Comments on: SME's upbeat http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/ Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:01:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: David Terrar http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5602 David Terrar Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:03:14 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5602 I think it's quite notable that Alastair hasn't come back with any evidence to support his claim about "app vendor makes changes that screw your business then". As I said above, that just doesn't happen. People who make claims based on assumptions rather than fact just add to the unproductive noise around the SaaS topic. It's heartening to see there are a number of us SaaS vendors who are seeing the same positive signs. I think it's quite notable that Alastair hasn't come back with any evidence to support his claim about "app vendor makes changes that screw your business then". As I said above, that just doesn't happen. People who make claims based on assumptions rather than fact just add to the unproductive noise around the SaaS topic.

It's heartening to see there are a number of us SaaS vendors who are seeing the same positive signs.

]]> By: Duane Jackson http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5601 Duane Jackson Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:46:46 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5601 Underneath the fluff (bad habit - sorry!), they key point I'm trying to make is that the SaaS element is incidental. These customers are not making a consious decision to use a SaaS service. Underneath the fluff (bad habit – sorry!), they key point I'm trying to make is that the SaaS element is incidental. These customers are not making a consious decision to use a SaaS service.

]]> By: Dennnis Howlett http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5600 Dennnis Howlett Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:20:44 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5600 @duane - love your pitch but can you please add something of general value beyond 'Kashflow rocks' - I think we've got that message? In any event, customers decide so talk to the numbers. That would help people to understand more. @duane – love your pitch but can you please add something of general value beyond 'Kashflow rocks' – I think we've got that message? In any event, customers decide so talk to the numbers. That would help people to understand more.

]]> By: Duane Jackson http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5599 Duane Jackson Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:13:33 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5599 Good to hear we're not the only ones v. busy this month. We keep track of our busiest day in terms of logins. Traditioanally each Monday we beat our record. Recently we're beating our record mid-week. Silly amount of sign ups to our 60 day free trial with no specific promotion going on. Re early adopters. I think most of our customers haver never heard the term SaaS. They just asked for recommendations on accounting software or searched google -> ended up at our site and got sucked in to a free trial. Liked it, carried on using it. The fact it's web-based is incidental to the ease of use. Good to hear we're not the only ones v. busy this month. We keep track of our busiest day in terms of logins. Traditioanally each Monday we beat our record. Recently we're beating our record mid-week.

Silly amount of sign ups to our 60 day free trial with no specific promotion going on.

Re early adopters. I think most of our customers haver never heard the term SaaS. They just asked for recommendations on accounting software or searched google -> ended up at our site and got sucked in to a free trial. Liked it, carried on using it. The fact it's web-based is incidental to the ease of use.

]]> By: David Cruickshank http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5598 David Cruickshank Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:59:50 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5598 Thanks for the interesting post Dennis. @DT We are also having our best month at Businessitonline.com and we are finding that many of our new customers are not what you would traditionally call 'early adopters'. I believe the financial and collaborative benefits of SaaS mean that all types of business owners are investigating the SaaS option because it makes good business sense. The climate we are in will clearly benefit products and services that help businesses to reduce costs while retaining / increasing productivity. From that perspective, the recession is likely to expedite SaaS moving maturing from adolescence to adulthood. Thanks for the interesting post Dennis.

@DT
We are also having our best month at Businessitonline.com and we are finding that many of our new customers are not what you would traditionally call 'early adopters'.

I believe the financial and collaborative benefits of SaaS mean that all types of business owners are investigating the SaaS option because it makes good business sense.

The climate we are in will clearly benefit products and services that help businesses to reduce costs while retaining / increasing productivity. From that perspective, the recession is likely to expedite SaaS moving maturing from adolescence to adulthood.

]]> By: David Terrar http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5597 David Terrar Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:44:24 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5597 @Dennis, I've had more inbound enquirie for Twinfield in January thann I have had foir many months, and we haven't done any specific marketing campaigns, so my current reality definitely bares out the survey. @Alistair, I don't know of any examples in any application area where a SaaS vendor has "made changs that screw the business". I'd be interested to know what evidence you can provide. The reality is that SaaS customers are delighted with the automatic upgrade approach, and tend to be pressuring the vendor for more functionality. On good reporting and financial analysis, I think you need to look at the SaaS vendors who have good online reporting and drilldown capability, and analysis cubes across the data that plug in to Excel. This kind of thing is available now. (I'm hoping some of my customers chime in!) @Dennis,
I've had more inbound enquirie for Twinfield in January thann I have had foir many months, and we haven't done any specific marketing campaigns, so my current reality definitely bares out the survey.

@Alistair,
I don't know of any examples in any application area where a SaaS vendor has "made changs that screw the business". I'd be interested to know what evidence you can provide. The reality is that SaaS customers are delighted with the automatic upgrade approach, and tend to be pressuring the vendor for more functionality. On good reporting and financial analysis, I think you need to look at the SaaS vendors who have good online reporting and drilldown capability, and analysis cubes across the data that plug in to Excel. This kind of thing is available now. (I'm hoping some of my customers chime in!)

]]> By: alastair http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5596 alastair Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:17:37 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5596 I believe you make your own luck in this world! If the app vendor makes changes that screw your business then you have nowhere to go - is what I mean. Applies to any app however delivered, but at least with non saas you get some choice about whether to upgrade! financial apps are still in the dark ages don't you think? Don't even get me started on UIs that are unintuitive (at best). I've been reading Tufte on charts - it wets the appetite. But what is really missing is reporting (I probably mean BI) and forecasting out of the box, that bolts on to the financials, and at a reasonable price, in a form that a business person can master. I thought M$ might have gotten it, but Office 2007 demonstrates not. And it is BI and forecasting where the professional starts to get an edge. I believe you make your own luck in this world!

If the app vendor makes changes that screw your business then you have nowhere to go – is what I mean. Applies to any app however delivered, but at least with non saas you get some choice about whether to upgrade!

financial apps are still in the dark ages don't you think? Don't even get me started on UIs that are unintuitive (at best). I've been reading Tufte on charts – it wets the appetite.

But what is really missing is reporting (I probably mean BI) and forecasting out of the box, that bolts on to the financials, and at a reasonable price, in a form that a business person can master. I thought M$ might have gotten it, but Office 2007 demonstrates not. And it is BI and forecasting where the professional starts to get an edge.

]]> By: Dennis Howlett http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5595 Dennis Howlett Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:25:50 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5595 @alastair - I could also take that view and, to put it bluntly, say that successful people are just plain lucky. But that would be an oversimplification. I'm fascinated by this: "...but there are still tools missing from the saas toolbox, and strategically those firms need to consider how much application control they need to make such a strategy work" - say more - you've left me on tenterhooks! @alastair – I could also take that view and, to put it bluntly, say that successful people are just plain lucky. But that would be an oversimplification.

I'm fascinated by this: "…but there are still tools missing from the saas toolbox, and strategically those firms need to consider how much application control they need to make such a strategy work" – say more – you've left me on tenterhooks!

]]> By: alastair http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5594 alastair Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:49:24 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5594 I've studied this for a number of years now, and have concluded that the only common theme for successful businesses is that they are successful. Predicting success is about as successful as forecasting the weather (which I agree is simpler in Southern Spain than it is in the UK!). But the research is interesting, and would benefit from being extended to non-saas users. Personally I think the power of saas is in the collaboration model, and professionals that are able to exploit this will gain a competitive advantage, but there are still tools missing from the saas toolbox, and strategically those firms need to consider how much application control they need to make such a strategy work. I've studied this for a number of years now, and have concluded that the only common theme for successful businesses is that they are successful. Predicting success is about as successful as forecasting the weather (which I agree is simpler in Southern Spain than it is in the UK!).

But the research is interesting, and would benefit from being extended to non-saas users.

Personally I think the power of saas is in the collaboration model, and professionals that are able to exploit this will gain a competitive advantage, but there are still tools missing from the saas toolbox, and strategically those firms need to consider how much application control they need to make such a strategy work.

]]> By: Dennis Howlett http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/01/20/smes-upbeat/comment-page-1/#comment-5593 Dennis Howlett Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:39:20 +0000 http://www.accmanpro.com/?p=3869#comment-5593 @alastair - In my defense I was careful to say 'you could argue.' It occurred to me that the adventurous early adopters tend to be those who do better generally. Whether that's entering/creating a market, adopting technology or business models. It struck me that based on the comments reported, this particular group is probably atypical of those experiencing the recession because they're early saas users. In some cases, they are also early in the business cycle. As always, demography matters and in fairness we don't know enough about this particular cadre. Even so - indicators supported by qualitative evidence is always a good pointer. The acid test is a repeat exercise in 6/12 months' time. @alastair – In my defense I was careful to say 'you could argue.' It occurred to me that the adventurous early adopters tend to be those who do better generally. Whether that's entering/creating a market, adopting technology or business models. It struck me that based on the comments reported, this particular group is probably atypical of those experiencing the recession because they're early saas users. In some cases, they are also early in the business cycle. As always, demography matters and in fairness we don't know enough about this particular cadre. Even so – indicators supported by qualitative evidence is always a good pointer. The acid test is a repeat exercise in 6/12 months' time.

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