Unpredictable economic conditions may be challenging and tough for the small and medium-size business owner, but they can also be the most exciting of times. Over the last few years, many entrepreneurs have discovered new opportunities, and continue to explore ways to get ‘lean’ but remain agile. Companies are taking many paths to focus on their core strengths while outsourcing parts of their business that are outside their domain of expertise – including in the area of technology.
SaaS or Software-as-a-Service has been around for at least a decade but has taken off in a huge way over the last few years. Okay, as savvy entrepreneur, you must have heard of SaaS. But for the uninitiated (or those who’ve been too engrossed in their day-to-day business affairs) SaaS is the hosting of software required for your business on the Web, rather than on your server. As a small company, you can’t have an inflated IT team to upgrade your servers, manage software licenses and ensure that your teams have constant access to the various software they need to service your clients. However, a company offering SaaS, specializes in these very functions and can take care of this for you at a fraction of the cost; you don’t have to purchase expensive software either, all you have to do is hire them for a fee.
SaaS companies offer solutions across various verticals, including finance, telecommunications, insurance, non-profit and so on. SaaS has proved to be invaluable in industries that require reliable software to service their customers and flawless back-end support. These companies can continue to service their clients, without having to worry about software glitches or delays, which can exasperate customers, most of whom are already weary these days. Many of the companies that form the SaaS ecosystem, are young and agile themselves. They understand what it is like to diversify and grow in a few years, and put their best foot forward when it comes to servicing the small and medium business owner. Take for instance, Workbooks, a four year old web CRM provider who service a number of SMEs. SaaS companies like Workbooks and Salesforce know how important it is to keep their customer, i.e. the business owner, happy, while ensuring that their applications and other business-related processes run smoothly as they experienced the same issues themselves.
Sales and Marketing SaaS solutions have taken off in a big way over the last few years, especially in small businesses. In many small companies, the Sales and the Marketing person are usually the same. In this case, SaaS-based software, like Salesforce, Workbooks and Vrentz , and the automated processes they provide, can go a long way in simplifying the person’s complex job, enabling competition with much larger companies.
While it’s too early or perhaps, even inaccurate, to say that smaller SaaS-based companies now pose a threat to traditional, license-based enterprise software like IBM and Microsoft, business owners are definitely reaping the advantages of a long-term relationship, opposed to one that ends after the software has been purchased. In fact, this model is so effective that even the big companies have been on an acquisition-spree, buying up smaller SaaS-based companies.
Thankfully, small business owners still have a number of dynamic and young SaaS companies they can benefit from; because for smaller SaaS providers, your long-term business would matter. Which is why, perhaps, they focus so intensely on providing a flawless service.
Indeed, a small business won’t remain small forever and SaaS can help prepare these businesses for serious competition, by deploying world-class, high-quality software to run their processes – minus not just the hassle of licensing and maintenance but also the cost.
