Client-Centric Approach: Addressing Concerns Before Collaboration 

Partnering with a software development company, regardless of your business’s size or stage, often sparks several valid concerns: 

• Will the potential vendor genuinely understand the specific needs of our business?  
• How can we ensure clear communication and complete transparency throughout the process?  
• What happens if a project needs adjustments or unforeseen challenges occur?

Balancing quality, security, scalability, and cost efficiency is no small feat. At Svitla Systems, we’ve repeatedly encountered these challenges and are dedicated to proactively addressing them before collaboration even begins. In this article, we’ve compiled the most common questions from our clients into clear, actionable insights. Read on to discover how we transform challenges into opportunities. 

1.   How Does Svitla Gain a Deep Understanding of My Business Needs? 

Finding a software development partner who genuinely understands your business's unique goals and challenges can be a struggle, which may result in solutions that don’t fit, wasting both time and financial resources. 

At Svitla, we put a high priority on understanding your unique business goals, industry challenges, and specific requirements. Our process starts with an online or in-person meeting, during which we gather detailed information about your current and future needs. For a more efficient process, we introduce a Practice Lead with in-depth technical expertise in their specific area. They can share relevant examples of similar projects from across the industry.  

When it's time to grow your team, we hold specialized brainstorming sessions with our Delivery department to develop a thorough understanding of the client resource requirements. It ensures that Svitla presents the best candidates for the market.  

If the collaboration follows the Time & Materials model, we create a customized proposal and precise calculations based on the shared requirements. Whether you need an engineering team or a fully customized project built from scratch, Svitla aims to gather as much detailed information as possible. We always involve technical experts in these discussions to ensure that every step forward is well-informed and meets your expectations.

Practical Use Case

Client: InvoiceASAP — a mobile and web invoicing platform.

Challenge: The company was looking for a trusted software development partner to improve its invoicing platform. It needed a team that could work closely together, providing customized solutions that fit their exact needs.

Svitla’s solution: Here are the key components of the approach we used to gain a thorough understanding of InvoiceASAP's business needs:

• Team integration involved our developers functioning as an extension of InvoiceASAP’s team, fully immersing themselves in the workflows and business goals.
• Daily communication with tools like email, Google Docs, etc., enabled us to maintain constant contact to align with the client’s needs.
• Agile adaptation included sprint reviews, feedback, and reporting to achieve InvoiceASAP’s objectives.
• Proactive solutions focused on enhancing app stability and overall user experience.

2. How Does Svitla Ensure Transparency and Effective Communication Throughout the Project?

Clear communication and transparency are essential for a project's success. That’s why at Svitla, we establish open communication channels and set clear expectations from the beginning, ensuring everyone is aligned.

Our project management style focuses on frequent updates and live reporting, giving clients a clear view of project progress every step of the way. Also, we address cultural and time zone differences by using strategies such as overlapping work hours and having dedicated team members act as points of contact across different time zones. It allows for seamless collaboration, no matter how far apart team members are.

We foster an environment of open communication and proactive solutions, ensuring our clients remain informed and engaged at every stage of the project. This approach is backed by a dedicated account manager for every project, ensuring that our clients consistently have direct access to key contacts throughout the project lifecycle.

Take a look at this brief list of best practices in outsourcing communications that we at Svitla adhere to:

• Establishing a centralized communication platform
• Defining project leadership and stakeholders
• Formalizing meeting schedules and frequencies
• Investing in communication skills training
• Setting clear expectations from the outset
• Verifying language proficiency
• Scheduling regular feedback sessions
• Choosing an appropriate time gap management.

Find more insights on bridging communication gaps in outsourcing in our detailed Svitla article here.

3. What Happens if Client Project Requirements Change over Time?

Project requirements can change over time due to market shifts, technological advancements, or evolving business goals. Does this mean Svitla adheres only to the originally outlined requirements? Definitely not. To adapt to these changes, we use an iterative development approach and gather ongoing client feedback to understand their current priorities and objectives.

Here's how we approach the challenge, based on the processes and methodologies we put in place:

• Using agile methods to stay flexible
• Communicating openly with clients to keep them informed
• Working closely with our client as an extension of their team
• Managing risks through careful planning and tracking milestones
• Adjusting costs and timelines openly and transparently
• Maintaining stability after changes through ongoing testing and quality assurance.

Practical Use Case

Client: Digital identity platform

Challenge: Our client was struggling with performance issues because their needs were constantly changing, so we jumped in to help.

Svitla’s solution: After closely analyzing their setup, we identified the main bottlenecks and devised a plan to enhance scalability. We then refined the architecture to align with the new requirements. Throughout the process, our team demonstrated flexibility by conducting thorough tests to ensure we met the evolving needs.

4. How Does Svitla Ensure the Quality of Deliverables?

Any client seeks assurance that the delivered project will fulfill all specified requirements, which is completely understandable and might raise numerous concerns. To address the issue, we use our project-based deliverables approach — the backbone of ensuring deliverable quality. This approach covers the entire lifecycle of a software project, from concept to quality control. We take full responsibility for the development process and select the most cost-effective technology stack and architecture.

We maintain strict quality standards throughout the development process, which include: 

• Manual and automated testing to identify and address potential issues early on, minimizing the need for costly post-release fixes. 
• A comprehensive range of QA testing services, including performance, functional, and security testing, ensuring that web and mobile applications operate smoothly and securely.

With our thorough approach and expert QA team backing us up, we can assure that our deliverables always meet and exceed client expectations. This approach helps us get to market faster, reduce costs, and make sure the custom software we build meets the client’s business needs.

5. What Is Svitla’s Approach to Security and Data Protection?

Cyber threats and data breaches have become common buzzwords, yet they pose a significant risk to businesses. At Svitla, we understand how crucial data protection is and are dedicated to rigorous security protocols, including compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001, and other industry regulations.

As a SOC 2 Certified Provider, we demonstrate our commitment to key trust principles, including Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy.

Our commitment includes implementing strong security protocols, such as:

• Advanced encryption
• Access controls
• Regular security audits

This approach safeguards data from unauthorized access and ensures compliance with global privacy standards.

Our ISO 9001:2015 certification also showcases our commitment to top-notch management practices at our development centers. By incorporating these strong security measures into our operations, we can be sure that client data stays protected and our solutions meet the highest quality and compliance standards.

Practical Use Case

Client: Security and IT solutions provider

Challenge: The company needed to ensure the smooth operation of various systems and minimize potential threats to its infrastructure.

Svitla’s solution: We assembled five network engineers to ensure uninterrupted network support, formed a team of four systems engineers to enhance cloud capabilities, and implemented serverless computing. Most importantly, we improved IT resource protection with advanced security software and conducted regular audits to ensure data integrity.

6. How Flexible Is Svitla’s Team Scaling Process?

It’s common for team size requirements to change during the project development process. That’s why we implement the managed team extension model, which enables you to adjust team size seamlessly, adding or reducing resources according to the project demands. With our large talent pool, we can bring in more experts quickly and make sure they get up to speed smoothly.

With this approach, you get more flexibility in managing your project's direction and pace, without the long-term commitment of hiring full-time staff.

Practical Use Case

Client: Cordial – a cross-channel marketing platform.

Challenge: The company needed to enhance its platform’s user interface, launch a new Sculpt Editor, develop new features, and improve overall product quality.

Svitla’s solution: We scaled up the team by adding front-end and back-end developers with expertise in React, JavaScript, and PHP. Due to this rapid scaling, the editor was launched in full and on time. Once the project transitioned to maintenance, there was no longer a need for such a large team, so we scaled down to focus on ongoing support and reduce costs.

7. How Does Svitla Ensure Cost Efficiency Without Compromising Quality?

Contrary to popular belief, partnering with a software outsourcing company doesn't mean you have to choose between cost-efficiency and quality. At Svitla Systems, we focus on delivering cost-effective solutions without sacrificing quality by using a combination of key strategies:

1. Tailored engagement models, becausewe believe in flexible collaboration and offer models like team extension, managed services, and project-based deliverables. This way, you can select the most cost-effective solution that meets your needs.
2. Access to global talent, which allowsus to provide high-quality services at competitive prices. It optimizes development costs without compromising expertise.
3. Smart resource allocation, becauseour team swiftly adapts to project changes, scaling resources as necessary. It guarantees that we utilize our resources efficiently and cost-effectively throughout the project lifecycle.
4. Comprehensive quality assurance through rigorous QA processes that combine manual and automated testing. We choose to tackle issues early to prevent expensive fixes down the line and deliver a high-quality finished product.
5. Optimizing cloud costs with a tried-and-tested approach to get the most value out of your investment. It involves tracking for cost irregularities and adjusting resource allocation, ensuring you get the most from the cloud's cost-effectiveness.

Practical Use Case

Client: A comprehensive Applicant Tracking System (ATS) solution

Challenge: The client needed to identify and address existing bottlenecks, conduct real-time communication between recruiters and candidates, receive statistics, and enhance cost savings.

Svitla’s solution: We implemented AI processing and NLP for real-time statistics, which minimized manual workload and operational costs. We also used agile methodology to accelerate development cycles, reduce time to market, and lower costs without compromising quality. Finally, we utilized AWS cloud services to build a scalable ATS, which allowed us to reduce infrastructure costs while ensuring high performance.

8. How Does Svitla Handle Unexpected Challenges During the Project?

Even the initial task assigned to the outsourcing company might be a tough one to tackle. But what happens when unexpected challenges come up during project delivery?

When faced with these situations, we take proactive steps to address them effectively.

Practical Use Case

Client: Data analytics company (healthcare)

Challenge: The client needed to modify and enhance opioid prescription practices by analyzing prescription patterns and improving patient outcomes. The entire project delivery timeframe was just three months.

Unexpected challenges: Handling vast, unstructured data from various sources required quick adaptation to ensure successful project delivery.

Svitla’s solution: We assembled a senior-level team and employed agile methodology to address the tight deadline and adapt to evolving requirements. Our approach to the unstructured data issue involved implementing AWS-based solutions for a scalable data pipeline. For HIPAA compliance, our team utilized AWS compliance tools and conducted thorough audits. Finally, we offered dynamic team scaling to ensure the project stays on track despite increased data demands.

9. How Does Svitla Handle Time Zone Differences and Collaboration?

One of the biggest challenges in remote collaboration is finding a suitable time for people in different parts of the world. However, this issue can be easily resolved by effectively managing time zone differences.

At Svitla, we use several key strategies to connect teams across different time zones.

• Overlapping work hours: We recognize the challenges of working with various time zones, so we coordinate schedules to overlap. It helps us communicate in real-time, collaborate more effectively, and ensures that team members in different regions can work together during critical periods.
• Clear communication guidelines: We set clear expectations for how we communicate, including meeting agendas, sticking to scheduled times, and using tools that support structured discussions. This way, all team members are on the same page, no matter where they are.
• A culture of inclusivity and understanding: We create an environment that values flexibility, empathy, and respect. It means acknowledging the importance of work-life balance and promoting practices that support the well-being of our global team.

By integrating these strategies for remote collaboration, Svitla transforms time zone differences into an asset for our collaborative efforts instead of a challenge, leading to successful project outcomes and a unified global team.

10. How Does Svitla Facilitate a Smooth and Efficient Onboarding Process?

Efficient onboarding can contribute up to 30% to a project's success. At Svitla, we know that “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression”. That’s why we proactively prepare for and initiate the onboarding process.

Here’s a brief overview of how we make the onboarding process more efficient and simple.

For more information and helpful tips on maximizing your partnership with an MSP, check out our blog.

11. How Does Svitla Integrate With My In-House Team?

Collaborating with an external team frequently raises concerns about compatibility, communication clarity, flexibility, resource efficiency, data security, etc.

At Svitla, we effectively address these concerns by seamlessly integrating our professionals into your in-house team and offering flexible engagement models tailored to your project's needs. We augment your team with skilled professionals through team extension, enabling seamless collaboration and faster project delivery.

Our 15 global development centers offer specialized resources for projects of all sizes, from short-term to long-term and part-time to full-time, to help boost your team's skills on demand.

Additionally, our managed services support handles end-to-end web development and maintenance, allowing your core team to focus on strategic initiatives while we manage routine tasks. This collaborative approach ensures that our experts align with your goals, cultural fit, and workflows, fostering a productive partnership that drives success.

Here’s what our clients are saying:

“We really consider this team an extension. They suggest, they challenge, they say that you should do certain things because it’s the right way.” — Nachi Sendowski, CTO & SVP Engineering, Inflection

“They’re members of our team, not just a remote team doing a different project. They’re ready to go when we need them.” — Bret Knoll, Manager of Business Systems Development, StatLine

12. What Support Does Svitla Offer After the Project Is Completed?

Finishing a project doesn't mean we stop collaborating. At Svitla, we're committed to building long-term relationships, offering ongoing support and guidance even after the project wraps up.

For example, even after a mobile app project for a client is complete, we still offer ongoing support and quality assurance resources within the company. It ensures that the project continues to perform at a high level and meets the client's long-term needs. This approach allows us to maintain a close relationship with the client, monitor progress, and address any future requirements.

We also provide consulting services to help you capitalize on new opportunities and remain competitive. Our team offers tailored advice and insights that align with your business objectives. This ongoing collaboration reflects our commitment to your long-term success and the consistent quality of our solutions.

13. What Makes Svitla Stand Out Among Other Software Development Companies?

We frequently hear this question, as potential clients want to understand the tangible benefits of partnering with us. It’s a valid inquiry given that we operate in a competitive environment. Allow me to address this question as a motivated (but unbiased) Svitla employee with over four years of experience. There are three key factors I’d like to highlight:

• We demonstrate our fast response in every communication and relationship we build. In addition to quick contact, our Account Managers provide valuable solutions to specific issues, even when time is limited.
• One of our key advantages is the flexibility to scale teams up or down swiftly, thanks to our extensive talent pool of proven professionals from previous successful projects. Thus, there's no concern if your hiring needs require adjustments during our collaboration.
• We are a certified women-owned business that brings diversity to the table. As a mid-sized company with over 1100 engineers, we are agile and capable of adapting quickly to client needs. Being privately owned allows us to make swift and flexible decisions. Our CEO, Natalia Anion, and all managers are actively involved in client interactions, which streamlines the decision-making process. Whether hiring a single person or an entire team, this flexibility and culture of responsiveness are deeply embedded in our company’s DNA.

And here’s what our clients say about choosing Svitla:

“Our biggest fear when we go outsource is if they can do the job and deliver on time, if they are reliable, if they will stand by their work. Svitla gets a five star on all levels. They have taken on projects small and large. We have integrated their resources completely into our technical department and infrastructure and have never looked back.” — David Wong, CEO, E2G2 Inc.