How To Get Real Service in SaaS

A tremendous opportunity exists for companies to deliver next-generation business support services today using software as a service (SaaS) automation models, yet they must go beyond simply hosting multi-tenant applications “in the cloud.”

HfS experience shows that most legacy enterprise software implementations fell short of expectations not because they were single-instance “on-premise” solutions, but because there was a lack of discipline, resources, and budgets to initially install and retain relevance to the business through changing economic and employment times.

So HfS is diving deep into analyzing the service capabilities of the SaaS world, looking across SaaS service provider solution sets and partner ecosystem strategies. This paper outlines the seven major areas of service capability buyers should assess in any SaaS evaluation first, and then reviews the true cost questions to ask of SaaS providers as they put together potential SaaS pricing and support programs.

Many enterprise buyers we speak with say the time is ripe for this analysis, as they need the help and are willing to take fewer features and functions in the short term – but only if they can get better service and support strategies from a smaller set of the right providers. They then intend to grow both functionally and globally with those service-oriented partners they trust.