Growing your business is essential to maintaining success and relevance within your industry. This can be difficult to do when considering competition and the marketplace, and with the constant advancement of technology, it can be even more overwhelming.
Your customized Zoho CRM will help you streamline your business processes, but you may find along the way that you’ll need a developer to further enhance this software platform. There are many options available within the Zoho resources, but as you’re making your way through the process of finding the best developer, here are 10 things to think about as you’re going through those steps.
1. Specific industry experience
Depending on your company’s area of expertise and the industry that business falls under, it would be helpful to find out if your candidate has worked with companies within your industry (or at least related). If you’re a publisher, you might be a little nervous to work with a developer that has only worked with a retailer. Of course, it would be ideal if the skills were translatable to your category.
2. Geographic location
With technology allowing us to be in constant and instant communication now, it’s incredibly easy to conduct your business globally. With that, there are developers available all over the world that can help you should you require the help. If your project is one that can be completed from the other side of the world, that this is an option. If you prefer to have your developer just a little closer by (like, perhaps in the same country), there’s an option to filter your choices by location.
3. Application expertise
This should be a no-brainer, but it’s absolutely crucial to pay attention to what applications and software programs your developer is familiar with and the most comfortable with. Depending on your business and technology needs, it is more than useful to consider a developer that has experience with those specific platforms you forsee utilizing. From there, find out how they developed them, how well they worked, and the feedback they received. This should enhance the ease of your decision.
4. Length of expertise
How long your candidate has been developing is another worthy detail to consider when looking for your next developer. For some, it might be better if the candidate has been practicing their skill for years and years; this means that they’ve had exposure to many companies, strategies, and personnel. This provides comfort to many groups. On the other hand, other companies might be interested in brand new talent. Brand new talent most often means young and fresh, which can also often mean that they’re in-tune with the most recent updates, launches, and strategies. For some companies, this could be an incredible advantage. So brainstorm with your group which you’d prefer, and go from there!
5. Language capabilities
Being a developer in today’s world means that this expertise can come from anywhere in the world. With this, however, you might encounter some issues when it comes to language, translation, and ease of communication. Again, as it all depends on what your company needs and requires, you and your teams will need to figure out if you forsee either a lot of communication or minimal communication with your developer. Keep this in mind when selecting your candidate.
6. Recommendations and references
With Yelp and social media, we’re now so used to hearing other peoples’ experiences before we commit giving our business to someone else. This is a blessing for us now, and the same should be true when it comes to looking for your developer. Find out if you candidate has references, and do your due diligence. This is your business, and this shouldn’t be taken lightly.
7. Level of availability
This is another variable that will depend on your company’s needs, but think about how you would want your ideal developer to be available. Are you the type that can’t fall asleep due to not knowing the answer to something? Then maybe it’s best you find a developer that is in agreement to be available at all times. Or maybe you’d prefer a weekly status call with your developer to provide updates, and that would sufficiently satisfy your needs. By identifying all these factors in the beginning, you can manage your relationship with your developer easily and professionally.
8. Expertise range
This is a bit related to a few of the points above, but it might be helpful to imagine how you’d look at a developer with a long list of certifications and advanced degrees versus a developer that doesn’t have those qualifications. To some, it might help make the final decision between two, and to other companies, it may not matter at all. You’ll realize this when you cross that bridge, but it’s something to absolutely keep in mind.
9. Communication level
This also goes a bit hand-in-hand with the level of availability, but think about how involved you’d want your developer to be in the day-to-day. Are they involved in meetings or status calls? Do they contribute ideas to your business strategy? Or would you prefer that your developer is more on the hands-off side of things and listens to your delegations? Do you need your developer to be present in-person or would you prefer them to work remotely? Answering these questions will also help you define the job and your ideal candidate for your developer position.
10. Ultimately, trust your gut
At the end of the day, we all have a certain level of instinct that helps us make difficult decisions. It’s easy to suppress that when discussing business or company matters, as we’re trained to think with our brains when it comes to work. At the same time, however, we’re still humans looking to hire other humans, so it’s a decent strategy to follow your gut if you’re leaning one way or the other when looking for the best developer for your customized Zoho CRM model.
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