SaaS Sales Success: What Your Business Can Do
Last week we started a discussion about SaaS (software as a service) in which we briefly examined the technology and skimmed the surface of its implications for small business. Today, we’d like to delve a little deeper, sharing just what SaaS can do for your business and how you can benefit from this innovative technology.
First, let’s look at some recent numbers. The Yankee Group conducted a study measuring business environments and their use of technology to improve customer relationship management. Of the respondents that began utilizing SaaS applications, 37 percent stated their sales effectiveness and customer satisfaction had dramatically improved. Among the top reasons cited were:
- SaaS applications are easy to use.
- SaaS allows distributed employees to stay connected and be productive.
- SaaS applications can be used without worrying about upgrades, updates, and security patches.
Clearly, SaaS technologies stand to really improve the functionality of your business, particularly the sale of your products and/or services.
Second, consider the real world implications for your business. For instance, say your organization starts subscribing to a simple data storage/analysis service application. Immediately, all your employees have access to the application which, specifically, grants your sales people the freedom to log and analyze data wherever they might be. This gives them more time to focus on making sales and satisfying customers and less time dealing with loads of data entry in the office. Additionally, since the application is so easy to use and maintenance-free, all your employees have more time, including your computer technicians who can now allocate their energies to more vital matters. Finally, without concern for upgrades or replacements, your total cost of operation just went down.
Obviously, software as a service will benefit your organization in a very real way, and I encourage you to speak directly to IT experts who can help guide you to the best solutions for your business. In the final post of our SaaS series later this week, we’ll offer some helpful hints and tips on successfully implementing SaaS into your organization.
[photo: nDevilTV]
Additional Resources:
Does your business know about SaaS?
IT Services: The Benefits To Small Business
Small Business Planning: Hiring The Experts
Tags: customer relationship management, SaaS, SaaS integration, SaaS technologies, Software as a service, wireless technology, Yankee Group Research Inc