Software testing is absolutely essential for any company wanting to launch an app. It’s the taste test of the tech world. You wouldn’t serve sa customer a burrito with a new hot sauce unless you were sure they would leave your establishment with taste buds fully intact, and the same principle applies to software. You want to create a predictably positive experience without any hiccups.
But before we talk about why it’s important, we should take a look at what exactly it is.
What is software testing?
Software testing is a process which can involve a series of quality assurance methods. It covers both the user experience and the inner workings of software. Testers check that the software does what it should do, as well as ensuring it’s easy to use – and that there are no bugs hiding in the code!
Testing builds public trust and confidence in the software, and helps to establish a reputation of reliability in the business world. Methods such as crowdtesting can greatly improve a product and prime it for release to the public. It’s a vital step in the process of turning a grain of an idea into a fully fledged end-product, usable in the real world.
In this highly electronic, software-reliant world, keeping our software working is integral to functioning businesses and day-to-day life. But, no matter how great your development team is, mistakes can happen. This risk is increased when you’re adding a new update, or integrating your software with another company’s program. Having a second or third pair of eyes test the software is priceless, and hyperautomation can greatly expedite the testing process.
As technology becomes more and more intricate and advanced, we’ve even seen a rise in AI software testing. This helps to streamline the testing process and make it even more effective (and affordable), with innovations such as IA automation further augmenting the automation process. AI testing can be scheduled to take place every couple of days, so you essentially get a live testing solution every time a new release or update takes place in a piece of software. Getting this process locked down will be essential to your business systemisation
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the benefits of software testing.
1. Reduce risk of hackers
Recent hackings have highlighted the importance of data security. Who can forget the massive Facebook breach of 2019 where the dataset of over 500 million people from 106 countries were published online? Suffering from a data breach is one of the quickest ways to lose customer trust.
With massive data breaches over the last decade, keeping your data safe from hackers is absolutely essential. When it comes to software for organisations rather than individuals, the risks can be even higher. Suffering from a data breach is one of the quickest ways to lose customer trust – and their business.
You don’t have to be the CEO of Facebook to care about data privacy however. Smaller businesses are frequently targeted because hackers might assume that they will have less security in place and less robust software. Passwords and email addresses can be stolen, and then used to infiltrate even larger organisations (which, by the way, is why they always say to use a different password for everything).
If your business app has a mobile version, it’s more important than ever to ensure you’ve done thorough production testing. 2020 was filled with mobile app breaches and leaks, and that’s a risk you need to counter especially with the business use of personal cell phone being practiced. Luckily, it’s easy to find a mobile app testing tutorial to help your business out.
While software testing can’t prevent every hacking attempt – many of them succeed due to human error, something we unfortunately can’t test for – it can reduce their chances of success.
2. Improve customer satisfaction
User-friendly software is usually the result of testing. While keeping your customers in mind during the designing phase is important, it’s software testing that really ensures you’ve succeeded in those goals, and continuous integration that ensures that you continue to deliver quality at scale.
It can be worth hiring testers – whether internally, or through an agency – who are familiar with the target audience of your app. For example, a software tester working on an administrative software will look out for the user-friendliness of the software for an administrator. Meanwhile, software for BCM (business continuity management), would have a different audience and so would benefit from testers who are familiar in this area of work. Video conferencing software should make this possible even with an agency handling things for you.
One great way to ensure software suits the target market is beta-testing. This is a practise where invited users can provide feedback on the software for a limited period. It’s a great opportunity to gather intel before doing a full launch, and gives you the chance to make any needed changes instead of getting a lot of complaints!
3. Keep your reputation intact
With 49% of consumers requiring at least a 4-star rating of any business they choose to use, it’s absolutely essential that the reviews your business gets are as positive as possible!
If you’re launching a new app, those first few reviews will hold the most weight and could sway the success of your app. If you release a buggy app, and the first 10 people to use it all leave negative reviews, you’re going to suffer in the long term. Even after correcting the errors, that first impression is going to be what potential users see – not your improvements.
One of the best ways to avoid losing customers and their good online business reviews is by ensuring the app you release works. This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how common bugs and glitches can be. If another company has flawless software, they will likely gain a competitive advantage over you.
By retaining your customers and your reputation, you keep your business growing. The high quality standards of your software when it goes live will create great first impressions, and great continuing trust and engagement with your customer base. It protects the company’s brand image and keeps the company profitable by reducing the need for support.
Customer retention is many businesses’ primary goal. Most customers’ primary goal is to find a cost-effective and reliable service which does exactly what it says on the tin. If you can meet their goals, they can help you meet yours.
4. It’s cost effective
Bug fixes are an expensive process compared to pre-testing software. Effective testing saves you the costs of developing your software further, avoids unnecessary tasks, and means your software developers can move onto their next project instead of trying to fix something you’ve already launched.
It’s not just internal costs, either. Reimbursing customers who have experienced faulty or buggy software through you is another unwanted cost. Whether it’s a simple refund, or compensation for a data breach, it’ll all eat into your profits. That doesn’t even take into account the customer’s lost time, your lost client and possibly a poor review deterring future customers.
With the right testing, investing time and resources early on will save you from headaches further down the line. The best cure is prevention! By outsourcing your testing to a good software testing partner, you are already making steps in the right direction.
Sometimes, outsourcing this work can be cheaper and more effective than doing it in-house. Rather than having to hire dedicated testers, you can rely on an agency’s experience – and they’re likely to have access to a much broader range of testers than you. You can also avoid any bias by going to an external team. Established software testers also already have the right equipment to do the job, with specialized expertise in matters such as QA and RPA, so you don’t have to fish out for expensive testing software.
Time to start testing!
A thorough software testing process, either automated, in-house, or if you choose to outsource software testing to an external company, is essential before you launch your business app into the world. It is a way to make sure that your app is safe and secure for your users, keeping any hackers at bay, and your customers’ data secure. The user-friendly focus of testing ensures that your customers can use your app with ease to meet their needs, and won’t be looking elsewhere due to a glitch.
By launching a bug-free app on your first try, you can create a really positive first impression. Additionally, by keeping your app working seamlessly with every update, your reputation as a reliable app provider remains intact and your customers are kept happy and coming back for more! And, by doing all of the testing before the launch, you avoid expensive emergency fixes.
Investing in software testing now will pay off in the long run – you’ll attract and retain customers who leave positive reviews and help your business app to take off. That small expense now will net your bigger profits, and more success, in the future.
