By teknet on Thursday 6th September 2018, 9:44am
Software As A Service, or SAAS as it’s also known, is a type of software. Primarily it involves a system where people pay a subscription to use a piece of software. This can be something they download or log into online.
So who uses it? SAAS is used by a lot of companies – like Microsoft Office, Adobe or Tradesoft – a company we’ve developed a Software As A Service platform for.
There are a lot of companies which use this – chances are you might be subscribing to one right now, or have done previously – companies like Sage Pay use SAAS too. It’s certainly got it’s benefits – and there are reasons why you should consider your own Software As A Service platform if it fits with your business. Here’s a few of them.
Provided your software is good, and it’s useful for them, people could pay every month to use your software. It’s worth remembering that you need to charge the appropriate price – too much and people won’t want to know. Too little and you’ll end up with no profit.
Using Software As A Service might help your business as it means that your customers have access to more features or an easier way to do things. If your website traditionally had a customer profile and allowed them to use some features but it was slow or cluttered by the rest of your content, separating this into an SAAS could help your website. Along with your customers who buy the service.
If you’ve got a business app already for people to use on mobile, using a Software As A Service solution could help people use this on desktop. It could be like the App but more expanded, with extra features people on desktop might want. There are lots of ways it could be like a business App but accessible on more platforms. Also, if it’s a computer program, it might work offline somehow which gives it more usability if people haven’t got access to good internet all of the time.
There are definitely benefits to using a Software As A Service solution. However, it’s worth considering a few things before you start looking for a developer. We’ve already written a previous post on things to consider before starting a software solution – some of which apply here.
It’s definitely worth working out what customers would actually pay for – and what your service can offer that others can’t. There’s no point getting a developer to create an SAAS solution only for it to end up with no signups because there’s a competitor who does things better. Market research into what’s out there – and working out how you can improve on this – is definitely something to do beforehand.
There’s no reason why your business can’t have it’s own SAAS platform – once you’ve figured this out. A difference between you and competitors – your Unique Selling Point – could help when the product is marketed to potential customers.
Alternatively, your SAAS solution could be for staff to use – they log in and it helps them with their work. However, you’d need to have enough staff and know it will make a difference to ensure this was worthwhile as you won’t make money selling the service this way.
Another key thing to remember with an SAAS solution is that you should keep developing it once it’s launched. Even if you get multiple signups straightaway, and more people seem interested, if you don’t improve or update anything those customers might leave. There’s a reason Adobe update their software every year.
You don’t have to have updates every few weeks – but if people are requesting a new feature, maybe consider it. Adding what people want to a service they’re paying for is definitely a good idea. Ignoring them or adding useless things isn’t.
If there’s nothing wrong, then don’t add extra things to confuse the service. But chances are, as technology and trends change over time, your software might have to keep up.
Software As A Service is definitely worth considering – if you’ve got a good idea, and it’s unique in some way. Once the idea is unique and has potential to attract enough customers, it might be worth looking into developing it.
Teknet Software’s Software As A Service Development service might be just what you require! For more information, check out our SAAS Solution Development page! Alternatively, to make an enquiry fill out the form on our Contact page, email hello@teknet.io or phone 0800 488 0400!
