Salesforce, Google Workspace, Zoom, Slack and even Netflix: if you use any of these, you’re already familiar with the SaaS model, and have experienced first-hand the many advantages of the “login and access” formula. You’ve come to appreciate the possibility of using these softwares exactly when you need them without having to go through the hassle of installing anything on your machines.
You’d like to provide your own clients with that same flexibility: you’ve thought about the pros and cons of making the jump, and you have decided that SaaS is the natural next step for you.
Moving to SaaS can be a long and resource-intensive process for software vendors, but the new business opportunities that’ll open up to you are worth the effort. If you don’t have a lot of experience with SaaS, you might hire a partner that will build the app for you. But no matter what technical solution you choose, and whether you’re doing it on your own or with the help of a third party, you’ll need to keep these 6 things in mind to draft your new offer. Read on and download our free e-book for more tips on switching to SaaS.
1- Your pricing plan needs to be simple and straightforward
Moving to SaaS opens a whole new world of price grids to choose from: it’s the occasion to give your business model an overhaul. The first step to figuring out your pricing strategy is understanding the value your customers are deriving from your software. Your first try doesn’t have to be perfect, and you’ll be able to revisit your pricing. But make sure you keep it simple: don’t overwhelm your prospects with endless grids of options and hidden costs that will ultimately discourage them from subscribing. Clear prices foster trust.
2- User experience is everything
In the age of SaaS, UX is everything. You’re providing your customers with a service and therefore, want to make sure their experience is satisfactory. This is about more than just your app: making it intuitive is only half the battle. Every touchpoint between your brand and your customers has to be fluid, especially while you’re migrating from your legacy app to your new solution: help your existing customers acquaint themselves with your new platform. Taking care of the user experience helps you lower churn, which in turn guarantees higher lifetime values.
3- Take advantage of analytics
One thing about cloud computing: it makes it easier to use analytics in order to understand how your customers are using their app. How often are they logging in? Is the app widely used across the company? This will allow you to draw important insights and improve your solution continuously. In this regard, moving to the cloud means becoming increasingly data-driven. Adding built-in dashboards to your solution allows your customers themselves to understand how they’re using the solution and understand if their plan is right for them. Analytics is one of the many advantages you can offer them. And Toucan can help you do just that.
4- Build connectors to make your app compatible
Interconnectivity is an important factor that will determine the success of your SaaS. Your customers are probably using a wide range of SaaS platforms and will need to integrate them with your solution. They also might have some workflows on premise. Allowing them to pull data from various sources easily and seamlessly will offer you an important competitive advantage. You can build a more compatible SaaS by developing your own API.
5- Don’t compromise on security
It’s easy to get carried away while considering the many options that cloud computing gives you and forget the basics: security, for instance. Your software should be intuitive, flexible and compatible, sure, but it should first and foremost be secure. Make sure you keep up with SaaS security best practices in order to avoid data breaches that can potentially damage your reputation and harm your customers.
6- You don’t have to build everything yourself!
Embarking on a SaaSifying journey can seem daunting at first. But the good news is that you don’t have to do everything yourself. After you’ve coded your core software, you can integrate embedded products into your platform to provide your users with important services that you do not have the time or resources to develop internally. Take the example of analytics: it’s counterproductive to build a dashboard from scratch when you can simply use embedded analytics.
If you’re currently switching your software to SaaS, you might be interested in this guide that will help you during the transition.
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