What are the mandatory solutions that you and your business cannot do without?
The global Software as a Service (SaaS) market will reach $ 68.2 billion this year and will amount to $ 219.5 billion in 2027, an average annual growth of 18.3% over the next seven years, according to Reportlinker. In times of pandemic and telecommuting, the benefits of cloud solutions and software as a service are more than obvious. And every business needs a set of technological solutions to exist.
What are the solutions that the organization cannot do without, and what are the SaaS options?
Sales management and marketing
CRM solutions rank first in consumption in many sectors, and this is not surprising, as this type of application helps to track and manage business relationships with customers - from purchase to final delivery. And as we know, acquiring a new customer is 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one (according to the Harvard Business Review). That is why companies need to create brand loyalty with their customers.
In general, this type of solution covers the profiles of all customers, tracking purchases, predictive analysis, which shows the strengths and weaknesses of the business and potential deals and other activities in the company.
In a cloud environment, a good example is Salesforce CRM, which combines marketing and sales activities. An interesting example is Marketo, which can build relationships with customers and transform them into consumers. The functionalities of the solution are many - from email campaigns, social media campaigns, to landing pages, CRM, analysis, etc.
Not to be missed is Google Analytics, which can analyze sales and marketing campaigns, as well as automated email solutions such as Mailchimp, Mailjet and others.
Communication
According to Reportlinker, the global market for web and video conferencing SaaS solutions will grow by 110.3% in 2020. The new one has normally imposed the model of working from home and made 88% of IT companies in the world leave their employees at home. Without these solutions, it is impossible to do business today.
One of the most popular programs for internal and external communication is Zoom, and users use it for meetings, video webinars, conference rooms, telephone system and business chat platform. Alternatives to Zoom are: Google's Hangouts platform, and its business version Hangouts Meet, the successor to Skype for Business - Microsoft Teams, veteran Cisco WebEx and a host of other solutions available on the market.
Social media management
When we talk about communications, we must not miss social media, which has become a major tool through which organizations communicate with the outside and inner world. According to Statista, 3.6 billion people used social media in 2020, and by 2025 it is expected to reach 4.41 billion.
There are many channels, and customers are everywhere - on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, which makes it impossible to manage manually and individually. Therefore, using a tool to support all accounts is key for any organization. A good example here is HootSuite, which also allows content analysis to identify what works and what doesn't, post planning, integration with popular solutions such as Google Drive, Mailchimp, and Dropbox, and brand social media monitoring.
Human Resources
Automating the process of hiring and managing human resources is also a priority of any digital organization. The platforms offer a variety of functionalities, but most are grouped around tracking open positions, preparing employee files, managing the payroll process, and more. Well-known online solutions in this area are BambooHR, Gusto HR, Deputy, SAP SuccessFactors, etc.
Accounting
There are four basic requirements that any accounting software must meet in order to be of maximum assistance to the organization in managing its finances. First and foremost is automation - the solution must automate all accounting activities as much as possible. In the second place is scalability - the solution should be able to be used in business growth. Third - it must be applicable to different sectors and fourth - it can be integrated with other solutions in the company. Typically, SaaS accounting applications include automated revenue and expense tracking, issuing and sending invoices, classifying financial transactions, making payments, and issuing reports. In addition to eliminating a large amount of manual work, accounting software reduces the risk of errors and makes the audit process faster. The options here are diverse, the most commonly used are QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, and Xero.
Project management
PM solutions allow you to organize and manage projects and teams at all stages, track resources, budget, measure and analyze risk, allocate tasks and prepare reports. Online options are ClickUp, Wrike, Trello, Basecamp, Scoro, Teamwork, OpenProject and others.
File storage and access
In the online environment, organizations must also take care of the storage of important documents and access to them by the right people from everywhere. There are still many solutions, including the classic Google Drive or Dropbox.
VPN
And because we are talking about remote work, we cannot ignore security. Companies in the digital transformation to an online environment are increasingly falling victim to cyberism, phishing attacks and other cybercrime. A virtual private network allows organizations to build a secure network connection, even if employees use public networks. So if you plan to work from public places or collect sensitive information from customers, VPN is an affordable way to protect yourself.
Of course, this is not a complete list of tools the organization needs. Each sector has its own requirements, but there is a minimum without which you can not work. And if the tools you choose have a variety of modules or upgrade options - you will be able to meet some specific requirements of the industry.
Bonus tip
Add Speech Recognition to your website with Voxpow. It is very easy (just a few lines of code) and you can allow your customers to interact and search with their voice very easily.
