How to Choose an Outsourced Software Tester Company

As the complexity of technology continues to grow, the Outsourced Software Testing Market Report (2021-2027) predicts a significant increase in software testing, stating it “plays an indispensable role in the growth of an enterprise” and the need for more in-depth testing will only increase in the future.

To account for this need for rapid software quality testing, many companies are turning to outsourced software testing services. But hiring a software tester company can be a daunting task, and making the wrong choice for your company can be disastrous if they don’t plug-in well with your development team, don’t have the right skill sets, lack the bandwidth to handle your release schedules, or simply don’t live up to expectations of quality work. Keep reading to learn how to choose the best software testing company.

Selecting the Best Software Testing Company

You’ve invested time and money in developing a software app, website, or program, the last thing you want is for glitches to show up. No two software testing companies are alike, so it’s crucial to ask the right questions when evaluating software testers.

1. Does the Company Use Crowdsourcing Strategies or Skilled Engineers?

Testing companies may often use crowdsourcing to test their software. Crowdsourcing describes a method for getting opinions, information, or work from a large group. This may take place via smartphone apps, the internet, or social media and participants may be paid as freelancers or work as volunteers.

Conversely, skilled test technicians or quality assurance engineers are trained in the process of quality assurance to create and improve testing programs with automation for more complicated testing requirements.

2. What Experience Do the Software Tester Engineers Have?

Hiring a software tester company with engineers gives you expert quality assurance (QA). They understand why most apps or websites fail. Their extensive background in testing methods lets them quickly find problems.

The development and QA teams work together throughout the Software Development Life Cycle. QA conducts practical, in-depth, and specific knowledge testing in all forms.

3. Is Their Team Located in the U.S. or Offshore?

There are onshore testing companies in the U. S. or offshore testers based in other countries. A near-shore test company has its facility in the same time zone, but outside your country.

If your development and test team need to coordinate and interact frequently during testing, consider an onshore service to facilitate easier communication. Additionally, onshore, companies understand cultural nuances that impact your product.

Both onshore and offshore test companies follow strict security protocols. These security measures meet their country’s standards. Choosing an onshore company means they will adhere to U.S. guidelines.

Some companies choose offshore testers for simple projects with limited instructions. This option may make sense if you need minimal to no interaction between the development and quality assurance teams. This may cost less than an onshore option.

In some cases, the tester’s base may be in an “opposite” time-zone, which allows for a continuous production cycle. Your home engineers complete their workday when the testers start theirs.

4. Have They Worked on Projects Like Yours?

The greatest teacher is time and experience in completing certain tasks. You want to find a software tester with this expertise in your product area. This leads to a positive return on investment.

You’ll have more confidence that when your software, app, or website goes live, it will work as designed. System problems lead to dissatisfied customers who may leave. Thus, you can’t afford errors in your system.

5. What Sort of Guarantees Do They Provide?

It’s vital to ask about the testing company’s policies and guarantees. High-quality testers provide the following project management services:

• Formal project scope proposal, including pricing and deliverables
• Review of terms of engagement and deliverables for your approval
• Assistance with defining your program
• The broad scope of skills and requirements
• Assistance with initial work process meetings
• Metrics to validate results
• Daily testing reports
• Weekly budget reports
• A final comprehensive project report

The testing company has a variety of teams with different skill sets. These include technicians, programmers, QA engineers, test architects, and program managers.

Ask the company if they will fix problems if they arise when you roll out your product. Will there be extra charges for these repairs? What recourse do you have if the outcome doesn’t meet your expectations?

6. What Have Other Customers Said About the Company?

Checking customer reviews can provide invaluable information to help in your decision-making process. When reading the reviews, look for customers with products like your own. Check out Clutch.co and Goodfirms.co.

7. Will Testers Conduct In-Depth Testing?

You want a company that works with your team to fine-tune processes. Pure-play outsourced software testing companies seamlessly integrate with your team. They’re often smaller, making them more adaptable during the development process.

Pure-play companies conduct testing for many vendors’ tools and systems. This gives them a broad scope of cross-industry and cross-platform experiences. They also understand the industry’s compliance criteria and standards.

When the tester detects features needing improvement, developers make the change. By working in tandem, your company can get your product to market quicker.

Also, look for companies that not only use the best software testing tools but develop them as well. This adds to their depth of knowledge and experience.

8. Can They Perform Manual and Automated Testing?

Pure-play companies conduct manual, automated, or hybrid testing. They use their knowledge and experience to select the best testing approach so nothing gets overlooked. You benefit by reducing your QA costs.

Are You Ready to Outsource Software Testing?

This article provided a list of questions to ask when looking for a software tester company. QualityLogic has spent more than 35 years developing a skill set to tackle any problem thrown our way. We even build our own toolsets to deliver superior software testing and QA.

Our adaptability and new technologies set up apart from other companies. We combine manual and automated testing to provide comprehensive QA coverage. With a quick, informal call, we can help you assess your software testing options and clear the clutter or quell the chaos for the straightest line to success.