What is custom programming?
Custom programming is functionality we add to your web site that is outside the scope of the quoted work we have done for you. Our CMS platform, especially CMS relies on programming languages such as JavaScript, PHP, or jQuery. These are all computer languages that have complex logic and syntax.
Most of your website is created with “markup” languages like CSS and HTML that cannot perform logical operations, but simply display text and pictures in different formats. Your web site is also largely driven by built-in programming that is part of the MightyMerchant Platform feature set.
If you opt for features that require custom programming, we will tell you that the feature you have requested requires custom programming.
What are some examples of custom programming?
One area which often requires custom programming is importing data from spreadsheets or other sources for display on your web site or conversely sending data from your web site to your accounting program, warehouse, or supplier. Because the data formats involved are always different, we have to write a custom program to process the data. Integrations with third-party services and products, interactive elements on your web pages, or special processing or calculations that are tailored to your business model may sometimes require custom programming,
How much does custom programming cost?
Our current rate for custom programming is $150 per hour. Before beginning a custom programming project we will give you an estimate as to how long we think the project will take. Because custom programming projects can be quite complex and because as we work through a solution new problems sometimes become evident, we cannot guarantee a price for custom programming projects. If it appears the project is going to go over budget, we will let you know and you can choose whether you want to proceed with the project.
What ongoing costs are associated with custom programming?
Once a custom programming project is complete, anytime we need to help you with anything related to the project we will bill you a minimum of $75 per request and $150 per hour for the time we spend helping you. This includes fixing bugs, adding features, explaining functionality and any other type of support related to the custom programming project..
Why do I have to pay to fix bugs? I already paid you to program it!
We cannot guarantee that the project we do for you will be bug free. We work very hard to deliver a finished result that works to your specifications, but even with the most thorough testing by us and by you, problems can become evident only after the work has been put to use in the real world. Even if the original work is perfect, there are numerous situations that can cause a bug to appear later. Some changes that can affect the way your custom project works include:
Changes in browser functionality – Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or others become incompatible.
Changes to the MightyMerchant Platform which cause your custom project to become incompatible.
Changes to 3rd-party services such as Google Analytics, your data provider, or Facebook, for example.
Changes to your web site that you have requested that cause the original work to be incompatible.
No matter what the cause of the problems, it still takes our staff additional time that was not included in the original work to resolve the issue and offer support. We must charge for this time.
Why is it so expensive?
Custom programming uses specialized skills that require advanced training and experience. Additionally, when you choose to have us build a custom implementation you are bearing the full cost of the time it takes us to build the functionality. When you opt to use built-in features of MightyMerchant, you are sharing the cost of the development with hundreds of other businesses.
