Table of Contents
- What Is A Software Testing Company?
- What Does A Software Testing Company Do?
- The Four Advantages Of Working With A Software Testing Company
- How Much Do Software Testing Companies Charge For Their Services?
- How To Choose The Right Software Testing Company For Your Business?
- 10 Questions To Ask When Hiring A Software Testing Company
- Takeaways On Software Testing Companies
What Is A Software Testing Company?
A software testing company is an agency that provides thorough QA solutions and services for applications and programs.
Software testers are responsible for performing automated and manual tests to ensure the quality of development and seamless deployment.
Today, software plays a critical role across all walks of life. Given that technologies develop every day, it demands fail-proofing to make sure it performs as expected.
Simply put, it requires the software testing experts’ vigilance.
The main purpose of a software testing company is to identify issues, gaps or missing elements during development and even after the product has been released.
It entails a solid QA strategy design and QA process enhancements from function, integration, compatibility, usability, overall performance, security and compliance.
Since they work on digital programs, software testing companies mostly work remotely, which allows businesses of all sizes and backgrounds to hire the top-ranking teams worldwide, gain access to a significantly larger talent pool and minimize the expenses.
What Does A Software Testing Company Do?
The work of QA testing companies is crucial because if there are any bugs or errors in the software, they can be identified in the early stages of development and be solved before the delivery of the software product to the SaaS market.
A software testing services company ensures product reliability, security and high performance which results in a time and cost-effective project with guaranteed customer satisfaction.
Early software testing uncovers problems before software product goes public. The sooner the software development team receives test results, the sooner they can address and fix common issues like:
- Poor design solutions
- Invalid/incorrect functionality
- Architectural flaws
- Security vulnerabilities
- Scalability issues
Although software testing outsourcing companies provide final fine-tuning in software development, they can also improve and optimize existing programs to meet their client needs.
Software testing can be roughly split up into two different methodologies:
- Manual testing
- Automated testing
Depending on your goals, there are many different types of software testing, each with specific objectives and strategies:
- Acceptance testing: Analyzing and verifying whether the whole system works as planned.
- Integration testing: Making sure that all software and/or functions operate together.
- Unit testing: A unit is the smallest component of the software product. Unit testing is the process of validating that each software unit performs as expected.
- Performance testing: Testing how the software product performs under different workloads. It simulates different real-life conditions that evaluate actual software performance.
- Functional testing: Checking various functions by emulating business scenarios, based on functional requirements. Black-box testing is a common method to verify functions.
- Regression testing: Checking if any new feature compromises functionality.
- Stress testing: Testing how much strain the system can endure before collapsing.
- Usability testing: Analyzing how well a potential customer can use the software product to complete a given task.
- Ad-hoc testing: As the name suggests, this testing service is performed with no reference to the test case.
- And so much more
Functional and regression testing are the most popular among organizations as 78% of them use these types of test automation.
Even the simplest app development can be subjected to a large degree of testing. Having a set goal, available time and resources, the software testing company establishes a QA strategy to prioritize which types of testing provide the most value.
What Is The Difference Between Manual And Automated Software Testing Services?
There are major differences in automated testing compared to its manual counterpart.
The major question is: who executes the test case?
When it comes to manual testing, a human performs the tests step by step, without procedural scripts. Manual testing requires QA testers to be highly involved in every step - from test case creation to its actual execution.
In automated testing, tests are performed without human assistance, more often than not via test automation frameworks, along with other tools and software. Automation testing requires testers to write test scripts that automate test execution.
A test script is a set of instructions to be performed to validate a feature or expected outcome.
Both methods have their strengths and weaknesses. While manual testing is thorough, it is slow, tedious and ultimately, prone to human errors. Its strength lies in handling complex scenarios much better.
On the other hand, automated testing requires coding and test maintenance, but it is much faster and covers more variations.
What Is The Difference Between Black Box, White Box And Grey Box Software Testing Techniques?
A software testing company may employ three methods to test software: Black Box, White Box and Grey Box.
- Black Box testing is used to measure the functionality of the application/software product. It is an interface-level, trial-and-error software test that doesn’t bother with source code or any other code structure.
- White Box testing is widely known as structural testing. It is focused on the source code’s internal structure. It ensures that the performance of the software product is aligned with the specifications.
- Grey Box testing is the combination of the previous two methods. The software tester may require knowledge of both to perform the Grey Box test. This hybrid method provides better test cases in the software.
The Four Advantages Of Working With A Software Testing Company
Although the advantages of partnering with QA testing companies are clear for any tech-savvy client, we’ve listed the four main reasons why software testing is essential for your business.
1. Save on costs.
The earlier you detect an error, the cheaper it is to fix it. By employing QA testing you will save time and money after deployment.
If you employ a dedicated QA team right from the start of the software development life cycle (SDLC), you can lessen the overall cost of troubleshooting along the way.
2. Get the best version of the software.
Thorough software testing ensures that the software is error-free, secure and enhances the overall performance.
3. Ensure a great user experience.
These days, especially in a post-pandemic environment, it is clear that user experience makes or breaks any product.
If the software is glitching or slow, it hinders the experience of the end-user. Bad UX results in dissatisfaction, frustration and ultimately, complete abandonment of the said product.
On the other hand, a meticulously tested software product results in a satisfied user who is much more likely to become a brand evangelist.
The Nielsen Norman Group, a well-established user experience consulting firm, concluded that when UX improves the customer experience, it can improve companies’ KPIs up to 83% in conversion lift.
4. Increase revenue with proper QA.
If you are creating a software product with the goal of marketing and selling it, QA ensures your product can sell at a higher rate.
How Much Do Software Testing Companies Charge For Their Services?
Although software testing can be costly, companies do save millions in development annually with proper testing techniques and QA processes in place.
Top software testing outsourcing companies typically price their services per hour. The rates may vary significantly depending on:
- Company location
- Number of resources
- Level of expertise
- And more
The greatest factor in service pricing is geography.
The average rate of a software testing company in the US and Western Europe varies from $50 to $150 per hour. In Eastern Europe, the same services cost from $25 to $50 per hour and in some Asian countries, software testers may charge less than $25 per hour.
When it comes to project rates and fixed price models, the cost is approved in advance based on:
- The complexity of the project
- The requirements
- The testers’ proficiency
Because of many ongoing changes, total project costs may vary. But on average, the combined costs of testing and deployment phases are around:
- $1,000 to $25,000 for enterprise-level projects
- $1,000 to $10,000 for app testing
Keep in mind that hidden testing can occur before and after the actual QA phase and this may be an added cost as well.
How To Choose The Right Software Testing Company For Your Business?
Selecting the right USA software testing company plays a crucial role in delivering a cutting-edge software product.
Identifying the best fit requires thorough research and planning.
Here are the key factors that can help you make an easier and more informed choice:
- Consider their reputation
In the growing software testing market, reputation and reviews are good indicators if a company is worth your time or your money.
- Compare their price with the expected quality of service
Once you have a general idea about their quality of work, it’s time to check their rates. Sometimes undercharging can be a reliable sign that a software testing company outsources their testing or produces sub-par results.
Research their technical capabilities to ensure they’re able to support your software during the testing process.
- Understand if they have the required technical expertise
Top software testing outsourcing companies specialize in various technologies, services and solutions. Look for ones that prominently highlight the types of services that match your requirements.
Look into the qualifications of the team members who will be performing the tasks. Do they specialize in software testing? Are they developers that also perform thorough testing or are they somewhat of IT generalists?
- Learn whether they have the desired experiences
Previous industry experiences or similar projects in their portfolio may significantly improve the quality of testing solutions and accelerate the delivery of your software product.
- Determine how easily the software testing company can integrate with your processes
Your prospective software testing company should be familiar with your existing QA practices and tools. They should also be able to test your software on all potential platforms.
- Decide what to complete before testing
Not every software testing company is equally prepared to tackle a project without previous client preparation.
Some QA testing companies expect a clear outline of the test conditions, testing processes and test results expectations.
10 Questions To Ask When Hiring A Software Testing Company
Before you decide to partner with a software testing company, you should have an idea regarding their processes, approach and quality of work.
Here are the top 10 questions you need to ask software testing companies to narrow down your selection:
- Is your software testing company aware of the latest software technologies and testing practices?
- Does your QA testing company understand the requirements of the project?
- What software testing processes do you follow to ensure quality?
- Are you able to accelerate QA/testing processes to meet the deadline?
- What experience do you have in terms of managing projects of similar scope, size and goals?
- How do you deliver your software testing services? What’s your team and project setup?
- What is your preferred testing methodology and why?
- How do you approach client communication?
- Are you amenable to results-based costing? If so, what can you guarantee and how much would that cost me?
- What would be the list of actual deliverables?
Takeaways On Software Testing Companies
Top software testing companies in the United States typically specialize in identifying errors or glitches in the software development process. They use a wide array of testing processes and methodologies like:
- Manual and/or automated testing
- Black box, White Box or Grey Box testing
- Requirement-based testing
The main benefits of hiring a software testing company are:
- Time and cost-efficiency
- Top-quality software product
- Great UX
- Increased revenue and ROI
Depending on their location, most software testing outsourcing companies have an hourly rate between $50 to $150, or $25 to $50.
When choosing the best-fit software testing service company, you should:
- Consider their reputation
- Compare their rates with the quality of work
- Understand their technical expertise
- Learn if they have the necessary experience, tools and resources
- Decide how well they can integrate their services with existing processes
- Decide on the project goals before testing starts
Good luck!