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The most critical aspect of your entire HubSpot CMS project isn’t the day that you launch it, but the day you choose your HubSpot CMS developer. We’ve witnessed agencies being ghosted by their HubSpot developer, businesses that had to perform their own quality assurance testing despite contracting large agencies and so many other misadventures when it comes to HubSpot development over the years. We’ve lost projects to budget-conscious companies only for them to come back and tell us how paying less ended up costing them more in the long run.
We wish that we could be there to help you vet your HubSpot developer ourselves, because what is most important to us isn’t getting the work ourselves. What is most important to us is that amazing, beautiful projects are created on HubSpot CMS by gifted developers that allow marketers and business owners to really leverage the platform and meet their goals. Maybe it’s idealistic - but that’s what we’re really about.
We’re still a small shop and while we cannot take on every project that comes our way, we want you to have the tools at your disposal to make sure you ask the right questions to qualify the HubSpot CMS development partner that you’re vetting. While we’ve already taken the time to break down Part 1 of 6 HubSpot CMS developer interview questions, the list is long and we need to tell you 6 more…
Can you show me something you've completed recently that you're proud of?
You’d be surprised how often, especially being an agency-focused development shop, we take on the development of designs that we don’t love. While we know better than to ever be order takers (everyone knows your website isn’t a sub sandwich), at the end of the day our recommendations may be hampered by budget or stubborn clients. There are some projects that we’ve completed that we’re proud of - but there are other projects that we championed from start to finish to deliver something truly amazing - and those are the ones that we want to show our prospects.
A qualified web development partner will not just be happy to show you his or her most prized projects, but they’ll be enthusiastic about it. An experienced development partner will have a lot of different projects in HubSpot CMS and be able to talk about the obstacles they overcame to create them. Showcasing work they’re proud of will tell you a lot about the agency or developer you’re selecting. You’ll want your developer to approach your project with the amount of passion they’ve shown to their favorite projects.
What should we expect if we work together? Tell me about your process.
Typically, once a website project is discussed with a prospect, it will be scoped out and broken into different modules, pages and feature functionality so that it can be approved by the development team. The dev team will provide a number of hours for scope and that will be drafted into a proposal or quote.
Once the quote is accepted by the client, the kickoff meeting will be scheduled and the preliminary project kickoff worksheets and information requests will be sent to the client. Once the information is received, it will be reviewed internally and a kickoff call will be scheduled.
They will probably provide a timeline for development and when to expect design as well as how things will work once development begins. This process will differ between each agency, but you’ll want to get a timeline, understand your responsibilities and manage your expectations accordingly. Record calls or take detailed notes to refer back to in case the project becomes delayed.
What is the QA process once a page is built? Do you test across devices and browsers?
Two for one! While this may be two questions, it gives you more insight into what to ask when it comes to the QA process. QA stands for quality assurance, which refers to the rigorous testing period that takes place after a page or module is developed. For us that means testing all elements, links, checking information, testing responsiveness, browser compatibility testing, testing across multiple different devices and offering feedback to our design team.
Our agency uses Pastel for design feedback internally and with our clients. It’s a great tool for collaboration, especially when our development team and clients are spread across many remote locations.
Related: HubSpot CMS Development Quality Assurance: Why We Love Pastel
Understanding how your agency or developer approaches the review process is really important. We recently took on a project that came from a large agency who wasn’t taking the time to perform QA testing prior to delivering draft pages to the client and it was making things very difficult for them. Understanding how QA is handled in advance will give you a better idea for what to expect and an understanding of who is responsible for what along the way. Check out this blog to understand more about why website QA is so important in HubSpot CMS.
Will anything be hard-coded?
There will be some aspects of your website that a developer must update and change, but those items should be minimal, particularly if you’re working within HubSpot CMS. You’ll want to ask this question to understand when you’ll need to contact your developer partner. Inside HubSpot CMS the days of needing to send information to your developer to update should be gone for the most part.
Most of your website elements, including headers, footers, CTA buttons, your blog, and other website content should easily be able to be updated from your HubSpot login. Understanding which elements require hard coding will help you plan better for updates and costs associated with making those updates.
How will the revision process work?
When not handled properly, revisions can cause so many delays in project launches. An experienced development agency will have strict parameters associated with website reviews and revisions on behalf of the client. They’ll clearly outline what is included in scope, and address how new features will be handled.
Frequently in the development process clients request additions to functionality on the back end or additional design elements to be implemented on the front end. Your developer will discuss these with you, how they impact the overall budget and whether they’re pre-launch updates or post-launch updates. They’ll also discuss how they’ll impact launch timelines.
Revisions during the development process will often have deadlines attached and typically these will need to be submitted by a single point of contact.
How long after the process is completed will you support your work?
For all projects in HubSpot CMS, we typically support bug fixes and revisions for one week after the project is launched. When we have long standing relationships with our clients or growth-driven design retainers, there is some flexibility here. You should understand your developer’s policy towards bug fixes and revisions, as it can sometimes be difficult to get developers to make updates and fixes once a certain amount of time has passed.
For the most part, a reputable HubSpot developer will be supportive of their work to a point. Many excellent developers have been taken advantage of when they have not taken the time to clearly communicate how long they’ll support their website projects after launch. Understanding these expectations in advance will help you be more proactive after launch and ensure that your developer is able to support your expectations once your project reaches the finish line.
We hope that these 6 questions give you more to think about when you’re interviewing prospective development agencies for your next project. The more questions you ask, the more you’ll understand about how your developer handles things and the more likely you are to match up with the perfect developer.
While it may seem cumbersome to have such a long list of questions, it’s much better to ask more questions than less. A well-established, experienced development agency will understand this and easily be able to answer any questions you have and address other concerns associated with your website.
Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 3!
What has helped you in vetting developers during the interview process? Share your tips in the comments.
