SaaS is turning computing into a utility like the electric grid did for industry.

SaaS is a significant growth driver but fuzzy informations spread over the web make it difficult to understand and differenciate from software hosting environments.

This blog focuses on key success factors driving the development of a successful Business-As-A-Service solution.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

A different conception of customer satisfaction

In traditional software business customer satisfaction is a backoffice duty.
You first have marketing, then product development, then support which focuses on listening to lost or unsatisfied customers and do whatever is achievable to keep them using the software.

With Software-As-A-Service customer satisfaction and marketing should be merged in a new highest priority focus: customer partnering.

A customer should be seen as a partner. Who better knows which functions to develop? Who better knows how things should be organized within the user interface ? Who do you think between a marketing team focusing on market studies or end users are the best qualified to help you develop a successful solution?

This is a tremendous shift in how the roadmaps are conceived and developed.

Why this was not already done?
Because in traditional software roadmaps take time.
Because in traditional software the solution is conceived to be as wide as possible, meaning that there are a lot - too much - functions so that each user should be able to find those he is looking for.
Because in traditional software cost of customer acquisition can be compared to chasing for the top 10 chart goal to get enough visibility to sale enough copies.

With SaaS you can - and should - engage a conversation with your potential and existing users.
With SaaS you can - and should - adapt your solution within days and not months.
With SaaS you can - and should - offer different flavours of your solution to each 'niche'.

SaaS is the way to listen to customer's needs and satisfy these needs in a very short term and cost efficient process which can be easily refined.

Customer satisfaction is your top priority! With SaaS perceived quality is an ongoing and permanent process. Do not use traditional marketing anymore, do not guess what the market needa are! Ask them and focus on producing the needed functions as fast and as efficiently you can. This is also why you should delegate and work with SaaS dedicated partners who can help you with a SaaS platform, SaaS information system, SaaS billing system... Focus on what you are the best at!