SaaS stands for software as a service, and if you weren’t aware it’s a popular trend for growing businesses. Essentially, your company purchases access to cloud-based platforms that serve different purposes.
It often connects clients with employees or even employees with other company’s employees. The applications are endless. Though the real power of SaaS platforms is the always-on cloud nature, backed by browser-based access.
But just knowing that SaaS tools are the future isn’t enough. So to help your business stay on the right track, we’re bringing you the best SaaS tools to help your company needs.
Google Suite
Let’s start with the tool most people have heard of. Google’s Docs, Drive, Sheets, and other online apps form what works as a SaaS platform.
The suite of apps makes an excellent way to introduce what SaaS tools really do. That is, allow cloud access to some service that solves a problem.
While the Google suite is free, the storage upgrades give the program a pay-to-play nature more akin to other SaaS platforms.
Using the Google suite is almost mandatory for any business wanting to stay relevant. Why worry about Word’s clunky interface and poor document sharing when Google’s option is free.
Employees can access documents from anywhere, and share documents with clients or vice versa. There’s no better creation suite for collaboration.
Salesforce
Here’s another you’ve probably heard of. Salesforce is the leader in customer relationship management software, and for good reason.
This program lives in the cloud. It also has a companion mobile app that makes collecting customer information possible no matter where you are.
What this SaaS tool delivers, is an all-in-one solution for tracking customers from lead to sale.
The software integrates contacts, leads, competitors, and marketing campaigns into one dashboard that organizes the information.
It also manages different departments over different deals.
Sales and marketing can collaborate with one client, all while auto-updating information to keep everyone on the same page.
What’s more, the Salesforce analytics helps boost sales productivity by an average of 44 percent.
HubSpot
HubSpot isn’t as popular as our last two offerings, but it should be. Known and loved in digital marketing circles, it helps manage all aspects of your marketing.
The platform boasts features from email to SEO creation, down to landing page analytics and social media tracking.
There’s no better SaaS tool for inbound marketing. And yes, you need inbound marketing. Inbound leads cost 60 percent less than outbound leads.
If that wasn’t enough, HubSpot features a lead tracking platform that uses cookies to follow users across your website.
It then shares that data with Salesforce to connect anonymous users with real people. If you’re serious about lead generation, there’s no better tool than HubSpot.
DropBox
DropBox consistently competes with Google Drive for the title of best SaaS storage solution.
The cloud-based platform allows easy file sharing from anywhere, including your mobile phone.
It works across every platform you could imagine, and an open API means it’ll only continue to broaden its device support.
However, the real winning feature is Dropbox business. The business level plan gives access to unlimited storage for any file type.
If you need to share files with clients or other company departments, there’s no better solution to long-term storage.
DocuSign
Running a business means signing documents every day. To the point where you’re probably ready to never sign another paper again.
Well, you’re in luck. DocuSign puts your electronic signature on any document uploaded into the platform.
The platform offers APIs that integrate with systems you already use, including Salesforce and the Google suite.
Streamlining your document signing into a one-click process saves time; making DocuSign a SaaS tool every business needs.
Slack
Keeping your employees on the same page is difficult. In today’s age of instant communication, staying on track is surprisingly difficult.
Slack developed a SaaS tool to fix this issue, and your business should take notice. The platform keeps people organized, and does it well.
Conversations happen company-wide, across organizable workspaces. Though the search features are the real power behind Slack.
If someone misses a meeting, no problem. Slack’s search can recall the smallest details in conversations that happened months ago (or however far back your archives go).
Like most of our listed apps, Slack also integrates well with other SaaS tools. Its API allows for consistent new integrations, but it already plays nice with Salesforce, Google, and more.
Harvest
Last but not least comes a solution that manages client time tracking. Because no-one has time to look through tedious spreadsheets to document hours and bill clients.
The SaaS tool keeps your time tracking organized. Timesheets, invoicing, payments, and even project completion and payment date all appear in one place.
And again, you guessed it, the app works seamlessly with other SaaS apps. Use Harvest and Salesforce together to follow client billing after a completed sale.
SaaS Tools Form Ecosystems
The SaaS tools your business needs all have something in common; they form ecosystems.
The platforms integrate to create a larger business platform that helps your business run smoothly.
SaaS apps make managing everything from communication to marketing, to billing, all happen across a seamless workflow.
If you like productivity, time and money saving, and easy-to-use apps, you’ll love the SaaS concept.
There’s no better set of platforms to help your business thrive.
Here at VPS House, we’re proud to help SaaS companies keep their platforms online and helping companies like yours.
If your business is scaling and looking for secure, affordable server space, get in touch with us.
We’re trusted by companies the world over to keep the backend of their business running smoothly, and we’re good at what we do.
We offer a variety of options to fit any company’s needs. We’ll handle the tech, while you handle the customers.