When developing any type of product, employing a quality assurance (QA) consultant to implement a methodical analysis of the product should be of paramount importance. Regardless of the size of your company, the quality of your product will contribute to customer satisfaction and encourage loyalty - vital for businesses developing their brand
However, many small companies don't quality assure dummy products; astonishing considering the importance of quality products and services in building a brand's reputation.
Why is quality control critical?
Having a quality assurance function in the product design and development team helps reduce the risks of extra costs associated with retesting, replacing and remerchandising any faulty goods. This makes investing in a quality assurance specialist is a cost-effective measure.
Additionally, if the end-user is not satisfied with your products, there is likely to be a backlash of negative reviews. When this is amplified through the power of social media, it can have a huge bearing on the success of your product release and the wider company.
Of course, this would be damaging to any small organisation trying to build up their sales. However, in serious cases, you may encounter legal costs if the product has reached customers but does not comply with industry standards. These high-level risks can be eradicated by using the services of a quality assurance specialist.
Making your mark
In any highly competitive marketplace, minimising product errors should be a priority for every small business, so they are not disqualified in the competition for consumers.
However, when companies are rushing to release new products ahead of their competitors, crucial steps can be missed in order to reduce the amount of time taken to release the product onto the market.
Although the urgency to release products may feel like the most important element in the product development, providing customers with a higher-quality product comes with more benefits for small businesses.
For example, the technology market is becoming increasingly competitive year-on-year. So, smaller companies need to look to ways that they can improve their products and stand out against the giants in the industry.
Three tips for ensuring quality:
1. Make a commitment to quality
Reiterate to staff the importance of quality in their work and outline expectations. By enforcing the company’s commitment to quality as a non-negotiable goal, workers will take more care and have greater pride in their work. It also means that business owners and managers need to work closely with their teams to monitor projects and understand how long tasks take to ensure realistic timeframes are put in place.
2. Track performance
Committing to quality means identifying mistakes and tracking instances where quality was not upheld to ensure measures are put in place to prevent these occurrences in the future.
3. Hire staff who are qualified or experienced in quality assurance
If you are unsure where to source quality assurance consultants, this is where specialist recruitment services are particularly useful for businesses of any size. With their comprehensive databases, they can connect potential employers and those looking for QA jobs, so small software businesses can easily find experienced quality assurance specialists.
With thanks to Eolas Recruitment - Ireland's leading specialist IT recruitment firm.