances of you knowing the company that you’re dealing with?
Therefore it’s always recommended to stay on track and stay in touch.
We keep our clients onboard from day 1 – and it’s been working perfectly for our clients and us. For our busier clients, we prefer keeping them updated at least once a week.
Watch How They Communicate
When you are communicating with them, let’s say in an online meeting, watch how much they’re concerned with the progress and development of your project.
If the scope of your project is more interesting to them instead of the price they’re going to charge you, then you’re dealing with a company that’s not as likely to overcharge you.