By 2021, SaaS companies are expected to generate $113 billion in revenue, making them the most profitable part of the public cloud services market. It’s an exciting period, full of opportunities. The fastest-growing companies have an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $7.5 to $15 million.
Both new entrepreneurs and established firms frequently need to hire a SaaS application development company to acquire a piece of this massive industry.
You don’t have to be concerned about outsourcing a few services. SaaS application development is one of them.
If you hire the wrong company, you risk getting flawed software that puts you right back where you started.
What is a software as a service (SaaS) development firm?
Software-as-a-service application development is billed monthly or on a project-by-project basis by a SaaS development firm. Many SaaS development companies create web apps, desktop apps, and mobile apps for their clients.
There are SaaS development businesses all around the world. Offshoring is a popular strategy to save money on development. The amount of quality and skill, as well as the level of service management, in development firms, varies greatly.
Some companies only provide software developers, letting clients handle the prototype, backlog, development, and launch of a viable software product on their own. Most firms, on the other hand, will offer project management services, even if they do not include DevOps or quality assurance.
Why do start-up companies hire SaaS development firms?
For a variety of reasons, a newcomer to the SaaS sector may choose to start a SaaS development company. These motives have the potential to conflict.
- There isn’t enough time to build a SaaS product – Many SaaS entrepreneurs are seasoned veterans from other industries who may or may not have another company to run on top of their day job.
- Inability to develop a SaaS product due to a lack of technical experience – Many nontechnical founders hesitate to hire a technical cofounder because they either don’t want to share ownership or can’t find someone with the requisite skills.
- Looking for total management — Most new SaaS entrepreneurs understand the need of working with a company that can handle both management and development so they don’t have to oversee developers (especially if they have no experience).
Why do well-established enterprises hire SaaS development firms?
Startups aren’t the only ones who hire SaaS development companies. Established businesses regularly partner with outside entities to address a variety of demands.
- Adding a software-as-a-service component to a company that already exists – A business may already have products and services on the market and is looking to expand its offerings with a SaaS solution. They almost probably wouldn’t have an internal development staff, and if they did, they’d be unprepared to manage one.
- Creating a SaaS for internal use – Many firms create a SaaS solution for their employees to utilize. When they look at the costs, it doesn’t make sense for them to produce the product in-house.
- Internal development personnel is overworked – It’s challenging to fill roles at established companies that rely largely on SaaS revenue. Because their own team is always overloaded and they can’t hire fast enough, they need to outsource specific features or products (such as an API).
- There isn’t any desire to hire – Even if they could afford to engage a whole development team (not just software developers, but also DevOps engineers, QA testers, and a product manager), established firms may require a SaaS product for their employees or customers, but they don’t want to commit to hiring for the long term.
- Wants to keep the new SaaS app team apart from the rest of the company- Consider a SaaS company that already has corporate clients in one industry and wants to develop a similar product for SMBs in a different specialty under a different brand name. It’s probable that the creation of this new product will be outsourced by their executive staff.
What to look for in a company that develops SaaS applications
Now that you know more about the reasons for choosing a SaaS application development company, let’s look at the features of the service you’ll be looking for.
If you’re hiring a SaaS development firm because you don’t have the time (or experience) to manage developers, the level of management provided will surely be one of the most critical factors to consider.
These are the features that both young entrepreneurs and existing businesses benefit from, in our experience.
You’ll need someone who knows and understands the frameworks and languages that matter to you.
When it comes to hiring developers, most business owners and executives have a framework or programming language in mind. For example, Laravel is a well-known PHP framework that can assist developers to save time on code and maintenance.
Remember to double-check that the company specializes in the service you require. If you’re not sure what material your product should be constructed of, speak with someone from a reputed company to determine the best option.