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Frequently Asked Questions

On this page: Bespoke Development FAQs, Support FAQs

Bespoke Development FAQs

Who owns the rights to the software you develop for us?

Unless specifically agreed otherwise, you do. As far as we are concerned you pay us to write the system for you, and so therefore you own the intellectual property rights to the software. This is different to how many other developers work, who will retain all source code and copyright.

Can't you keep costs down by reusing elements from other projects?

Hero have developed a standard set of components (click here for more information) that we can drop into new projects dramatically speeding up development time, and therefore reducing cost. However, we are also big believers in building applications to suite the client's exact needs, rather than forcing them to work with the way we have done things in the past.

Do we have to go through you for any changes we want making in the future?

No, although hopefully you'd come back to us because we did such a good job! Unlike many other developers, we will supply you with all the relevant technical documentation and source code so you’re not tied to us in anyway. All the documentation and source code comes as standard with the price.

What if we find bugs after the project's been signed off and you’ve been paid?

Because of our confidence in our work, Hero Solutions offer a lifetime bug warranty with all solutions. If you come across any problems caused directly by errors made by us, we'll fix them free of charge.

You say you adhere to “industry standard best practices”. What are these and what advantages do they offer me?

Following best practice design usually takes a little longer than taking shortcuts, but results in less bugs, and makes the system as efficient and reliable as possible. It also makes future maintenance and upgrades cheaper and easier. See our article on best practice design for more details.

Do I really need all the technical documentation you put together?

We believe so yes. While in the short term it might not seem necessary there will always be a time when changes are needed. The documentation is vital in helping developers (whether it be Hero or not) understand the system and to help them to make changes safely and efficiently. So in the long run, it is more than likely to save you a great deal of money.

You are Microsoft Certified Partner - what exactly does this mean?

Certified Partners demonstrate a high degree of competence in working with Microsoft technologies and are officicially recognised by Microsoft for their expertise in providing solutions utilising Microsoft products. Unfortunately over the years this scheme has been abused by some companies who advertise as Certified Partners but who aren't actually certified by Microsoft. Hero are 100% legitimate in this respect.

Do you have developers based in the UK, or do you simply outsource everything?

At Hero we have our own development team based here in the UK. This means that we can best support the application after it goes live, as well as making projects run smoother as things won't get 'lost in translation'. Generally all contact will be direct with project managers, although we are happy for clients to meet with developers as well if required.

We do have a development partner we can outsource to who are sometimes used, for instance, if a client needs an application to go live quickly and our developers are tied up. However, regardless of this, a UK-based project manager will always be the main point of contact for any queries a client may have.

What are the different stages of a development project?

Visit our How We Work page for a complete overview of the process.

Support FAQs

You offer a lifetime bug warranty - why do I need a support contract?

Our bug warranty states that any issues with the system caused as a direct result of our work will be fixed free of charge. However, a support contract offers much more than this. Support would cover issues such as connection problems, server issues, end-user queries, fixing issues caused by user error etc. And, whilst we always aim to respond to bug reports as quickly as possible, there is no service level agreement with the standard bug warranty (i.e. how long until the bug will be fixed).

There are also many other options that can be taken out as part of a support contracts, such as regular server health checks and development time for ongoing improvements and tweaks to the system.

What do you mean when you say queries must come through 'nominated personnel'?

Although we can also offer 1st line support to all users of a system, our standard support schemes are based on queries only coming from a set number of nominated personnel. This maybe one or two people in your organisation who have a good knowledge of the system - usually people involved in the original development of the system or members of an IT department. Any queries from users will initially be directed at these people, rather than coming straight to us. This ultimately reduces the number of queries we have to deal with, and therefore the cost of the support.

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