While part of the appeal of Sitecore is in its ease of use, you may still want to hire a developer to install Sitecore–to make sure you get the utmost out of your investment. But what should you look for in a vendor? Here are some questions and ideas to discuss with possible developers.

1. How Will They Address Your Current Capabilities and Future Needs?

To begin the process, you want to address both the needs of the business, overall, and the technology. What does your business need to be able to do that you can’t do yet? What are your goals for eCommerce, and how do you measure success? What changes do you foresee over the next five years?

2. Budgeting Over The Long Haul

Costs for transitioning or upgrading to platforms vary dramatically, depending on a company’s needs. One common mistake, however, is to assess vendors based solely on upfront costs. Instead, ask about ongoing services–such as licensing, upgrades and maintenance over the platform’s lifecycle.

3. Their Sitecore Track Record

As this Sitecore development blog recommends, ask how many Sitecore implementations has this vendor done? (If the answer is less than five, you probably want to find another vendor, these developers warn.) How many Sitecore MVPs are on staff? How many of their staff members are Sitecore certified developers? You want to know how many of those doing the coding have the qualifications to do so. It isn’t enough just for team leads to be certified.

4. Third-Party Integrations

Another great question from the developers: What other third-party software applications and services are you currently using? Can all of those be incorporated the new platform, or will replacements be needed? If so, what are the developer’s reasons for those suggestions? What if you don’t want to make the switch, how will they accommodate this? Do they do maintenance for third party applications, or will you have to find someone else to handle those?

If you need help integrating or managing Sitecore eCommerce solutions, trust C2 to get the job done strategically. We have over a decade of experience producing Sitecore eCommerce sites; we’d love to learn more about what you’re hoping to accomplish and give you the insight you need.