Building an SaaS Solution Pt.1 - Learning from the Best
In today’s progressively competitive, technology-driven business world, all organizations looking to enhance their market activity and productivity are grasping the benefits offered by the world of software. Whether it may be the enhanced cloud computing capabilities, artificial Intelligence-based automation tools, or merchant processing options, the software market is very diversified, with products that can serve almost every possible business need.
SaaS is a popular model of licensing and delivering software products based on a subscription. Such solutions are hosted centrally and are deployed by third parties. SaaS software is also called software on-demand or software plus services.
SaaS products may include:
- office software;
- DBMS (Database Management Systems);
- CAD (Computer-Aided Design);
- development tools;
- automation software, etc.
Accounting, collaboration, management information management systems (MIS), human resource management (HRM), customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), billing, talent acquisition, learning management systems, management content (CM), geographic information systems (GIS) and helpdesk management - all these areas can also be managed and enhanced with the niche-focused SaaS.
According to Gartner, total SaaS market sales were expected to grow 23% in 2018, to $72 billion. Forecasts exceeded expectations. SaaS is at its peak right now.
Why are Businesses so Focused on SaaS?
SaaS as a software format has long proven to be a very useful, business-boosting, and profitable concept if implemented right. Renowned solutions offer wide capabilities for other businesses to make workflows more coordinated and convenient. A centralized, cloud-hosted approach makes such software more available and accessible. Ultimately, SaaS development project allows for:
- Cost-efficiency due to cheaper distribution model and reduced maintenance costs;
- Time-efficiency with simple installations and integrations;
- Security reinforced by a centralized, cloud-focused software maintenance approach;
- Scalability that results from SaaS being accessible to small and medium-scale businesses;
- Flexibility of integrations as a major underlying aspect of SaaS solutions.
These benefits and more make companies such as Google and Salesforce put high stakes on their SaaS development projects.
Top Examples of SaaS Solutions
Software as a service is a relatively new sales model that has been replacing traditional software licenses for quite some time now. A SaaS product is online software that provides centralized user access. Among the striking examples of such solutions and providers are:
BigCommerce
This is a public technology company providing one of the most renowned and widely used SaaS eCommerce platforms of the same name. The company was founded in 2009 and has over 600 employees with headquarters in Austin.
Hubspot
A service that covers all areas of Internet marketing, including blogging, social media, SEO, content management, and landing pages. The system offers a wide range of email marketing automation features. Among other things, HubSpot offers analytics, mobile apps and a wide range of integrations with third-party services.
Salesforce Service Cloud
Part of a bigger CRM for customer service and support processes. The service can work with social networks, forums, blogs, microblogs, bookmarks. The whole Salesforce CRM system is provided to customers exclusively on the SaaS model.
Google Workspace Apps
A collection of cloud services provided by Google to other businesses and individual users. These are convenient tools for solving absolutely any sort of work tasks, which are collected in a single functionally simple interface.
MailChimp
This is a popular marketing automation platform and email marketing service. Mailchimp allows small businesses to enhance the workflow with functional tools that are relevant to the modern business market.
Dropbox
File hosting from Dropbox Inc. that provides personal cloud storage, file sync, and client software. It's a great tool for sorting together all the information relevant to your team in one place.
DocuSign
An optimal solution for electronic signatures. Helps to quickly sign a full range of documents and forms online, simplifies business workflow, provides legally important tools, and guarantees a secure signing process, protecting against forgery.
ZenDesk
A web service with a range of applications to support customers. Indispensable for employees, managers, and administrators alike. It is unique software for support, sales, and customer interaction. It is very easy to get started with the service and get comfortable with all the nuances.
Slack
An online service for collaborating within a team and a large company. A great replacement for Skype and other kinds of work chats. This service is distinguished by the ability to tightly integrate active dialogues with other applications. This principle allows you to monitor the progress of work on various projects using one interface and remove unnecessary information.
Trello
One of the most famous online project management systems, which is extremely beneficial, especially for small companies. With a simple interface - boards, columns, and cards - Trello helps you organize projects and prioritize tasks most intuitively.
Conclusion
If you are inspired by the ultimate success of the mentioned solutions and wish to implement an SaaS product of your own, it is crucial to choose the right developer company, analyze the market, familiarize yourself with the services provided by the company and its projects. An SaaS development company must be experienced and possess profiled expertise. All the nuances of the SaaS product development lifecycle and the final success of the project depend on the choice of a contractor.
Axisbits is here to help you get the project of any complexity and purpose done in the most reasonable terms, based on an adequate budget - contact us. And check out part 2 of the article for more SaaS implementation specifics.
