In order to ensure a smooth customer journey, there are many things to consider when creating processes early on for your SaaS business. Here, we highlight 4 main areas that need your focus and attention that will help you build a strong foundation.
Closing the Sale
The great news is that you have someone interested in your software, the next steps are crucial in securing this and creating a great first impression.
When creating a process you need to consider who is responsible for what and what are the key actions that need to happen for the sale to go through.
Some questions to ask include: do you have a contract template? Will this final deal and contract need to be approved/checked by anyone? Do we know which contact needs to receive the invoice as it might differ from the signatory? What are your payment terms?
You may also need to consider the management of their account as well. For example, should they pay upfront or monthly? How many licences have they purchased and can they add more free of charge? If this is clear from the start then it helps with managing their account later on. It is also important to consider where to store this information so it is easily accessible and does not involve scrolling through contracts each time – a CRM system can help here.
Onboarding Documentation
Once the contract is signed and the invoice has been sent. The next step is to gather the required information from your client.
One thing to consider here is how long will this stage take / what is the timeframe for these next steps? This will help you to know when each part of this onboarding will take place.
For example, you may wish to send a welcome email once the contract has been signed but not schedule in training or make the software live until the invoice has been paid.
You also need to consider how the information is relayed to you. Rather than a client emailing all the details across, would a form or a ready-made template be more efficient?
User/Seat Management
Now that your clients are on the platform they will need assistance with managing it. Should a client need to adjust the number of users on the platform then there needs to be a clear system in place.
Things to consider include: Where can they do this or who do they contact? Does this require additional payment and if so, the steps involved in arranging this?
After Care and Customer Support
This is a vital step in order to retain your client base and ensure repeat business. There needs to be a clear process in place of who your clients can contact or go to for support.
Things to consider include: sending follow up emails once the onboarding has taken place, do you wish to send monthly check-ins to make sure all the information is still correct or if any changes are required? You may also wish to consider the process for renewals and terminations so that there is a clear structure throughout their experience with your company.
These are not an exhaustive list of things to consider but will hopefully lay strong groundwork on the types of questions to ask yourself. The best place to start is placing yourself in your customers shoes and considering what will make their journey the best possible from start to finish. From there you can then consider what will make your life easier as the business owner and adapting the processes, and finding the tools and support to help make this happen.
