Software comes in different flavors and the one you probably interact with the most is Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). SaaS is an aspiration; however, simply offering your software online is not SaaS, just a step in the right direction. True SaaS includes the following characteristics: you can sign up for it, learn about it, and use it without ever having to speak to anyone — unless you want to. Software without these characteristics is commonly passed off as SaaS but is actually known as “consulting-ware”, In many cases, the business model itself isn’t a good fit for SaaS. In other cases, however, a lack of understanding of SaaS leads to poor execution and delivery.What are some of the guidelines for great SaaS design? Here’s a list of what we think needs to be addressed successfully to truly achieve a SaaS offering:
- Your software is truly useful
- Your software is truly intuitive
- Support isn’t mandatory, documentation is helpful
- Inbound marketing should be a driver of growth
- Pricing and billing is automated
Let’s break this list down.
- Your software is truly useful
It would be irresponsible to say points 2-5 will get you to the promised land without pointing out the obvious. Everyone thinks their software is useful to the masses but if it isn’t, SaaS likely isn’t the answer. There are a ton of software companies with customers whose software just isn’t that great in terms of competition in the market. Even if they turn to SaaS as a solution to their woes, it likely won’t help. Software that succeeds in SaaS has to be useful in order to scale.
- Your software is truly intuitive
This cannot be stressed enough. Clunky, outdated, difficult to navigate software does not work in a SaaS model. Software that requires extensive implementation, customization, support, and training is not a good fit for SaaS. Yes, it is software, but it is software that is only useful with all of the extra bells and whistles. True SaaS provides value out-of-the-box with useful software that provides an easy-to-use interface for technical and non-technical users alike.
