Have you ever used an online based software program? You know, like Google Docs or even Citrix GoToMeeting? Then you’ve been using something called Software As A Service (SaaS). Software As A Service exists in the cloud and replaces the traditional software that is loaded onto your computer saving you precious hard drive space.

Creating something new online is a goal that many young entrepreneurs have but building a software program is only the beginning. You could make the  most awesome program ever but then it fails because you don’t get users. Getting customers is a big step that goes a long way towards long term success. Customer on boarding starts with getting customers to know about your software in the first place.

So how do you do that? Well first of all, don’t keep it a secret! If you made something awesome, tell everyone! Shout it from the rooftops! Think about Facebook for a minute, how big do you think Facebook would be if Mark Zuckerberg kept it a secret?

 

Once you get the word out, you need to work on customer success. You can’t have a successful SaaS company if your customers and users don’t stick around. Think Myspace. It was great until Facebook came along. Somehow it just didn’t evolve as quickly as the users wanted. Keeping users is just as important as getting them in the first place.  The happier a user is, the more often they talk about it. The more often they talk about it, the more that other potential users hear about it. That then leads back to having a good customer on boarding experience.

 

The quicker that users adopt your Software the better the situation for you. User adoption is the biggest step to getting your customers to advocate for your platform.  Advocates are your greatest way to expand business. No one wants to feel like they are missing out. Businesses no matter how small want to stay on the cutting edge.

 

 

If you read Beginning All Over Again you saw that I recently moved from Spring Hill Florida to Mount Pleasant Pa. I just took a job at Levin Furniture and I’m now using a new to me SaaS program there, Enterprise. No it’s not Star Trek related, lol. I’m learning how to use this and I see the value in a different type of SaaS than I am used to using. In this case, the SaaS is Business to Business and not Business to Consumer. But the principal is the same. No matter who the end user is for your SaaS, gaining users can make or break your future success.

 

Good luck with new venture!