10 Essentials things you need to know to build a SaaS

Software as a service, or SaaS companies have been growing at a phenomenal rate. They are not expected to slow down anytime soon. Master the essentials and build a SaaS that drives growth and delivers exceptional value.

Most SaaS startup companies are currently economic displacers. There is big potential for them to become economic disrupters. This means they are no long just another competitor for the customer. Instead, they have the opportunity to change the way a customer thinks and acts.

Uber, for example has been a transportation disrupter. Travelers looking at new, possibly more efficient and economical ways, to get to their destination. Majority of these businesses are on a mobile app. This trend stimulates SaaS growth.

Just a few years ago, SaaS startup companies are cheaper alternatives to the bigger industry names. But today, it is no longer the case.

So, if you are looking to build widely distributed apps then here are some tips to build a SAAS startup.

Build a SaaS: Start Small.

Those in the SaaS startup industry have been relying on a “bottoms up” strategy of growth. This means they have been relying on the Internet to gain customers. Many SaaS companies start with the small fish, as it were, and work their way up to bigger clients.
The strategy seems to be working as a recent report shows that 64% of small and medium size businesses rely on SaaS products. These are the clients behind the surge in the SaaS market. Similarly, over 75% of companies said they expect to increase their use of SaaS products over the next three years.

Build a SaaS: Focus on mobile first.

There is an expectation that SaaS offerings for mobile will increase dramatically as more and more business owners rely on their digital device. A survey by Intuit showed that 43 per cent of business owners use their mobile device as the primary tool for running their business.

Improve customer service

If the SaaS startup product is not helping the customer solve their problem quickly and efficiently the consumer will move on. This should be a concern for everyone at the SaaS company, not just a specific department. Every employee should be responsible for the customer’s satisfaction with the product. This will help sustain – and even grow – the SaaS company’s consumer sales.

Software sales is not just the domain of the sales team

Most customers have already done a certain amount of footwork into researching the product before they even contact a SaaS company. They’ve also researched the competitor. Therefore. it is best that each employee in each department is treating the customer well and thinking of making the sale above all else. Making the sale is not just up to the sales team. The best SaaS companies have all their teams working together to get and keep the customer.

Learn from your customer

Don’t be afraid to hear out what your customer says about your software product. By accepting that there is room for improvement you not only show the customer they are important but you may also discover some interesting ways to change and grow your product.

Subscriptions are the future

This is a predictable source of revenue and are therefore a good way to grow a business. It offers a reliable stream of cash that allows a company to focus on using other funds for different activities like marketing or building the business in some way.

Think beyond software

SaaS startup companies should not limit subscriptions. Any organization can use this type of sales tool. Subscriptions can give your customer a lower monthly fee in turn for a long-term commitment to using your product.

Consider job seekers

The majority of start-ups have been focusing on email tools, financial or productivity software or web conferencing offerings. This software is used in a variety of different industries and job positions. SaaS products are not just for those in the technology industry. Many professionals in various positions have been using subscription based platforms. Thus, job seekers need to be equipped with a certain level of SaaS experience whether they work as administrative professionals, engineers or sales representatives or any number of other positions.

Strategy for your target market

There are different strategies you can use to grow your company depending on who you are trying to sell to.
You can decide you want to develop millions of low fee subscriptions to millions of customers or a higher fee for a few thousand customers. The sales strategy that you use will depend on what objective you are looking to achieve with your subscription plan. For a lower fee and a larger number of subscriptions strategy then your best growth process will be to have a very social product that will grow viral or something that will bring in lots of SEO traffic.

If you are looking for a moderate number of customers you will still need to rely on referrals of consumers of your product. You could focus on charging more and attracting less customers using a great inbound marketing plan or you could also create a great sales team and focus on outbound marketing. If you are looking at offering your SaaS product to major companies, which will allow you to have fewer customers paying you top dollar for what you do, you’ll need to do some investing with both time and money. Remember that it could take years before they pick up your product, so patience is key.

Build a SaaS: Recruit top talent.

Those in the SaaS industry have been focusing on hiring top talent by offering higher than normal wages. This usually guarantees that your product will be full of quality. It also ensures you are able to continue to offer the best product to your customers by making your employees feel they are valued.

The SaaS startup industry has been seeing a lot of growth over the past few years and is expected to continue to develop over the foreseeable future. There was an estimated $12 billion spent on SaaS products in 2016. That number is expected to grow to $26 billion by 2019 and $55 billion by 2026. There is no better time to create your own start-up than right now.

At Maxiom Technology we offer MVP Development Services and strategies to maximize the benefit of cloud PaaS, IaaS, and SaaS implementations. If you want to build a Saas, reach out and our team will walk you through a SaaS development process tailored to your specific needs.