In today’s world, software testing is increasingly seen as a commodity. But as companies’ reputations become increasingly dependent on their digital presence, is poor quality really acceptable anymore? And if so, isn’t it worth finding a high-quality outsourcing partner to protect it?
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With the advent of the multichannel marketplace, brands have near-constant access to their customers. |
For a long time, it felt like software quality was the “Elephant in the Room” for most companies: universally acknowledged, but generally ignored. Executives knew that their development projects needed testing, but they were leery about overspending and rework-induced delays. In response, they started viewing software testing and QA as a commodity and went looking for the cheapest rates possible—largely ignoring transformational initiatives to focus on other projects that had a more clear-cut ROI.
Bearing that in mind, is it really a surprise that offshore outsourcing emerged as such a viable option in software testing? When cost is the driving factor, everything else tends to fall by the wayside.
But then people started caring about customer loyalty, and everything changed.
With the advent of the multichannel marketplace, brands have near-constant access to their customers. This provides them unprecedented opportunities for building loyalty and making sales, but also comes at a price—software quality matters more than ever.
Nowadays, every interaction a company makes with its customers—whether it’s a downloaded mobile app, an accessed website, a social media post, or something else entirely—is a critical opportunity to build loyalty or lose their trust. When downloading a new app or visiting to a new webpage is the only barrier between the competition, it’s as easy for users to access well-designed content and flawless usability as it is for them to avoid the things they deem subpar. Furthermore, things like social media and app ratings have given those same people a giant soapbox from which to publicly voice their displeasure—making their satisfaction all the more vital.
The message is pretty clear: software testing isn’t a commodity anymore. Consumers care about QA as much as they do about UX—and have little patience for companies that ignore it.
So, if software quality is now the proverbial golden goose, how does a savvy CIO ensure it’s protected in the long term? Invest in high-quality testing, of course! However, that doesn’t have to mean spending more. Just look at our Rural Software Testing, for example—we deliver at a comparable cost to offshore, but our True North Testing Methodology ensures we can deliver higher quality without any of the hassle or headaches.
The truth is, while customer loyalty is more important than ever, dazzling your users has never been easier. Isn’t it time you did the same?
Cheers,
Mike Hodge
Lighthouse Technologies, Inc.
Software Testing | Quality Assurance Consulting | Oracle EBS Consulting
