6 Questions to Ask Your Automated Testing Provider Before Making a Purchase

In a nutshell: When you’re considering purchasing an automated testing solution, it’s essential to ask vendors the right questions to assess whether the tool meets your specific needs and integrates effectively with your current development process. This guide covers: How long does it take to learn the tool?, What level of customer support is provided?, What are your pricing options and how are they structured?.

When you're considering purchasing an automated testing solution, it's essential to ask vendors the right questions to assess whether the tool meets your specific needs and integrates effectively with your current development process.

There are several optionson the market, each with its own pros and cons that must be considered, but it’s also important to take into account the responses provided directly by each provider in question to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

In this article, we explore six questions to ask before making a decision so you can confidently select an automated testing provider.

1. How long does it take to become proficient with the tool?

The time it takes to master the tool must be considered first, because even the most sophisticated tool in the world is largely useless if you can't use its features effectively.

Furthermore, not all QA teams have the technical skills needed to use highly technical tools, nor do they have the time required to complete the extensive training that goes along with them.

However, even the simplest and most intuitive tools require some time to learn, so it’s also important to ask the provider if they offer detailed documentation, tutorials, or training to help your team get up to speed.

Of course, a short learning curve is a competitive advantage that will allow your team to start using the tool quickly and maximize its potential right out of the box.

This is where no-code tools really shine, allowing you to create tests quickly without having to involve your developers—and without any infrastructure or architecture to manage on the client side.

2. How does it integrate with the other tools we already use?

Ease of integration is another key factor to consider when choosing an automated testing tool, so that you don't have to overhaul your entire process.

You need a tool that adapts to your development workflow (rather than the other way around).

For example, the ability to integrate with your version control systems, bug tracking tools, and CI/CD platforms will help you avoid many obstacles and facilitate collaboration among different teams, while optimizing the overall efficiency of your development process.

3. How does your solution handle test updates and changes?

Software and websites are constantly evolving, which requires an agile testing tool that can adapt to changes in the software or website being tested.

Ask your vendor if the tool includes features that make it easy to manage changes and updates, such as versioning mechanisms and the ability to quickly adjust test scripts.

4. Are there any features that make it easy to maintain test scripts?

Every tool on the market offers several ways to analyze KPIs related to the maintenance of your test scripts, such as:

• Automatic Script Recording
• Generating Detailed Reports
• Error Handling
  

On the other hand, a customizable dashboard (by brand, country, environment, device, etc.) for tailored reporting should be a basic requirement in order to simplify your testing processes by adapting the solution to your top priorities.

5. What level of customer support is provided?

We’ve already discussed the importance of having learning resources so that your QA team can be self-sufficient from the start (or almost), but check to see if the vendor offers any support beyond the training documentation.

Request more information about the level of human support available to help your team get familiar with the automated testing solution.

For example, does the vendor provide you with a dedicated account manager whom you could consider a full-fledged member of your QA team?

Is there a way to incorporate it into your sprints? It's possible…

6. What are your rates, and how are they structured?

There are several types of automated testing tools (commercial, open-source, and 100% custom), but in this article, we are referring to commercial no-code tools such as Mr Suricate, Agilitest, Cerberus Testing, Alfred Monitoring, etc.

As you can see from the previous questions, the automated testing solution you should choose is the one that best fits your needs and capabilities at every level—and price is part of that!

When it comes to pricing, the most advantageous plan is one that is flexible and adapts to your usage level.

Ask whether the pricing offered by the testing provider can be adjusted based on the size of your company or the number of users, so that it is as affordable as possible.

When it comes to price, you can also ask the following questions:

• Is there a minimum commitment period?
• What is the return on investment (ROI)?
  

Sometimes, test providers offer you a free estimate to calculate your ROI so you can understand how much you can benefit from test automation using their tool.

Mr Suricate France's leading provider of no-code automated testing

The no-code SaaS solution Mr Suricate a wide range of automated tests to help you manage your acceptance testing and provide your users with the best possible experience.

Gain control over your applications and detect bugs in real-time across your websites, applications, and APIs by replicating user journeys at regular intervals.

If you have any questions for us 😉, we'd love to discuss them with you in person and show you how our no-code tool can meet your needs!

FAQ

1. How long does it take to become proficient with the tool?

The time it takes to master the tool must be considered first, because even the most sophisticated tool in the world is largely useless if you can't use its features effectively.

2. How does it integrate with the other tools we already use?

Ease of integration is another key factor to consider when choosing an automated testing tool, so that you don’t have to overhaul your entire process. You need a tool that adapts to your development workflow (rather than the other way around).

3. How does your solution handle test updates and changes?

Software and websites are constantly evolving, which requires an agile testing tool that can adapt to changes in the software or website being tested.