Introduction

According to statistics, there were 3 billion mobile users in the world, and this number is expected to reach 3.8 billion in 2020. This reveals an interesting fact that half of the population is using smartphones regardless of any age group. As almost half of the population is using smartphones, the mobile app development industry can get impressive gains globally. The increasing number of smartphone users, swift technology explosion and rise in online shopping has given rise to various new app development trends to remain competitive in this digital world.

Mobile phone usage has been increased in recent years with every person on average carrying more than one smartphone. With this increased cell phone usage and ease of usability, almost every business embarks on developing mobile applications to boost the company’s business and to get ahead of the competition.     

Therefore, in this article you will find how to successfully outsource mobile application development services to make app development process smooth and cost effective. But before discussing necessary tips about how you can hire a right mobile application agency, I would first discuss risks involved with hiring in-house app development team and various benefits of outsourcing Mobile App Development Services Company.

In the contents of the article you will find following;

• Risks of hiring an in-house app development team
• Benefits of outsourcing app development to an offshore team
• Choosing a right outsourcing partner
• Tips on how to effectively outsource app development

Risks of hiring an in-house app development team

If you have got a million-dollar idea to build an app for your business, then you might face a challenge like whether to hire an in-house app development team or to create an offshore app development team to outsource the whole process of application development. If you consider the first option, that is hiring an in-house team of app developers; than outsourcing app development to an offshore app creator company, you might face the following risks.

• Lack of essential skill-set: You can never be too sure that the team’s skills are the best in the market.
• Looking for the right staff may incur extra costs like costs of advertising “hiring posts.”
• Hiring in-house app development team could be more time consuming and expensive, because of time and cost required to recruit and hire the right person. 
• If you lack some technical expertise, then you might struggle to identify the root of problems and the project could stall.

Benefits of outsourcing app development to an offshore team

On the other hand, outsourcing App Development could prove to be a strategic decision and can offer many benefits as well.

Here are the great benefits you can enjoy by outsourcing app development to a mobile application development agency;

• Teamwork/Synergy: By outsourcing an offshore team of app developers, you get access to an already established team of developers who has a strong collaborative working relationship with one another and also with the technical procedures involved. 
• Time saving: Offshore team can understand the project requirement easily and start working on design and development immediately because of expertise in app development. 
• Access to an experienced team: Professional app development companies hire top-notch app designers and developers that are proficient in latest technologies and can easily convert your ideas into an excellent app developed by keeping in view the targeted audience.  

After having looked at the risks involved while hiring an in-house team and considering the benefits of outsourcing mobile application development services, it is crucial for you to find different challenges that outsourcing brings with it.

Choosing the right outsourcing partner

When you are looking for an app developer, you may encounter various options that include; local freelancers, professional companies and online application service providers. Just before contracting any app developer; make a list of prospective contractors that you can choose from. You can get help from different sources to select the right app builder to save extra costs and time. For example, you may Google all the companies on your list to assess their credibility by looking at testimonials, visiting their websites and social media pages, and even you can contact the references if possible.

Before selecting a prospective application developer, you must consider the following questions:

• How credible are they in terms of work quality and meeting deadlines?
• How do they communicate with clients?

Use platforms like Skype to discuss the project with the company to look for how much real efforts company puts before presenting the proposal and quote.  

How to effectively outsource app development process?

After selecting the right Mobile Application Development Agency, here are few guidelines to ensure a strong and hiccup free relationship with Mobile App Development Services Company.

• Discuss the budget clearly: Explicitly talk about the total budget for the project before signing the contract to avoid any hidden cost.
• Discuss the project timeline explicitly to save lag time.
• Clearly state your work-related expectations: Make sure you clearly explain what you expect from the mobile app designers and developers before the start of the project and company must explicitly state what they expect from you to make the app development process smooth.
• Have the Mobile Application Development Agencysign a non-disclosure agreement this ensures the agency that you are conscious about your project and you are familiar with professional work ethics too.
• Put together a brief document of the project: This is themost important step that you must not neglect. You must put together a thorough and concise document to clarify the features of your app. Such as; a detailed list of features and functions you want to have in your application, screens of various sections of an app along with buttons and their functions, an easy to understand user flow (about what happens when a user interacts with the application)

Wrap it up:

It could be risky and expensive to have an in-house team of app developers to meet your mobile app design and development needs. On the other hand outsourcing mobile app development to a professional agency could prove to be beneficial due to various reasons including; access to expert app designers and developers, more focus on core business tasks, outsourcing mobile app design and development could be budget-friendly as well because it can save you bucks. While for successfully outsourcing app building service you must explicitly state your budget, timeline, a brief document of the project and app features before signing the contract.