SaaS solutions can be your salvation; there’s no doubt that they can make your work easier, refine processes, spot potential customers and help you cut costs.
However, that doesn’t mean that every SaaS solution available is the right fit for your organisation, its workflow and culture. For instance, there is no need for an automatic billing solution if everything you sell is bespoke.
Therefore, you need to visualise the network before you even contemplate your SaaS solution.
Why Visualise Your Network?
Whether you work in a small or a large organisation, you’re going to have an extensive network of operations and processes. In your mind, it might seem simple, but in reality, it is probably complicated and bound to be hard to comprehend for anyone new to the business.
You might also not realise that there are gaps in your business’ operations which affect how your business tackles future challenges.
Visualisation helps to identify these gaps and place the network into a physical concept that can be understood by everyone. Once on paper you can, therefore, see how a SaaS solution can be used to solve particular issues.
Incorporating The SaaS Solution
For instance, you might have considered that you need a new CRM system to help you better identify your prospects’ current position in the sales funnel. At the moment you might have several operations to support you, like someone who monitors the results from email campaigns, or a telesales team who regularly contact customers.
By using the visualised network, you can insert this scenario in to it and see if the CRM system could take on some of the operations, or if it could help to refine the operations already in progress.
One such example could be the CRM system identifying when a prospects’ behaviour changes and when they start looking at product pages. This is a clear indication that they are considering a purchase and a perfect time to contact them.
It can also work another way by informing you that certain SaaS solutions can’t be adapted to work within your system.
Informing The Team
Visualising the network will also inform staff how your new SaaS software will fit within their normal working habits, when they should be using the software and how it can help them complete their work more efficiently.
This can make SaaS adoption a lot easier and smoother – cutting costs and improving the ROI of any investment.
Staff will also not misuse the SaaS tools if they know how they are to properly use the investment.
Improving The Network
Once you have visualised your network and started to insert your SaaS solutions within it, you can begin to identify cost-savings. This makes your business more financially secure and provides funds for growth.
It might also offer you opportunities to invest in more solutions to make your work easier and of higher quality.
At the same time, you can see other areas in your network that can be improved. For instance, you might notice work is being done twice, or ineffectively, and see an opportunity for the operations to change.
Visualise Your Network
Visualising your network isn’t an expensive or complicated task. Numerous free tools can help you do this, including simple Microsoft packages. By visualising your networks, you can see opportunities to make improvements, train staff and see the real value of your new SaaS investments.
This can save your company money and help staff to adapt to your new investment more easily.
Have you visualised your business’ network? What tools did you use to visualise it?
Let us know in the comments below.
