Fixing Problems Rather Than Making Them
It’s no secret that cloud applications require monitoring early on, and throughout the duration of their utility. This is the same with many aspects of technology, but it’s especially true with the cloud as clients using such solutions are likely to have their business interests tied up in such services.
SaaS, or Software as a Service, has many applications. It can be used to “float” an entire business’s network onto the cloud, it can be used to develop new software, it can be used to simulate software environments as they pertain to certain platforms, and the list goes on. The thing is, businesses who are switching to the cloud will likely be trusting a great deal of their business with the SaaS services your operation provides.
Hitting The Right Demographic
One of the biggest mistakes that is made early on in terms of SaaS is targeting the wrong market. Believe it or not, if you’ve got good enough salespeople, you can sell your products or services to clients who really have no business using them. If you do this and they realize what has happened, guess who is getting a bad recommendation online? That’s right, it’s you.
You can curtail instances of this kind substantially if you’re savvy to target the right market with your outbound sales efforts from the beginning.
Addressing Issues Before Clients Can Bring Them To You
Should something go sour, clients are likely to have an adverse and swift reaction which may result in you losing them. The key is to anticipate issues and correct them as soon as it is humanly possible to. In fact, you may be able to anticipate certain things—this is Stackify’s stance.
Stackify.com points out how integral it is to know immediately when a new error happens: “If you wait until your users report application errors, you can then go back to your log files and try and find related errors. It makes a lot more sense to constantly monitor your applications for errors so you can identify and fix problems ASAP.”
If users are your only way of identifying errors, then objectively each error you are made aware of represents an instance of poor customer service. Granted, customers may understand where you’re coming from, as your new SaaS application may be in Beta phase or something similar; but it’s still a mark against the professionalism of your organization.
Having A Team That Isn’t Properly Informed
Just as it’s possible to sell products to those who don’t really need them, it’s also possible to sell products you can’t provide support for in terms of information. You want a team that doesn’t just sell SaaS, but understands the products sold intrinsically enough to help clients get over common mistakes.
Additionally it makes sense to have some customer service troubleshooting division either within your business, or which you can immediately refer clients to should an issue arise.
The Product Won’t Sell Itself
Even if you have the best SaaS solution in the industry, it’s not going to jump off the shelves and into the hands of waiting clients. They won’t know what you’ve got available if you don’t tell them. You need to show how the product brings value, and you need to properly advertise, or you won’t see the ROI you need for operational success.
Successful SaaS Sales
The good news is, cloud-based solutions like SaaS are in hot demand; so if you’re careful to avoid common foibles like those listed in this writing, you’re likely to see grand success from SaaS provision.
