Choosing a Software House in Batam: 10 Questions to Ask
The surest way to choose a software house is to check three things: work they have actually shipped, how they will run your project week to week, and what happens after launch. The ten questions below cover all three. They apply whether you are in Batam, elsewhere in Indonesia or across the strait in Singapore.
We are a software house in Batam ourselves, so these are the questions we would want clients to hold us to.
1. Can I see live products you have built?
Screenshots and mock-ups are easy to make. Ask for things you can open: a website, or an app on Google Play or the App Store. Store listings also show reviews and when the app was last updated, which tells you whether the team maintains what it builds.
2. Who will actually work on my project?
Ask for the names and roles of the people who will design, build and test your product, and whether any part of the work is passed to subcontractors. You want to know who to call when something needs fixing.
3. How will the project be run?
A good answer includes milestones and regular demos of working software, not just status reports. Seeing the product early is the best protection against finding out at the end that it isn't what you meant.
4. What is included in the quote, and what isn't?
Check design, testing, hosting, app store fees, content entry and post-launch support. Two quotes that look far apart often differ mainly in what they leave out.
5. Who owns the code and the accounts?
The source code, the repository, your domain, the Google Play and App Store developer accounts and the cloud accounts should be in your company's name, with the software house given access. If the relationship ends, you keep everything.
6. How do you handle changes?
Your requirements will change once you see the product. Ask how change requests are estimated and approved, so a new idea doesn't turn into a surprise invoice.
7. What happens after launch?
Ask how long bugs are fixed for free, who updates the app for new Android and iOS versions, and what ongoing maintenance costs. An app that isn't updated stops working well within a year or two as operating systems move on.
8. How will you keep my users' data safe?
If your product collects personal data from people in Indonesia, it falls under the Personal Data Protection Law (UU PDP, Law No. 27 of 2022). Ask how the team handles privacy policies, Google Play's data safety form, backups and access to production data.
9. Can we meet in person?
Video calls work, but meeting in person speeds up the first workshops and solves problems faster when they come up. A Batam team can meet Batam clients in an afternoon, and Singapore is a short ferry ride away.
10. How quickly will you reply?
Ask for response times in writing, both before and after launch. A team that is slow to answer a sales enquiry rarely gets faster once the contract is signed.
Red flags
- A fixed price before anyone has asked detailed questions about your project.
- No live products to show, only designs.
- Code, domains or store accounts registered in the agency's name.
- No milestones, no demos, and payment due mostly up front.
How we answer these questions
You can see our live apps and games on the portfolio page, including five of our own apps and games on Google Play. Our app development page explains how we run projects, from scoping to launch and support. And we reply to every enquiry within one business day: write to [email protected] or use the contact form.