How to Find the Right Technical Support for Your Product Development [Practical Steps]

Finding the right technical support for your product development is not a piece of cake, no matter how badly you want it to be.

In fact, it is as far away from anything as delightful as cakes. Think more along the lines of bitter gourds and you’ll get a better idea of what you’re up against.

As a new startup founder, especially if you’re not a technical co-founder, the development processes can be a bit daunting. However, if you find the right tech support for startups, the rest will fall in line automatically.

Your development team will guide you through the A to Z of product development, from ‘how to build a tech product’ to ‘the right time to launch your final product’.

So, let’s take a look at the things you need to keep in mind when you’re ready to hire technical support for your software product development process.

1. Know Your Requirements Beforehand

You have a brilliant, one-of-a-kind idea for a tech startup and you managed to turn it into a solid business plan with achievable milestones.

Now, it’s time to get the dream team together to provide your product development with great technical support.

Before you start your quest for the perfect technical support for your product development, you need to get some things out of the way. And the first is knowing what your exact requirements are.

Knowing your requirements beforehand will give you an idea about what you need to look for in the team members you’re hunting down.

• • • What are the technical skills that your team needs to have?
    • Do you need to hire app developers?
    • Would your target audience make it necessary for you to hire iOS/Android developers?
    • Do they need to be more skilled in the back-end development than the front-end development?
    • Or, perhaps you need someone who is skilled in both front and back-end development?
    • What are the technology stacks they need to be familiar with?
    • Do you need to hire an entire team of tech developers or mix it up with a few specialists and project managers as well?

These are only some of the many questions you need to ask yourself and find clear answers for before you proceed to the next step of this blog.

2. Do the Research on Relevant Technology

Now that you have identified the type of developers and technology stack you need to add to your team’s technical skills, it’s time to do your thorough research on the relevant technology. This is a crucial step, especially if you are not a technical co-founder.

You must not rely on anyone’s word alone when it comes to handling the technology stack for your product development. Do intensive and extensive research on the technology, its advantages, shortcomings, and evolution through the years.

Take a look at the different types of research you need to indulge in.

Your understanding of the product development services and technologies you’ll require will also help you streamline your overall budgeting process.

3. Identify Your Tech Partner Type

When it comes to identifying a tech partner for your business, you have three main solutions you need to consider.

The first of which is finding yourself a technical co-founder or a CTO (Chief Technical Officer).

There are numerous advantages to getting yourself a technical co-founder such as having someone who knows your business from all aspects, as well as getting a reliable manager for your development teams.

Of course, it is possible to start a tech business without a technical co-founder. This is where your second and third choices come in.

You can either put together a team of skilled developers yourself or outsource your project to freelancers or outsourcing entities.

When you’re putting together your own team, you need to consider a few key factors:

• • • Is the tech team you’re building really necessary for your business in the long run?
    • Is it financially feasible to build a team from scratch?
    • Will you be able to utilise your team for other projects?
    • Do you have the time and resources required to train your team before commencing your product development?

If you think it’s better to engage the services of developers on a contractual basis, you can find the right freelancers for your business by going through our beginner’s guide to finding freelancers.

Outsourcing software development is also a good idea if you don’t have the time to build up a team from scratch and train them. Take a look at the types of IT outsourcing models you can use for your business needs.

4. Start Putting Out Your Recruitment Feelers

Now that you know exactly the kind of people you want to hire, it’s time to start the actual hiring process. Start putting out your recruitment feelers as soon as you’re ready, so that you don’t miss out on some great talent just because you procrastinated.

For example, if you’re working on a mobile application, then it is a good idea to start looking for mobile development partners as soon as you are ready with your requirements.

Hiring custom software developers is not an easy job. It takes time and patience to find a developer that is the right fit for your startup business.

Don’t worry! We’ve got some great pointers for you! Why don’t you take a look at our blog on how to find the best web developers and where to look for them?

5. Hire Slowly But Steadily

Hiring is not a 100 metres sprint. Think of it more in terms of a steady 10-mile marathon. The end goal is to finish the race properly, not to be the first in line for a water cup at the finish line.

Be slow with your hires, and give each hire adequate thought.

• • • Do your potential technology partners have the right skill sets you’re looking for?
    • Are you happy with their creative ability and their capability to think on their feet?
    • Are your new team mates able to work with your old ones in a coherent way?

It’s also a good idea to give your shortlisted candidates a quick but effective test that will help you determine if they are as good in person as they are on paper. Let’s explore this tangent a bit more.

Check out the Startup Guide: Things To Consider When Bringing On Early Team Members.

6. Test Your Candidates Before Making Hires

It is important to test your candidates before you make a hire. It’s easy for anyone to lie on their resumes. Of course, you would do a thorough background check and call up their references. But, then again, what if those references are just their best friends and not someone they have actually worked with or under?

While looking for an application development partner, you can set specific tasks related to the work they would be doing for you.

For example, if you are trying to hire a developer, give them a unique coding task that will help them showcase their talent for thinking outside the box.

When you define a task, make sure that it covers all the scope of work that can be expected from your hire in question.

For example, while you hire developers for their coding skills, you can also assess them for their managerial skills. In this way, you’ll know if they can make good team leads for your technical teams eventually.

Don’t lose sight of what is important while setting a task. You’re trying to find a partner for your startup, not get a bunch of free work done.

7. Build Long-Term Relationships with Your Tech Partner

It’s important to build long-term relationships with your tech partner and we’ll tell you why in two simple words: support services.

Your tech product will need different types of software maintenance such as bug fixes and technology stack upgrades as the years progress. And, it’s best if the support teams working on your software maintenance are the original creators.

This will not only save you time and money, but will also be beneficial in terms of product evolution as the creators will know what’s best for your tech product in terms of product development and evolution.

Read on to know Why Are Technical Co-Founders So Necessary to Startups?

Conclusion

There are many solutions providers who specialise in providing high-quality technology services for startups. The key is to identify the software development partners that best fit your company’s requirements and vision.

Do you need an in-house team you can coordinate with 24*7? Or, perhaps your business only needs a tech partner for consulting purposes. Maybe you think it’s in your best interest to have an offshore tech team working for your cause.

Whatever the case may be, you need to try to find a technical support team who you can build long-term relationships with.