How To Build A Successful Software Development Business

In this age of computers and smartphones, we’ve started to rely a lot upon the software programs that give them life. Since computers started becoming prominent, there has been a boom in the software development business.

The software has made life easier for everyone, from education, entertainment, business, or the day-to-day issues, the software has brought the solutions of almost all of them at the fingertips.

The convenience that the software programs have brought to the lives of the people has increased their demands. An increase in demands naturally leads to an increase in production and the same happened with the software market.

Software businesses are growing and new startups are emerging, seeing these businesses grow, everyone at least once wishes to start a software startup. The catch is to do the right things to make it a successful one.

Here are some suggestions that could help you make your software startup a success-:

1. Be Customer-Centric

A business thrives by the efforts they put to satisfy their clients/customers. Making money might be the dream that brings people to start a business but an important key to success is to satisfy the customer.

A customer-centric business thrives over the motivation of solving the problems incurred by the customers rather than just focusing on converting them and making them pay.

Make sure the customer service is responsive, efficient, and welcoming, and you’ll retain the customers and bring in new ones.

2. Minimum Viable Product

For any business, especially for a startup, the efficient use of capital is always an issue. Businesses face risks during several stages of production and distribution, and a faulty decision can deplete a lot of money.

Minimizing risk makes business much more smooth. For a software-based company, this can be done by introducing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product).

An MVP is the most basic version of the product with only the essential features of the product. After introducing the MVP, enhancements and upgrades can be done as per the feedback of the user-base.

This way, businesses avoid scenarios where they incur losses because certain features or the software is badly received by the public.

3. Collaborative Marketing

Marketing is an important part of business development and the interesting thing is that the field of marketing is open to lots of creative ideas, innovation, and experimentation.

Out of all the methods that software businesses use to market their product, an interesting way is to collaborate with other businesses where there is no conflict of interest.

The Co-Marketing model which is used by companies to promote each other’s products helps the participating companies access the other company’s user base and thereby grow their audience.

Because of the growth in the user base at a comparatively lower expense, it is a win-win situation for all.

4. Incentivize the Employees

Efficient employees contribute substantially to a business, however, it is not easy to make them work efficiently.

Even though the employees vow to work diligently in an interview, and a lot of them keep up with their words, often an employee lacks the motivation to give it their best.

The best way to motivate an employee is to give them an incentive and appreciation for their accomplishments.

5. Solve Problems

There are a lot of startups that tend to imitate successful products and fail because people aren’t finding the product helpful. Whatever the issue is, if the product isn’t helpful to the clients, if it isn’t solving their problems, it will fail.

Before developing a software program, always do in-depth research about the demands, the issues that the people are facing, how important will your program be for them- are there any other simpler means to solve the issue, does the issue really bother them, and so on.

6. Measure, Analyze, and Improve

To improve something, you need to know its present condition, and how the outcomes are affected by changing its aspects. The same goes for businesses, you need to be aware of certain indicators that reflect how the business is performing.

saas business applicationsImage Source: Statistica

These indicators are called KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). It is necessary to monitor these indicators along with other indicators and after analyzing the situation, make proper decisions that will improve the situation.

7. Offer Packages

The main source of revenue for a software-based business is subscriptions. While it is essential to offer some free tools for a user to hang on to the software, it is important to provide some exclusive plans that offer more sets of tools.

Such extensive tools are generally used by regular subscribers and businesses who are quite reliant on these exclusive tools and readily pay for them if the standards meet their expectations.

8. Client Retention

As we discussed in the last point that subscriptions are the major sources of revenue for a software company, now if the churn rate for the software is high, the business will lose money in the form of marketing campaigns to maintain the number of subscribers.

Retaining the subscribers is the key to success for a software business especially those with a SaaS product. Proper customer support, attractive offers, and quality products are the things that can make a customer remain subscribed.

9. Third-Party Integration

People extensively use computers and smartphones these days, most of the time, they need different software programs to accomplish a particular task.

Integrating the software with third-party software programs with which it is generally used, will help the users a great deal.

Making a flexible API that can be easily integrated with different platforms and worked upon by developers will help grow the popularity of the product and increase its value.

10. Make it Simple and Intuitive

For a software program to be convenient for public use, it needs to be simple. People don’t want to go through the hassle of learning how to make use of the program to accomplish tasks.

Popular software programs have a simple interface through which people can find their way easily and find the necessary tools and paths intuitively. Make it interactive, simple, and intuitive then see its shining.

Conclusion

Software products are growing rapidly with new ideas, innovative designs, and solutions to day-to-day problems.

While the opportunity is golden and resources are abundant, the journey to success is long and a tough one. The tips that we discussed above will make sure you get across some of the hurdles with ease.

Are you looking to develop a software for your business! Lets discuss with our IT consultant

5 SaaS Marketing Strategies That Will Give You Result

SaaS marketing is a new age marketing where intangible services of software are promoted and sold.

SaaS that stands for Software as a Service is a process by which any business hires a professional application that lets users to connect and use cloud-based applications via the internet.

75% of cloud workflows will be provided as SaaS by 2021. This statistic shows the growing popularity of the SaaS business model.

SaaS provides regular updates and adds timely functionality to its service.

Since SaaS marketing is an intangible product, the offered services have to be continuously monitored & improved as per the feedback received from existing and potential customers so that you can thrive in business and expand your customer base.

The Ultimate Guide To SaaS Marketing Strategies

If you are someone who is looking to study SaaS marketing, you must understand some basic differences between the marketing of a normal product and a service that is intangible.

While promoting and selling tangible products, customers normally pay only once whereas SaaS marketing users normally pay in the monthly subscription.

Never miss an update from us. Join 10,000+ marketers and leaders.

Giving products as freebies is not ideal in normal marketing; however, in SaaS marketing, it could be beneficial to give users the option to use services as freebies.

SaaS is a product of the digital age and it requires different types of strategies to make it successful for your businesses.

Here are the 5 strategies for SaaS that will give you result quickly:

1. Offering Of Free Trials Or Subscription Plans

SaaS Pricing

One of the main aspects while devising a strategy for SaaS is the building of trust among the potential and current users in the services.

Since potential or existing clients cannot see the product by touching or seeing it, the offered services should show their respect in the usage.

It can be done by offering the services for free at the initial period, so the customers can taste products and if they perceive them positively, turning them into paid subscribers is not difficult.

Even if the customer does not convert into sales, SaaS companies still get a lead for the future.

To make more potential users aware of the offered services is the goal of this tactic and it has been used extensively by many SaaS offering companies for good effect.

One of the best ways to implement this “free service” is via Instagram and Facebook Ads, where the target audiences are prompted to click on the ‘Free Trial’ button by highlighting the offered services and exclusive rewards.

Also, offering a free trial via social media makes SaaS companies reach a wider audience.

2. Talk Trigger Strategy For SaaS

SaaS StrategyTalk trigger is a strategy that offers some surprise or some incentive that is related to offered services by SaaS companies for target customers, (both existing and potential) that creates positive conversations or word of mouth.

However, it has to be relatable, repeatable, and accessible for the customers.

For instance: a SaaS company offering an extra 1-month free service for referring new clients.

While devising a strategy for SaaS talk trigger, companies must keep in mind, the below points:

  • It should not be a gimmick and must follow the promised free services or incentives.
  • It should not be a one-time activity. It should be repeatable.
  • Cost-effective in both points of view, the SaaS company in question, and user.

One of the best examples of talk trigger is to offer an incentive in the form of a rebate on the current subscription fee or extension on the paid subscription time frame.

3. Promoting Positive Reviews And Rating

Review and Comment

In the age of the internet, good ratings and positive reviews on good SaaS Company listing platforms that are given by genuine customers can create a positive atmosphere for SaaS marketing.

It is one of the best strategies for SaaS marketing that gives results.

To implement this policy, the SaaS application development companies can put a review and rating section in the ads running on social media or on their websites.

However, the rating and reviews left by the customers should be original and verified. A system can be in place to check the authenticity of the reviews.

Having positive reviews and ratings from the customers creates a positive atmosphere for the company offering services.

It gives mouth-to-mouth publicity and promotes brand loyalty for SaaS Marketing companies.

If a company has a good substantial customer base, it will help to increase your positive review and rating status.

4. SEO For SaaS Marketing

SEO SaaS

When anyone is thinking of promoting a service online, SEO is one aspect that cannot be ignored at all.

The SaaS Company can boost the selling services drastically if they follow a quality SEO practice on their marketing strategy.

SEO is a continuous activity and the following are some of the important points that can affect the SaaS marketing companies on SEO ranking:

  • Technical aspects of the Website:

Having a website that loads faster, doesn’t shut down, works efficiently, and provides easy navigation to all parts is very important. All these aspects should be monitored continuously for betterment. No one likes visiting a lagging website with poor navigation and an unattractive look.

  • On-Page Aspects As Per SEO:

The second most important part is the on-page SEO aspects of the website specifically related to all Both website and blog page content must be well SEO optimized to improve the visibility on Google search.

  • Off-Page Aspects As Per SEO:

The linking of the blog posts back to the SaaS marketing page is important. As it makes Google search engine understand how valuable your services are and for customer view-point as well. More back links mean more traffic to your website and gains to SaaS marketing companies.

5. Video Posting On YouTube Social Media And Website

Youtube

Videos have become a new age medium for communication since the advancement of 4G and now with 5G, bringing more people to video consumption.

By posting positive videos about the companies services, internal working, testimonials of existing clients, and overall positive vibes fun videos on social media like

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

etc, is a great way to make potential customers relate to your services and have a better understanding about them.

42% of users expect a response time of less than 60 minutes.

I’ve worked with the team at Andolasoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

LEARN MORE

It creates curiosity about the SaaS Marketing companies and gives insight into the company vision and work style.

Just like there is no perfect beauty in the world, similarly, there is no perfect SaaS Marketing strategy.

SaaS marketing companies need to be innovative with ideas and use a blend of services as they fit for promotion and marketing.

Conclusion:

These worthwhile SaaS marketing strategies, if leveraged, will enhance customer acquisition and lead generation for SaaS businesses.

Diverse offers avenues that marketers can explore to serve as beneficial SaaS marketing strategies, and there are endless possible combinations that work for numerous businesses.

All you have to do is to try different approaches, and with the help of consumer metrics, figure out what works. SaaS marketing is a paradise for marketers.

Are you planning to develop you next SaaS application and implement SaaS marketing strategy for your existing app! Lets discuss with our experts 

Most Important Customer Success Metrics For SaaS Companies

The SaaS (Software as a Service) industry has gained a competitive edge over the last few years, thanks to its customer retention and growth that has transformed the face of businesses today.

Needless to say, the inclusion of Customer Success is a crucial contributor to the success of any SaaS platform.
Customer success metrics

What Is Customer Success?

The most cited definition by a Customer Success Consultant, Lincoln Murphy states – “Customer Success is when your customers achieve their Desired Outcome through their interactions with your company.

To ensure the success of their product, the subscription-based model in SaaS has radically changed the game for a lot of businesses, more so due to its frequent touch points with customers that require an on-going effort.

Deemed as a game-changer, Customer Success in SaaS majorly contributes to boosting conversions, raising the bar for customer satisfaction, and reducing churn rates.

Additionally, proactively anticipating potential issues rather than waiting for actual issues eliminates future escalations.

Never miss an update for us. Join 10,000+ marketers and leaders.

There Are 3 Key Takeaways From This Article That Focus On:

  • How Customer Success Teams contribute towards the SaaS growth
  • Customer Success Statistics in SaaS platforms
  • Customer Success Metrics that are responsible for SaaS growth

Customer Success Teams Contribute Towards The SaaS Growth In:

  • Guiding customers in the new sign-up process.
  • Converting trial customers to paying customers.
  • Upfront demonstration of the product value.
  • Prompting for concrete feedback in real-time.
  • Updating paying customers and ensuring customer satisfaction with the product or service.
  • Influencing customers to love your product or service to make them loyal brand ambassadors.
  • Fostering relationships with customers’ businesses.
  • Increasing revenue and reducing churn throughout the Customer Success cycle.

How Important Is Customer Success In SaaS?

In the words of Jason Lemkin, the founder of EchoSign, “Customer success is where 90% of the revenue is.”

This translates to Customer Success serving as a solid growth driver for SaaS companies.

Research conducted by Databox found a myriad of answers for gauging the success of customer success efforts.

This ranged from collecting customer feedback to renewing accounts to upgrading and upselling to customers.

Let’s check the figures –

Customer success team

Smart Karrot’s statistical report on Customer Success statistics mentions that improving customer retention by just 5% can accelerate a company’s profits by as much as 95%.

Moreover, 70 to 90% of the profit generated by SaaS companies often comes from renewals, upsells, and after-sales services.

According to Bain & Co.’s study, exceptional customer success programs blended with key account management increase profit up to 95%.

With all that said, the investment needed to land new customers falls between and 25 times more expensive compared to new customer retention processes.

After considerable evaluation, the following 7 Metrics prove why Customer Success should not be taken lightly by SaaS companies.

In other words, how Customer Success is a major contributor to SaaS success can be determined by some vital parameters that can make or break your SaaS efforts.

7 Solid Customer Success Metrics For SaaS Success

1. First Contact Resolution:

Resolving the customer’s issue in a single interaction through a phone call, email, or a live chat session reduces the spillover effects of escalations. Needless to say, escalations are way threatening to ignore.

As Jeremy Watkin of 8×8 mentioned, “First contact resolution highly correlates with customer satisfaction. The higher your FCR, the more positive your customer experience and the higher your customers’ lifetime value (LTV).

This means the absence of a First point of contact.

Contact Resolution equates to poor customer service. The inclusion of FCR on the other hand offers an easy passage to eliminate future complaints of your SaaS.

2. Educating Your Customers Upfront:

The SaaS’s growth strategy primarily focuses on easing the customers’ initial hiccups.

A user-friendly approach and your product offering are vital for SaaS success.

To eliminate the horror or escalations that might crowd the customer support phone lines, it’s always advisable to brainstorm the possible issues or questions that users might come up with.

3. CSAT (Customer Satisfaction):

Happy Customers + Product Recommendation = Increased Revenue. It’s self-explanatory that Customer Satisfaction is the primary reason why Customer Success exists in the first place.

Much of Customer satisfaction involves ‘quick’ resolution to unexpected issues brought up by customers and prospects for inquiries.

You don’t want to be judged by your prospects for poor or slow customer service, which is why satisfaction holds prime importance.

4. Upsells And Cross-Sells:

The customer’s churn rate is a blessing in disguise while up-selling your premium products and tools.

Why?

Upselling helps SaaS companies if there’s a requirement for new development or improvement in the existing offering.

Additionally, a happy customer won’t wander online to find your competitors’ tools.

A SaaS company’s profitability hinges on low churn rates and recurring revenue.

Upselling and cross-selling provide an impetus of innovation which makes it easier to sell to the existing customers than the new prospects.

A single sale turns to multiple purchases when your Customer Success team is well acquainted with your customers’ needs.

5. Brand Recommendation:

Customer loyalty leads to brand recommendation. Customer Lifetime Value translates to Customer Loyalty that in turn increases your product value.

Acquiring new customers costs almost 5 times more than retaining existing ones. CLV is one of the key metrics
that focus on the value of the customer over the monitory gain you achieve with their purchase.

The ultimate reason for including CLV in the SaaS growth strategy is retaining existing customers and attracting new ones, moreover, the profit margins are also maintained.

It also helps companies measure ROI for every new customer that in turn helps sales and marketing budget estimation.

6. Net Promoter Score (NPS):

How likely is your SaaS entitled to referrals? NPS is essentially one of the most important customer-oriented metrics as it helps companies gauge customer loyalty stats.

Net Promoter Score is a loyalty program in which surveys are filled out by the customers who in turn advocate for you and share their success stories with their colleagues.

However, the unsatisfied ones won’t bat an eye.

After the NPS survey results are out, they’re grouped into 3 distinct categories, namely:

  • Promoters (Those customers that are likely to buy and promote)
  • Passives (Those who have no strong opinions)
  • and Detractors (Those that could be at risk for churn)

7. Churn Rate:

From a retention point of view, Churn essentially measures how many customers the company loses over a given time frame.

Churn rate is measured in terms of a dollar value lost or a number of customers lost.

I’ve worked with the team at AndolaSoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

LEARN MORE

Parting Words

SaaS Success begins with Customer Success.

Your SaaS company is unique and so should your customers feel about themselves and your services.

The exceptional support you provide to your customers would go a long way to retain them and help them spread the word.

Armed with this mindset, every SaaS platform today is on its way to greater success.

All in all, the final verdict is that Customer Success translates to SaaS Success.

What are your thoughts about the contribution of Customer Success in the SaaS space?

Are you looking to develop a SaaS application! Lets Discuss

What Is The Saas Life Cycle-Application And Development

A SaaS Project Management & Team Communication tool, the enterprises that purchase the services of SaaS providers will always come out on top with efficient operations and organized teamssaid by Basecamp.

The Saas Life Cycle is a term used in the software industry to describe the process of creating a new software product. It’s a generic way of understanding the different phases that a software project goes through from the moment you start developing a new application to the moment you release it for users.

If you’re new to the Saas Life Cycle, you might be wondering what exactly it means. Or you might be wondering how you can take your new project through this process to make it more successful. Either way, you’ll learn more about the Saas Life Cycle and how it can help your new software project succeed with this article.

SaaS Development

From the view of experts, SaaS development is unique. It requires a specific skill-set and an open-minded approach.

Never miss an update from us. Join 10,000+ marketers and leaders.

Here are some benefits of using a SaaS:

  • Lower costs. Since SaaS is a “cloud” solution the prices customers are required to pay are much lower than on-premise solutions.
  • Scalability. SaaS is an already developed solution, customers do not need to do much planning, as SaaS are highly scalable.
  • Upgrades. SaaS provides all the upgrades themselves, which is highly convenient for the users.
  • Integration. SaaS are perfect platforms for integration with other services
  • User Experience. SaaS solutions always try to make their UX enjoyable. Which lets their customers spend less time learning how to use the software.

The SaaS Development Life Cycle Must Begin With A Vision

You need to conduct a lot of research if you are willing to develop a great tool. Beginning with, identifying the needs of an organization is a crucial part to fulfill.

Gathering the ideas and evaluating the market will give you an idea of a product that is going to be useful and successful.

The Planning Stage

You can’t develop a SaaS Application much without having a great plan. You and your developing authority must understand how are you going to develop your SaaS, how much it will cost, when will you be able to launch it, and how is the marketing strategy going to look.

Software Development Strategies for your SaaS solution may help with answering those questions.

The Subscription Stage

After all decisions regarding cost and architecture have been finalized comes the time to choose your cloud provider. While there are many decisions to be made regarding a SaaS platform, the cloud provider selection is, probably, the most important one.

Subscription

The Development Stage

The Development stage is a complex stage. There are many decisions to make regarding the project’s architecture.

Actually, there is no point in developing a SaaS application unless it is suitable for all targeted users and has the potential to scale.

Below I have listed some of the essential requirements for a SaaS development to meet to be considered valuable for users and profitable for developers as well:

  • User Experience. The software must be easy to use and user-friendly.
  • Security. SaaS must to provide a high level of security, and its customers must believe in the exceptional security of their data.
  • Customer Support. The Built-in support processes, 24-hour access, and frequent, non-disruptive updates must all take place in a SaaS Application.

By keeping these basic practices in mind, the SaaS development process will mean the following:

Selection Af A Development Methodology

There is a large amount of methodologies available and that are known as the “Software Development Lifecycle”. Let’s break down some of the most common ones below:

  • Rapid – quickly to put together and speed-up the development, and then tested.
  • Spiral – here development divided into cycles, each of which is evaluated to then later influence the next cycle and better the methodology.
  • Agile – development methodology where each iteration gets evaluated after it ends, so that positive change and adaptation of plans can take place before the next iteration begins.

Agile Methodology

SaaS Will Mean HTML5

New products mean using the HTML5 technology. It is one of the most suitable for today’s environment. This technology provides rich Internet applications so, do not need the legacy plugins.

“When back in 2014 Microsoft announced that they will be discontinuing the support of Windows XP, Microsoft platforms that could not support HTML5 slowly began to die off.”

But there still may be some glitch issues with the use of HTML5 on mobile devices, but there are less and less of those each day. If there are any issues, then a native mobile app may be the best course of action.

SaaS Requires Published API’s

SaaS products must have API’s that provide for the development of external widgets and extensions by value-added resellers and other third-party developers.

APIs have to be consistent and should be maintained after publishing. Developers should ensure that APIs must be extended, which requires a very accurate architecture.

SaaS And Stateless Architecture

Stateless architecture is preferred because it provides smooth performance, elasticity, scalability, and fault tolerance. If applications are stateless, there is no need to allocate storage of previous requests, making the cost lower.

These applications can also scale easily, making it perfect for dealing with spikes in usage. Stateful architecture, on the other hand, requires more management and takes up more infrastructure resources.

Stateless architecture is not a requirement for SaaS, though it just may provide the best performance.

SaaS Upgrades

Upgrades must be built into the architecture in a way that will not disrupt user experience.

SaaS companies do not put out different version there – usually there are only two. If a new version is developed, it can be done on a separate server without any migrated clients to minimize disruptions.

Operations – Requirements For Development

New tenant on-boarding and billing services must be built into the SaaS architecture. IaaS and PaaS providers (if they are used), and third-party tools may help with managing that, though their integration must be in the software product itself. There isn’t a defined model for all of this, which means that the developers will have to get creative.

SaaS Implementation Methodology And Deployment

Once the software is deployed, frequent updates and security patches should take place to keep the support requests to a minimum while continually improving the UX.

Helpdesk calls and/or support tickets all result in increased operational costs, so the goal is to automate those tasks as much as possible and. Remember – constant monitoring and patches/updates will keep your customers happy.

SaaS Development, Operations, And Management Are Unique

Everyone must consider SaaS development, invest heavily in the talent of the people developing it.

This is the most expensive part of the endeavor – the requirement for a very specific skill set.

And, if you intend to have a top-rated piece of software – robust, expansion-ready, innovative, with well-received UI and UX, secure, and reliable in its implementation – then you must be prepared for the high costs involved.

Saas Development Tools

SaaS projects are usually complex and oftentimes unique. It means there is no defined stack of tools mandatory for SaaS development. You can build your SaaS development stack off of your project requirements, your architecture and your marketing strategy.

I’ve worked with the team at Andolasoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

LEARN MORE

Nevertheless, some of the more popular tools for SaaS development are listed below:

Server-side development:

Conclusion

SaaS solutions have become the best options for many businesses these days. Their availability, scalability, and pricing policies all provide their users with an abundance of benefits.

Whether you are looking to adopt a SaaS in your business, or you are planning to develop a SaaS of your own, the concept is as innovative as it gets and it is worth all the attention it has recently been getting.

How To Put Together A High-Performing SaaS Marketing Strategy

As per Cisco’s Global Cloud Index, SaaS marketing will deliver 75 % of cloud workflows.​ Isn’t it amazing?

The above data depicts the growing pace of the SaaS business model and the competition created by it in the industry. SaaS companies are finding it very difficult to stand out in the industry by providing products and services distinct from their competitors.

Well, for this reason, we have come up with dependable SaaS marketing strategies to help companies lead the competition.

It is more complicated than product marketing since you don’t have a tangible product to offer.

Yes, it is more difficult to tell someone that your software can help them in their daily process than selling a pair of shoes.

First, What Is SaaS Marketing?

We can say, It refers to the strategies implemented to promote software-as-a-service companies.

This marketing is exclusively unusual from promoting physical products since it has a varied customer base, distinct pricing strategies, complexity in their offerings, etc.

Since SaaS development is distinctive, marketers should use distinct strategies for promotion.

Our Products

orangescrum

Wakeupsales

We transform your ideas into engaging Web and Mobile Apps

andolasoft

Conclusion

These worthwhile SaaS marketing strategies, if leveraged, will enhance customer acquisition and lead generation for SaaS businesses.

Diverse offers avenues that marketers can explore to serve as beneficial SaaS strategies, and there are endless possible combinations that work for numerous businesses.

All you have to do is to try different approaches, and with the help of consumer metrics, figure out what works. SaaS marketing is a paradise for marketers.

Want to discuss more? Let’s talk!

10 Tips for Building a Successful Software Business

In this age of computers and smartphones, we’ve started to rely a lot upon the software programs that give them life. Since computers started becoming prominent, there has been a boom in the software industry.

The software has made life easier for everyone, from education, entertainment, business, or the day-to-day issues, the software has brought the solutions of almost all of them at the fingertips.

The convenience that the software programs have brought to the lives of the people has increased their demands. An increase in demands naturally leads to an increase in production and the same happened with the software market.

Software businesses are growing and new startups are emerging, seeing these businesses grow, everyone at least once wishes to start a software startup. The catch is to do the right things to make it a successful one.

Here are some suggestions that could help you make your software startup a success-:

1. Be Customer-Centric

A business thrives by the efforts they put to satisfy their clients/customers. Making money might be the dream that brings people to start a business but an important key to success is to satisfy the customer.

A customer-centric business thrives over the motivation of solving the problems incurred by the customers rather than just focusing on converting them and making them pay.

Make sure the customer service is responsive, efficient, and welcoming, and you’ll retain the customers and bring in new ones.

2. Minimum Viable Product

For any business, especially for a startup, the efficient use of capital is always an issue. Businesses face risks during several stages of production and distribution, and a faulty decision can deplete a lot of money.

Minimizing risk makes business much more smooth. For a software-based company, this can be done by introducing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product).

An MVP is the most basic version of the product with only the essential features of the product. After introducing the MVP, enhancements and upgrades can be done as per the feedback of the user-base.

This way, businesses avoid scenarios where they incur losses because certain features or the software is badly received by the public.

3. Collaborative Marketing

Marketing is an important part of business development and the interesting thing is that the field of marketing is open to lots of creative ideas, innovation, and experimentation.

Out of all the methods that software businesses use to market their product, an interesting way is to collaborate with other businesses where there is no conflict of interest.

The Co-Marketing model which is used by companies to promote each other’s products helps the participating companies access the other company’s user base and thereby grow their audience.

Because of the growth in the user base at a comparatively lower expense, it is a win-win situation for all.

4. Incentivize the Employees

Efficient employees contribute substantially to a business, however, it is not easy to make them work efficiently.

Even though the employees vow to work diligently in an interview, and a lot of them keep up with their words, often an employee lacks the motivation to give it their best.

The best way to motivate an employee is to give them an incentive and appreciation for their accomplishments.

5. Solve Problems

There are a lot of startups that tend to imitate successful products and fail because people aren’t finding the product helpful. Whatever the issue is, if the product isn’t helpful to the clients, if it isn’t solving their problems, it will fail.

Before developing a software program, always do in-depth research about the demands, the issues that the people are facing, how important will your program be for them- are there any other simpler means to solve the issue, does the issue really bother them, and so on.

6. Measure, Analyze, and Improve

To improve something, you need to know its present condition, and how the outcomes are affected by changing its aspects. The same goes for businesses, you need to be aware of certain indicators that reflect how the business is performing.

These indicators are called KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). It is necessary to monitor these indicators along with other indicators and after analyzing the situation, make proper decisions that will improve the situation.

7. Offer Packages

The main source of revenue for a software-based business is subscriptions. While it is essential to offer some free tools for a user to hang on to the software, it is important to provide some exclusive plans that offer more sets of tools.

Such extensive tools are generally used by regular subscribers and businesses who are quite reliant on these exclusive tools and readily pay for them if the standards meet their expectations.

8. Client Retention

As we discussed in the last point that subscriptions are the major sources of revenue for a software company, now if the churn rate for the software is high, the business will lose money in the form of marketing campaigns to maintain the number of subscribers.

Retaining the subscribers is the key to success for a software business especially those with a SaaS product. Proper customer support, attractive offers, and quality products are the things that can make a customer remain subscribed.

9. Third-Party Integration

People extensively use computers and smartphones these days, most of the time, they need different software programs to accomplish a particular task.

Integrating the software with third-party software programs with which it is generally used, will help the users a great deal.

Making a flexible API that can be easily integrated with different platforms and worked upon by developers will help grow the popularity of the product and increase its value.

10. Make it Simple and Intuitive

For a software program to be convenient for public use, it needs to be simple. People don’t want to go through the hassle of learning how to make use of the program to accomplish tasks.

Popular software programs have a simple interface through which people can find their way easily and find the necessary tools and paths intuitively. Make it interactive, simple, and intuitive then see its shining.

Conclusion

Discover essential strategies for establishing a thriving software business with the guidance of Andolasoft, a software development company.

Whether you’re a startup or an established firm, learn how to streamline your development process, harness cutting-edge technologies, enhance user experiences, and effectively market your software products.

Andolasoft’s proven expertise serves as a guiding light, empowering you to overcome challenges, make informed decisions, and pave the way for a prosperous software business. Explore these invaluable insights and set your software business on the path to success today! Contact Us now