The exploratory call
Exploratory calls are a very common procedure when exploring whether Shinetech can provide the service a potential customer needs. Exploratory calls also serve to introduce the potential customer to the company and facilitate the onboarding process. The procedure is the same whether we are starting a full cooperation or a free trial.
Exploratory calls usually have two persons. One person comes from the sales department – an account executive that will be in charge of discussing legal and admin responsibilities, act as a facilitator in the communication, and provide support for the team.
The other person is a full-stack software engineer with vast experience in the customer’s industry and with the technology in question. If the customer hasn’t specified which technology stack they’d like to use, the software engineer will be there to suggest and openly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of several software stacks.
The customer’s journey to the exploratory call
The customer’s journey to setting up an exploratory call usually starts with leaving a message via our website or by calling one of our branch offices across the world. If the customer leaves a message, it is recorded in our system, and the sales department appoints an account manager to explore the opportunity of working together. The account manager then looks for a full-stack software engineer that best fits this specific customer.
What customers can do to help with the exploratory call is to:
- Discuss which technology stacks they want to use
- Explain the goals they want to achieve with the software
- Mention the industry they belong to or are looking to expand into
- Share any other information they feel is relevant for the discussion
Once the exploratory team is assembled, we discuss the details internally and arrange a call with the customer at a day and time that best fits the customer’s schedule. Any information the customer shares with us before the call is great since we can better understand their needs and goals, and shorten the onboarding process. We always pay attention to the customer’s notes they left through our contact form and look if they left any URL we need to check or mentioned any specific technology we could explore further.
The exploratory call
Exploratory calls usually last 30 minutes, but we can always extend it if we need more time to discuss the details. The goal is to understand whether Shinetech and the customer can collaborate together, whether we can provide the proper service, and whether we have the technological capacity to develop their software.
We usually explore the following questions during a regular exploratory call:
- What timeline do you have planned for this project?
- What technology stack are you planning to use? Is there any particular reason why that specific stack?
- What are you expecting from the development team?
- We work by following Agile principles – are you okay with that way of work? Have you ever worked in Agile before? Does your team/company follow Agile principles?
Questions like these help us better understand the customer’s expectations, goals, and requirements.
After the call
After the exploratory call, the account manager and the software engineer discuss the details internally. We try to create an action plan to address the customer’s needs and requirements. If the customer is looking for a larger development resource, we look to add more developers to the team based on their knowledge, specialization, and a deep understanding of the customer’s industry.
We usually also agree on the next steps during the exploratory call. If the customer likes what they heard and wants to proceed, we set up admin work, assemble the team, and begin to work on the project.
