This one is for people who are non-technical. If you are, you probably already know most of this.

When an agency presents a technical solution, the best thing you can do is have someone independently review it before you commit. A technical consultant can tell you quickly whether the proposed approach is a sensible fit for your needs, budget, and long-term goals. If that is not an option, here are the questions worth asking:

• Off the shelf or custom built? There are proven platforms for almost every use case: ecommerce, booking systems, membership sites, CRMs, etc. If an agency is recommending a fully custom build, ask what is so specific about your requirements that an existing solution cannot handle it. Custom builds cost more upfront and you are then responsible for maintaining them indefinitely.
• Vendor lock-in. If it is an off-the-shelf platform, find out how easy it is to get your data out. Can you export everything? How hard would it be to migrate to another provider if you needed to? This question matters more than it feels like it does on day one.
• iOS and Android apps: native or cross-platform? Native apps are built separately for each platform and generally deliver a better user experience. Cross-platform solutions build once and deploy to both, which can be better value depending on what your app actually does. There is no universally right answer, it depends on complexity and what you are trying to achieve.
• Who owns the code? On a custom build, make sure the contract is clear that you own the source code and can access it at any time. Do not assume this.
• Can another team pick it up? If you change agencies or bring development in-house later, will a new team be able to understand and work with what has been built? Highly customised or niche stacks can make this harder than it needs to be.
• Who maintains it after launch? All software needs ongoing maintenance, security patches, bug fixes, platform updates. Make sure it is clear who is responsible and what it will cost before you sign anything.

If you are not sure how to assess any of this, a small investment in an independent technical review upfront is almost always cheaper than discovering the wrong call was made once the project has started.

Still have questions? Give us a call or send us a message to understand more without any pushy sales tactics.