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Today we will cover what, as a company, you should look for when choosing your software testing company. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t know where to start when selecting a software testing partner… Maybe you have a piece of software already being used in your business. Or, maybe you are a software developing company working on a new product. Or, it’s possible, your market and consumers nudged you into developing software that supports your business. But, when you get the software, issues start crawling all over it. Ultimately, your software ends up performing sub-standard. It’s very common that you will face problems with this software, included it being marred with defects, functionality issues, platform coverage, and more!
Ultimately you find yourself having to navigate an uncertain jungle in the hope of finding the right partner who can instantly understand your problems and quickly turn them around.
So, we thought we’d compile the ultimate Key factors checklist you should consider when going on the hunt for a software testing company.
1. Leadership
Clients should look for a company that is a leader in the field. A company that is a thought leader in understanding the newest technologies, tools, techniques, and methods advancing software testing and quality.
Leadership also means working with the customers, leading them, and guiding them to improve their software quality and testing processes. Many large organizations have fixed ideas about what to do in their software testing. They, therefore, have a strong input in the overall process planning and request. However, many companies like yours might need a lot of guidance, leadership in helping them to form and optimize their processes.
2. Longevity
Another critical component in choosing your ultimate software testing partner is how long the testing company has been in business. Are they a start-up, or have they been around for many years like XBOSoft? Do they have existing clients that have been with them for a long time, or are they constantly changing clients?
Suppose the clients have been with that partner for a long time, especially if these customers are growing exponentially and the story is the same across different industries. In that case, this testing company is obviously doing something right.
3. Industry Expertise
Does your target QA partner have expertise in one industry, or have they provided high-quality services in many industries? This is an essential point because ultimately, you want to team up with a company that can draw inspiration from various challenges met and industries they have worked with. The reason is that the issues for your business might be different from that of another company. For example, you might have started a QA process internally with the help of your developer and met a dead end. In which case, you want people who can tell you, “We’ve been there before. We know what tools you use, and we can advise you on even better testing tools, etc… ”
4. Business Model
The business model is another criteria company should look at when choosing a software testing partner. Many companies out there are just body shops selling hours rather than providing and selling value-added solutions. That can be a nightmare for your business since you have to worry about:
– What is this software testing company doing?
and,
– What are they billing you for?
Moreover, this mindset goes against your own objectives, which are to provide long-term solutions to your customers. A better business model is that of a software testing company that sells services as a partner. As if this company was an extension of your own business. This is particularly important if you need to maintain high software quality standards day in day out.
That’s why we have so many long-term partnerships with many of our customers. We treat their software as if it was our own and don’t think by the hour. So, with us, you will not get an invoice at the end of the month, wondering what this guy spent 240 hours working on.
5. Are They Good Listeners?
Communication is a widely used term that sometimes loses in meaning. The question you should ask yourself is, “Is this software testing company listening to my concerns?” And, by listening, it’s not just what you say but also what you don’t. For example, at XBOSoft, we instantly know who wrote the drafts we receive based on the language used. We understand if the person who wrote that document knows exactly what the problem is, or if that person doesn’t know where to start. That understanding leads to tight collaborations and partnerships (mentioned above).
6. Cost vs. Quality
Many businesses state up front that what they are looking for is a cost-effective software testing company. Although that sounds promising, we know not everything can be reduced down to cost. And in software testing, cost should be at the lower end of your decision-making process. First, because if the service is not good, it will COST you more over time. Second, this short-term vision will impact the performance of your software quality. Therefore, you should prioritize quality because the line of communication with your partner will be more open to changes, modifications, or adaptations to solutions that fit your business.
7. Integrity and Honesty
How many companies admit when they make mistakes? How many make these mistakes and better themselves through the process? The honesty and integrity of your software testing partner should also be a critical part of your selection criteria. How did your partner deal with a situation when their recommendation was not optimal? Did they try to hide, or did they come forward and manage the case in an open-ended way. At XBOSoft, we learn from our mistakes and have grown better because of them. We are more willing to explore new testing tools, learn new skills, etc.
What About Technical Skills?
This one is not included in our list of selection criteria because most of the testing companies in the market have similar skill sets, aside from those using unique tools language. But, usually, the technical prowess of most firms is very similar.
Make sure you stay tuned because we will be talking about The 7 Steps To Successful Agile Testing in our next post and video. Agile is on everyone’s lips at the moment, and we’ve addressed the topic from a top-line point of view so that you get an excellent grasp of what matters the most in the Agile process.
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