Launching a Software Product with an outsourced Partner

It is quite a long way from the moment a new application is born in your head to the moment it actually becomes a thing in the real world. The culmination of the process is the launch, and the future of the project depends mainly on how successful the start was. You can ensure bright prospective for your project as well as solid revenue by following a simple set of guidelines. In this article we take a look at what you can do as an entrepreneur to ensure a good start for the project.

So, what exactly does it mean to launch an application successfully? Basically it boils down to the following:

• The application goes live without critical issues and is accessible to a broad audience via conventional means;
• People are interested in your product from the very launch, and this interest grows over time (thus the user pool increases over time);
• The application helps you achieve your business goals (like promoting your company, making services or goods easily accessible or simply making money by the means of your application).

Things you CAN and CAN’T outsource

When you use outsourcing as means of development and delivery, you get rid of quite a few issues that could take a big investment of time and effort. You don’t have to headhunt and hire developers, equip their workplaces and provide them with a consistent workload. Neither do you have to worry about paying the salaries. It is all done by the outsourcing company.

However there are also a few things that you wouldn’t want to outsource normally. There are certain tasks that are exclusive to your role as an entrepreneur. Outsourcing partners usually focus on technical expertise to let you focus on performing the tasks that are specific for product owner.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/tLG2hcpITZE

So, here’s a list of things that are generally not outsourced entirely:

• Product management – this shouldn’t be confused with project management which is a very natural task for a designated team member of your outsourcing partner. It involves strategic planning and requires in-depth understanding of the ways the market works;
• Marketing and sales – finding new ways to deliver value to clients and monetizing it is a number one priority for the product owner and can’t generally be outsourced. However you can delegate certain tasks in this field (for instance researching the target audience).

Outsourcing the technical part will let you focus more on these tasks and ensure stable growth and solid performance of your project. Ensure that you invest resources properly by choosing the right outsourcing partner and preparing a comprehensive foundation the launch!

Let’s take a closer look at the steps you can take to facilitate a successful launch for the application.

Stay in touch with the developers

Keep in mind that the outsourcing team is composed of technical specialists, and they need your expertise to develop some the solution that you’re thinking about. It is your vision that makes the project skyrocket. A good outsourcing partner will keep you involved throughout the development process to make sure the application meets your expectations.

Your participation will be most active throughout the stages of audience research and UX/UI design, when the future application is being shaped. The development team will come up with solutions that you will evaluate and point out at things that need to be altered. The participation of the entrepreneur ensures that the framework is set properly, and there is no need to make drastic changes later on. Thus every dollar is well spent, and not a single hour is wasted during development.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/gcsNOsPEXfs

A reliable outsourcing partner will suggest ways to stay in touch and let the product owner participate in the meetings and discussions in the most effective way that requires minimal input of time and yields most results.

Developing a proper monetizing strategy

This step is not mandatory for every application since some of them are commercial in the very nature  (like those that are used to order goods or services). But if the application doesn’t facilitate real world activities and is not auxiliary, but rather provides social interaction or else, monetizing is an essential part of the application success.

Of course you may want to keep your application ad free, and it is for a good reason. People don’t like ads in general, but then you’ll have to come up with other ideas how to turn a profit. Maintaining an application requires certain funds, and you can’t rely on investments forever.

You have two general options. You either make your application accessible with a subscription plan, or it is free, but premium users (who pay a fee on a regular basis or make a onetime purchase) get additional bonuses.

The second approach is considered more viable in the modern industry due to a large number of competitors and people being generally being reluctant in investing their hard earned money in something they haven’t tested yet. Sure, you can make a free trial available but it doesn’t work for every type of application and is not widespread in any other field than professional software.

If you go with the ‘freemium’ model, keep in mind that people who are paying should feel like they are getting something for their money, not people who are just experiencing the app for the first time are being forced to pay to get at least some value. Otherwise it may trigger a reaction that would inhibit the influx of new users.

Keep in mind that these solutions will influence the architecture of your application to some degree. Your outsource partner can help you choose the most viable model to monetize your application with proper efficiency and technical expertise.

Collect and use feedback from the very start

To ensure a stable growth in popularity of the application, you need to prevent users from abandoning the project while keeping new people coming. You can’t rely only on the new users exclusively; you need a consistent and loyal user base. It is critically important to receive information about your users and their behavior. Do they find what they are looking for? How do they react to updates or other critical events?

In order to have a comprehensive view, you need to gather information and process it. Users will be unlikely to provide active feedback – it usually happens only if things go terribly wrong, and by this time it is probably too late. The corresponding technical means should be implemented in the application to gather user metrics. The engineers who are building the application will include these in the architecture. It is a good idea to define and implement these tools on the early stages of development.

It may also be a good idea in some cases to hold a ‘closed beta’ testing for a limited amount of trusted users who would help you see the behavior of applications in real life.

When you have information on your hands you can actually react to the negative influences and boost the positive sides. Don’t be blind to your user base. Study its behavior, understand it and adapt to fit its needs. In the end it is the users who decide if your application is going to be successful.

Let the people know about your product!

It is vital that the target audience knows about your application and anticipates its release during the development stage. Even if the project is groundbreaking, people will hardly come looking for the application until it becomes really popular. You would want to ramp up the campaign when the application is about to hit the app store – about a month before the anticipated release.

Keep the audience updated on the latest progress. People want to know what’s happening, and frequent updates are an absolute must have for a project that aims to make a difference. If you are using social media to stay in touch with the users, make sure that you provide adequate and timely feedback.

Time is ticking!

It is critical for the success of the project to be one of the first to enter the market and to present the new solution. With raging rivalry and cut throat competition you need to be fast to secure your market share. Time is of the essence, and there is no excuse for being slow.

At OctoDev we are proud to present a flexible and professional approach to building mobile applications and aim to deliver high quality result with deep insight in technology. With years of experience in the field of mobile development we know exactly how to create mobile application in a timely and effective manner. Contact us today for details and let’s get going!

Please follow and like us:

0