Software as a Service, or SaaS for short, is a business model that works by using a piece of software that is hosted on a cloud infrastructure and operates through a web browser. SaaS is one of the three main categories of cloud computing and it’s already being used by a lot of companies.
According to research, there are nearly 7,000 SaaS companies, and that’s only in the marketing space. It’s safe to say that SaaS is here to stay, and if you still haven’t started using software tools to improve your business, there’s no time like the present.
What follows is some of the best tools you can use for your SaaS business.
Marketing
If you want to stay at the top of your marketing game, you need to keep up with the newest trends. This includes using marketing tools that will help you increase ROI and bring in more business to your company. Every marketer appreciates a tool that will make their job much simpler and more efficient.
When it comes to which Saas marketing tool you should use, there is no right or wrong choice. There are many different ones on the market, and you need to make sure to pick one that’s perfect for you. Most of these tools are unique and offer something different to their users.
Google Analytics
This software is undoubtedly the most popular freemium web analytics service. It has detailed funnel visualisation techniques and works on both websites and mobile. It’s a great tool that measures your website’s traffic metrics, analyses its performance, and shows audience insights.
Google Analytics allows users to set up their preferred filters depending on how much they want their information to be to the point. As soon as the user starts browsing a website, Google Analytics uses its tracking codes and sets variables for files before collecting relevant website data.
Wistia
If you’re looking for a platform for video marketing for your business, look no further than Wistia. While YouTube might be a free option for video marketing, Wistia offers much more. When you use this tool, you will be able to learn more about the people who are watching your videos.
Provide a better user experience with Wistia’s amazing features such as:
- customisable high-resolution video player (up to 4K resolution)
- video SEO
- simple embed code
- calls to action
- analytics with heat maps and viewing trends
ETL tools
The ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) process includes extracting data from one or multiple sources and then loading it into a data warehouse.
Not too long ago, this process was very time-consuming and expensive. The task of extracting data from various platforms, transforming it into a consistent format, and loading it to the cloud was difficult.
Luckily, today we have cloud ETL tools to assist us with this process. These tools extract raw streams of data from a virtual infrastructure and load it directly to a storage location. There are very few online courses that provide in-depth knowledge of these tools. One of them is the Informatica certification which helps professionals master the PowerCenter ETL tool.
As with any other SaaS tool, there are various ETL tools on the market for you to choose from. Let’s take a look at a couple of options.
Blendo
This software is a great choice for users who aren’t too tech-savvy. It doesn’t require any coding or ETL scripts and it allows you to integrate your data in just a few minutes.
It works by collecting data from any cloud service and loading it into your data warehouse. From there, it optimises your data. You can monitor your usage whenever you choose to, as you are the one who decides when you want to pull data from your source.
Fivetran
Fivetran is a tool that will allow you to quickly replicate all of your business data straight to your warehouse. The best part about it is that it can connect anything without having to write too much code. It also provides for ETL transformation and doesn’t require maintenance, configuration, or data pipelines.
This software comes with a quick and easy setup, and it allows you to store all of your data by yourself. This means that even if you stop using a source application, you won’t lose access to your information. It has full historical sync when it’s connecting to a data source, so you don’t need to worry about losing any data.
CRM tools
CRM (customer relationship management) tools to keep track of all the conversations you have with customers and leads. They allow you to see the entirety of the conversation you had with someone across all platforms, all on one interface.
CRMs are also essential if you want to improve sales. According to sales statistics, CMRs are the most popular sales tools. Additionally, if you successfully implement a CRM system, you could get an ROI of 245%. Let’s take a look at some CRM tools that could help you improve your business.
Salesmate
This CRM tool is perfect for small and mid-sized businesses that want to speed up the process of closing deals. It has a user-friendly UI as well as automated workflows, so team members will be able to keep an eye on the most important details that need to be pursued.
Business owners can use Salesmate to generate insightful sales reports and manage their details as they go along. The tool also comes with real-time notifications that are sent straight to your smartphone, so you will be able to pursue new leads even when you are away from the office.
Salesforce
With Salesforce, you will be able to track every step of the sales process and engage more effectively with prospective clients. All of the necessary information is tracked in one place, which allows the sales team to always stay on top of every deal.
With Salesforce, you can:
- collect and monitor leads and prospective clients
- improve your sales reps’ productivity
- collaborate with all members of your team
- engage with your leads directly
Bonus: Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is the oldest tool we have on this list, as it was first released way back in 1985. All of us have had some experience in this program, and most businesses require at least a basic knowledge in Microsoft Excel from their employees.
Tasks that can be done in Excel such as organising, calculation, and evaluating data are essential in many fields and can help you grow your business. If you want to improve your knowledge, you can also hire an Excel consultant for you and your team members so you can learn how to become experts and get the most out of this program.
There are many benefits you will gain if you become an expert in this program, including:
- Advanced skills. While most people know the basics of working in Excel, experts can do much more than simple tasks. They can visualise and manipulate data, build complex equations, clean up and prepare data for analysis, and much more.
- Increased efficiency. It’s only logical that you will be more efficient using a program if you become an expert. Since a lot of companies still use this program, improved efficiency will also up the value of any employee who is an expert.
- Reduced workload for the IT department. When you have experts in Microsoft Excel, they can take up the job of running numbers and analysing data instead of the IT department.
Final thoughts
Having a successful business is easier than ever thanks to technological advancements. There is a plethora of tools that were built to make difficult and time-consuming tasks simple for business owners and their employees.
You can improve almost every aspect of your business and become more profitable than ever just by using a few SaaS tools. So, why not use one or more of the tools we listed above?