Choosing the right software-as-a-service (SaaS) product is like choosing a new car or buying a new house — you want to make sure that it’s high quality and meets all your wants and needs. However, if you’re not used to shopping for software, it can be hard to know how to choose the best option for you.
To help, a group of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:
“What’s one sign you look for when determining if a SaaS product is quality or not? What information does this give you?”
Here are some of the signs they recommend you keep an eye out for and why.
1. Good Customer Retention
“In my experience, customer retention is the No. 1 sign of any good SaaS platform. Beyond the UX/UI design and certain fancy features, if customers are staying on board month after month, it is a good indicator that the core product is desirable and of good quality.” ~ Cooper Harris, Klickly
2. Positive Ratings and Reviews
“When deciding on a SaaS product, we look at the reviews and rating of the product on research company sites like Capterra, Software Advice or Gartner to understand the quality of the product. Reviews and ratings on these sites are very authentic and provide details on how happy existing customers are.” ~ Piyush Jain, Simpalm
3. Solid Strength and Provider History
“An important factor in considering a SaaS product is the ease of migration and its compatibility with current systems. Also important, however, is the product’s strength and the history of the provider. There’s nothing worse than investing time into a product that becomes out of date. Of course, there will be a learning curve, but you don’t want it to bring down the ship.” ~ Jared Weitz, United Capital Source Inc.
4. Ease of Use
“When it comes to quality, I look at how easy it is to use prior to purchasing a SaaS product. If it takes a team of engineers to use, then I won’t buy it. Whatever SaaS products I buy need to be easy to use and intuitive so the entire team can use them.” ~ Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
5. Included Educational Materials
“One thing I look for is whether or not a SaaS product comes with educational material. It shows that the developers don’t just want people to buy the product, they want them to have success with it. During your research period, look at the brand’s blog posts or YouTube channel to see if they provide useful and applicable content. This will help you tell if the product will be quality.” ~ Blair Williams, MemberPress
6. Compatibility With Current Software
“When determining if a SaaS product is high quality and worth my time, I look at whether or not it integrates with software we’re already using. You don’t want to invest in new software only to find that it’s not compatible with the other plugins you use to run your business. When I see this, it tells me that it will cost more than the price of one tool to make everything work together.” ~ Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
7. An Ability to Grow With Your Company
“When determining if a SaaS product is right for you, the key thing to look for is how well it scales with your business. You don’t want to purchase something that you’ll outgrow in six months. Think about your plan for the next year or so and invest in software that can grow alongside your small business.” ~ John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC
8. A Free Trial
“A product that offers a free trial gives you a chance to test it out for yourself. You can do research by looking at customer reviews and considering the company’s reputation. However, it’s not always easy to see whether it will be a good match for your needs unless you can actually use it yourself.” ~ Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
9. A Good Track Record With Your Business Type
“While I like to look at the before and after metrics for companies that have used the product in the past, I will also take a close look at the types of companies that are reportedly benefiting from the software. If the SaaS product seems like a good fit and has a good track record with my kind of business structure, I will consider it.” ~ Salvador Ordorica, The Spanish Group LLC
10. Available Support and Clear Protocol
“I look for whether or not support and update protocols are in place. Are they there for you when you need them, and will they update the product when and if it makes sense? If the answer is ‘yes’ on both, then you know it’s a quality product.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
11. A Smooth Onboarding Process
“When choosing the best SaaS product for either business or personal use, I first examine how the company designs its onboarding process. I’ve found that the smoother a SaaS onboarding process, the more likely it is that the SaaS company will do a good job of UX/UI design that’s intuitive and bug-free.” ~ Richard Fong, PageKits.com
Image: Depositphotos
This article, "11 Signs to Look for When Shopping for Quality SaaS Products for Your Business" was first published on Small Business Trends
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The Young Entrepreneur Council, Khareem Sudlow
