Clutch is a website that rates IT companies, marketing companies, and business service providers. Compiling client testimonials, case studies, and objective quantitative data into a neatly organized, trustworthy company profile, provides easy access to information.
For opinions on potential software developers, Clutch is the place to go. This sounds like a perfect way of x-raying an outsourcing firm without compromising your project. Clutch reviews are, however, a little bit less reliable than anything else on the internet.
Clutch has been in business for more than a decade, so we feel qualified to share some of our knowledge with companies looking for a reliable software development partner.
What Does Clutch Do?
At first glance, a clutch isn’t very difficult to understand. The interface is user-friendly and clear for both companies offering services and customers looking for contractors. The following are major purposes you can accomplish by using the clutch:
• The company you need can be found by buyers.
• New clients can be found by companies with long-term projects that are interesting.
• Clutch helps companies get more b2b reviews by allowing them to list their services there.
We previously discussed how to become a top research firm on Clutch by getting listed on the site. Using resources like clutch, we will now discuss how to pick an IT services provider.
How to Choose the Right Software Development Company?
The development of software and mobile applications is quite expensive nowadays. The only reason for that is that every client seeking services wishes to receive the work on time and at a good price. The proliferation of IT companies has made it easier to find a provider. However, finding the right match can be challenging.
Contractors can be found in many places online. You can find freelancing websites, outsourced providers, and employee databases in these places. We have prepared a guideline to help you use external resources so that you are aware of the main rules of hiring employees from other companies.
Everybody shines on Clutch
For many companies, Clutch is another tool that helps sell development services, so there aren’t many negative reviews on Clutch. Many IT service companies can no longer afford to have a bad reputation on Clutch, so they spend a lot of time polishing their profiles to perfection as Clutch reviews have become increasingly important for clients.
It doesn’t mean that Clutch reviews are nothing more than marketing bluster that contradicts reality. The ability to read between the lines certainly helps, but reviews and ratings can (and should) be taken into account, too.
Look for an Excellent Company Website
Check out the quality of their own website first to gauge their skill level. It is likely that their products will be of a similar quality if their own website looks shabby.
A high-quality website is not just about design. Functionality and design are closely intertwined but they are separate entities.
Formilla states that a quality website should adhere to four basic principles:
- 1. Clear purpose:
- 2. A business usually uses its website to either inform visitors or sell goods.
- 3. Visually pleasing aesthetics:
- 4. Color clashes, font mixtures, murky images, and pages cluttered with text should be avoided on the best websites.
- 5. Relevant content:
- 6. Customers and target audiences should be addressed in the content of a website.
- 7. Clear site navigation:
- 8. It should not take more than three clicks for any page on your website to reach another.
In evaluating a potential web developer, avoid compromising on any of these principles. You can start evaluating the company’s portfolio if the company’s website passes this test.
Find High-Quality Portfolio Items
When creating a website for themselves, some developers may put just as much effort and passion as they do into their clients’ sites?
Check their website for portfolios, customer testimonials, or even case studies of past work.
Developers display their work in portfolios. In section one, we discussed the criteria for evaluating each of their projects.
Using an example from an AI development company, here is an image of a portfolio item.
An artificial intelligence “mixologist” for TGI Friday’s restaurants is described briefly in the portfolio item and the developers’ solution is presented.
Reviews and recommendations reveal how developers interact with and care for their clients. Fake reviews are usually easy to spot, though you should take precautions to avoid them.
Because case studies often feature metrics collected by the company from their efforts, they are more valuable than recommendations. You can trust the developers whose major website redesign increased the traffic and revenue of their clients tenfold.
Prioritize companies with established client relationships, a few satisfied clients, and a solid portfolio when choosing a vendor. A developer or agency without a portfolio should immediately be disqualified.
Seek Out Fair and Honest Pricing
Generally, higher prices are associated with higher quality web design and development.
Software or web projects need money, quality, and time to succeed, as explained by CodeBurst developers. One of these must be sacrificed for the other two to be maximized, as shown in the diagram below.
Source of image: https://clutch.co/web-developers/resources/how-choose-top-web-developer-next-project
As “quality” shrinks, the cost of developing software increases, stretching “money” and “time”.
Budget-conscious startups may hire developers with less experience because their fees are less. A web development project of low quality, however, will ultimately cost a business more in the long run.
According to DevSkiller, the cost of hiring a bad developer can mount to as much as $485,000 when hiring, compensating, maintaining, and reducing productivity.
Despite feeling pushed into a corner by their budget, hiring someone with the appropriate experience can have a positive effect on your startup.
Rating and review websites provide an alternative for budget-conscious businesses to find web developers. Consequently, flexible development teams can be prioritized, while customizing your payment dynamics to match your needs.
Test Effective Team Dynamics
Ensure you are familiar with the people behind the company before hiring web developers. Price and portfolios do not suffice to create a business relationship that is mutually satisfying.
Your project’s success depends on getting to know your web developer and keeping in touch on a regular basis. Before you begin any web development project, spend time getting to know your developers and clarifying your expectations.
Invest in a Future Relationship
Know how the project will end before you choose a web developer. Having no in-house development expertise can make maintaining websites challenging for businesses.
If you are planning to hire a web developer, consider their past client relationships and their willingness and ability to maintain a professional relationship after the primary project has been completed.
Ensure the web developer you choose offers you continuous customer support and a guarantee that their work will last.
Think globally
Consider your contractor as a life-long partner. Check to see if there are any discounts for repeat clients, affiliate programs, bonuses, or other special events that can help cut costs.
When a company finishes the job, it’s important to find out if there is any technical support or maintenance provided. If it becomes necessary to receive further assistance from the people who developed the solution for you, consider this thing. Hiring trustworthy people is very convenient.
Test what you cannot measure
While negotiating with potential partners, you may still have doubts. It’s not a good idea to lie about your intentions. Providers are sure to try if interested. These services will give you the satisfaction you need.
There are a lot of other platforms providing reviews about business relationships in IT that follow the Clutch trend and approach. In addition to providing unbiased reviews, research firms aim to make sure that they provide as much information as possible so that people choose smartly.
We recommend that you check any online reviews you find by contacting the firms that you think are a good fit for your position by contacting them. The best way to communicate is living rather than through a portfolio or review. There is no substitute for a face-to-face interview. Recruiting developers should be a breeze for you. Get notified when we publish new articles – you’ll find out something new!
Too much of the good thing
The search term “web development” or “mobile app” will return hundreds of matching companies, all of which are great! Plowing through elaborate boasts is a challenging task. In this area, Clutch fails at its foundation – as it becomes more popular, it becomes harder and harder to find a company that is reliable out of hundreds with similar reviews.
Often times the number of listings may be overwhelming, even when you adjust the search criteria by industry verticals like locations, technology, etc.
Clutch’s overwhelming number of providers – from a statistical standpoint – complicates making a decision with confidence. As Barry Schwartz noted in his bestseller The Paradox of Choice, this is a general rule of thumb to follow.
It’s important to check out a company’s actual product in the wild – whether it’s a website, a creative campaign, or an application they made – to truly verify its quality.
Credibility of reviews
Most Clutch reviews are still trustworthy, which is why we have no reason to doubt their reliability. It has been reported that Clutch puts a lot of effort into getting unbiased reviews: for example, when interviewing companies, they only contact them directly (the reviewed company does not participate in the review).
Nevertheless, Clutch is also susceptible to marketing tactics. Some companies have been performing unprofessionally and delivering very bad projects, something we’ve heard a few times about. And, surprise, surprise… These companies consistently get 5-star ratings. Other companies have changed their names, logos, and even addresses as part of a complete rebranding effort trying to flush out bad reviews and start over. It is difficult to prevent.
What if the company you’re looking for is not even on Clutch?
Seeing how many companies are featured on Clutch might leave you thinking that we should take good care of our business since we have a profile on Clutch. I’m sorry, but that assumption is incorrect.
It’s possible to have an extremely successful business without a profile. When they do flaunt it, they don’t do it too much. The clutch is untrustworthy for many businesses. Depending on how you look at it, this could be an oversight or something completely intentional.
There isn’t always gold in the glitter. You should be cautious of companies that emphasize their own achievements the most. Clutch profile pruning is, in essence, a marketing/PR tool and may not reflect the company as it really is. You can build links and do SEO by being listed on Clutch.
Few More Important Things to Note before Hiring a Web Development Company on Clutch
Why don’t some projects get featured on Clutch?
Clutch shows off only the best companies. The projects that they have completed have earned them great reviews. While downplaying every project that didn’t go as planned or went completely off track at the same time. Clients can be stopped from writing bad reviews (whether through polite requests, negotiation, or otherwise), bad projects are not mentioned at all, or simply Clutch badges are not included on the website to protect you.
A third reason projects are not listed in the profile is because software companies frequently engage in “white label” agreements (i.e., one company creates a product or service which another company rebrands and sells under its own label). A subcontractor may be prohibited from talking about the project in such cases by its contract. Thus, they cannot obtain reviews or recommendations straight from it. Clutch is full of anonymous reviews left by “ghost customers”.
Spying around a bit won’t kill you
Investigate the topic. Espionage is normal for everyone from time to time – no need to worry! You should look for a company that has worked on projects similar to the one you are considering. When possible, ask some crucial questions to the company’s team members so you can understand how the project has progressed. Contact their former employees to get a full understanding of their problems and dark sides. You might benefit from picking their brains too if you have any LinkedIn connections with them. Getting an honest opinion from them can be helpful.
Consider contacting the company that gave a review as well. Could you please tell me more about company X on Clutch based on the review you gave? Were you able to cooperate? Do you have any advice for me? Did you encounter any problems with them? Which company do you think is best? Do they stand a chance of being hired again?”. The start is good. Getting a response isn’t guaranteed, but there is no harm in trying.
Double-check everything
Our first rule: don’t take anything you read on Clutch as gospel. You should ask your potential partner about each project when speaking with them. Verify, verify, verify.
Zestminds tries to treat each client with professionalism and due diligence, which can be hard to find in some other software development companies. Each project is discussed with the CEO from the very beginning. Potential team members are also introduced to our clients so they can make an informed decision about working with them. It pays off to be this open.
For further information about our specialists, contact us to request detailed portfolios and testimonials. During your first calls, you will be able to speak directly with them if you wish.
There is no guarantee that a client will share the details of a project or that it will be permitted by the contract. This is due to several factors. Due to the long chain of subcontractors involved, it may not be in the client’s best interest to disclose such an arrangement.
Another red flag may be an abundance of anonymous reviews. It suggests a clever marketing strategy consisting of fake reviews and fake projects in order to get a Clutch-worthy review.
What to do in the case the company doesn’t share details of a project?
You can learn more about the company’s anonymous projects by asking a few questions about them – the company can explain why the projects are anonymous, as well as reveal a few solid details. This will completely throw them off their balance, blowing their disguise.
Conclusion
In your search for the best development firm, Clutch can be a good starting point, but it isn’t a magic wand. Clutch is a powerful marketing vehicle today, and most companies use a variety of tricks to maintain their image.
You’ll need a bit of extra effort on your part along with a lot of luck to find a software development company that fits both your technical and business needs. We believe that your project will be more successful with a good match of specialization and experience than it will be with just rating and pricing.
You may find us on Clutch and we have a 5-star rating thanks to our dedication and timely delivery of projects. You may preview our profile on Clutch here. If you have any project in your mind, you can drop us an email at contact@zestminds.com, we would love to hear from you.
