SaaS has been a buzzword in the technology industry for quite some time now. Still, many small businesses are reluctant to adopt SaaS solutions and continue to operate on a standalone or standalone-plus model. The resistance is understandable — change is hard, especially for people who have grown comfortable with the way things currently work. But if you’re reading this post, chances are you see the value of adopting SaaS as part of your business strategy. There are many different reasons why SaaS is the future of business, especially for smaller businesses with limited capital or resources that might not be able to access them without investing in software. Let’s look at 13 reasons why SaaS is the future of business.
What is SaaS? Top 13 Reasons it is the Future of Business
What is SaaS: More reliable and less risky than owning your own software
When you own your software, you’re responsible for its upkeep and regular updates. SaaS, however, is a service model, which means you don’t need to worry about any of those things. SaaS providers not only provide software, but they also include support, maintenance and regular upgrades. This way, you don’t have to worry about an unexpected shutdown or update that might impact your business. SaaS providers update their software regularly. They do so because they want their customers to receive the latest features and benefits and also because they want to stay relevant. As a SaaS customer, you’re also able to request enhancements to the software as well.
What is SaaS: Offers automation
There are many business processes that can be automated. In a traditional software setting, you would have to build the automation yourself. With SaaS, you can take advantage of automation that has already been built into the software. That means less time and resources devoted to creating automation and more time and resources devoted to growing your business. But automated software alone is not enough. SaaS providers are also looking at ways to help their customers automate their businesses even further, such as with artificial intelligence. AI-powered software can help you with everything from scheduling appointments and sending follow-up emails to automating your sales funnel.
What is SaaS: Cost-effective
It’s common to see advertised discounts on SaaS solutions. SaaS providers frequently offer limited-time discounts and promotions on their software. These offers can be regional or even specific to your industry, so keep an eye out for new promotions and deals on SaaS solutions. The best part is that you can take advantage of these discounts without changing your software provider. Simply take advantage of the discount offered on a particular month or day.
What is Saas: Constantly improving through iteration
Software industry analysts, or SIAs, work with software providers to keep an eye out for new trends and improvements in technology. SaaS providers are constantly monitoring feedback from customers and internal requests for updates. Software providers are constantly trying to make improvements and keep their software at the forefront of technology.
What is SaaS: Offers real-time data and reporting
SaaS providers offer real-time data and reporting. This means you can access data from all areas of your business — from marketing to sales to inventory management — all from one dashboard. You don’t have to wait for data from multiple sources to be able to make a decision or take action. Real-time data and reporting is especially beneficial when you have multiple team members working in different time zones.
What is SaaS: Offers data protection and management
When using a SaaS solution, you don’t have to worry about the security of your data. SaaS providers take responsibility for their data centers and regularly undergo third-party audits to ensure that data is protected. Your data is hosted on the provider’s servers, making it highly secure. You can also protect your data by using two-factor authentication and a password manager.
What is SaaS: Great way to keep up with constant change in technology, especially for small businesses
New technologies emerge every year, and existing technologies are constantly improving. New technologies are coming out so quickly that it can be difficult for a small business to keep up and decide which ones are best for them. In many cases, SaaS providers have already invested in and tested those technologies and are waiting for the masses to catch up.
What is SaaS: Provides subscription-based revenue streams that are very stable
SaaS providers rely on recurring revenue from their customers. This means that once you sign a contract with a particular SaaS provider, you’ll be paying a set price for a set period of time. This creates a very stable and predictable revenue stream for the provider. And because providers prize stability, they’ll be extra careful and intentional while managing their software.
What is SaaS: No need to reinvent infrastructure
There’s no need to build and run your own infrastructure in the cloud when using SaaS. This means you don’t have to hire your own engineers while keeping the cost low and predictable.
Many SaaS providers offer their services on a fully managed platform, which means they take care of the entire infrastructure and hosting. This includes everything from system administration to security, backups and more. When you host your own infrastructure, you have complete control but also full responsibility for everything that goes along with it. SaaS providers offer managed services so that you don’t have to make sacrifices in quality for cost savings.
What is SaaS: Allows you to focus more on marketing rather than coding or infrastructure maintenance
Depending on the software you choose, you might be required to take on some customizations and integrations. This can be a time-consuming and difficult process, especially for small businesses that don’t have in-house engineers. With SaaS, you don’t have to worry about any of that. You can rest assured that your software is fully integrated and ready to go to work for you.
What is SaaS: Gives you access to a wide range of services
If you’re running a business and if your organization is growing, you’re going to have needs for a wide range of services, from web design to customer support and everything in between. One of the benefits of SaaS is that you can have access to all of these services under one model, which is a huge advantage for small businesses that don’t have the capital to hire different people for different services. You’ll also have access to different levels of service, including customer support and other resources you might need.
What is SaaS: More efficient, less maintenance and upkeep
Another advantage of SaaS is that it’s more efficient, less maintenance and upkeep. If you choose a SaaS solution, you won’t need to worry about hiring a team of developers to create the software you need. If you go with a hosted software, you also won’t need to worry about the maintenance and upkeep of the system because it’s already taken care of. The hosting company is responsible for keeping everything running smoothly, which is another huge advantage for small businesses. You’ll have less maintenance and upkeep because the hosted software is designed to run efficiently with minimal server resources. You won’t have to worry about hardware, software, or other maintenance because the hosting company takes care of all of that.
What is SaaS: Allows you to grow with it
Another advantage of SaaS is that it allows you to grow with it. If you choose a SaaS solution, you likely have a number of different modules and services already built in. As your business grows, you can take advantage of those modules and services to help you scale your business. You can take care of more customer support requests without hiring more people. You can take care of more sales and marketing requests without having to hire anyone else. Growing with a SaaS solution is an advantage that’s really unique to SaaS.
Wrapping Up
A SaaS solution is as close to a one-stop shop as you can get when it comes to business software. You won’t have to worry about finding a third-party developer to create the software you need. You won’t have to worry about maintaining the software once it’s created either because it will be hosted by the SaaS solution provider. You can take advantage of a SaaS solution to handle everything from customer support to accounting and everything in between. And, as your business grows, you can take advantage of a SaaS solution to help you scale.
We offer 24/7 live support
SaaS teaching labs are often equipped with live customer service representatives that can help out with any issues. You can expect to have 24/7 support with a SaaS lab platform like ReadyTech, with availability on all major holidays. And if you have a high-volume business with a large number of learners, you might want to look into managed services. A managed service provider (MSP) can help manage your entire SaaS learning lab, including implementation, ongoing maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting.
ReadyTech is Here
SaaS applications is the new frontier of teaching and learning, as the need to keep up with the growing remote learning industry is stronger than ever. ReadyTech provides you with everything you need, and we offer a full-service setup process and 24/7 live support. Do you have questions? Contact us today.