What is SaaS Operations (SaaSOps) and Does Your Business Need it?

Businesses today rely on a range of SaaS operations to improve efficiency and productivity. The use of digital tools has significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people working from home than ever.

As a result, Skype, Zoom, and Slack have become a daily part of our lives, among other pieces of software. Statistics show businesses spent 50% more on SaaS (software as a service) in 2020. Additionally, 47% of companies plan to increase their cloud and SaaS investments in the future. As businesses add more and more SaaS tools to their tech stack, there’s a growing need for better ways to manage and track SaaS.

Here’s what you need to know about SaaS operations management.

What Is SaaS Operations?

In the past, it was common to purchase software by paying a one-time fee for the license. However, most digital tools today have shifted to a monthly subscription model. As a result, businesses now need to pay for countless pieces of software every month for their teams. The cost of all of these tools can really add up.

These days organizations with an eye on their budget need to carefully manage their SaaS discovery, purchase, and spending. This is where SaaS operations come in to take control of the process and ensure better ROI on SaaS purchases. Let’s take a look at some of the processes under SaaS operations that are essential for any modern business.

The Role of SaaS Operations

The main responsibility of SaaSOps is to enable businesses to get the most value from software subscriptions. The task involves several workflows, including:

Choosing the Right Product

Companies have endless choices when they want to invest in SaaS. As a result, it is important to choose the right solution to generate the best returns. SaaS operations evaluate the needs and objectives of a business, then use this information in guiding purchasing of the right software. SaaSOps is involved in budgeting and can help businesses make more informed purchasing decisions.

Managing SaaS Payments

SaaS tools are typically based on monthly subscription fees. Companies need to assess every payment and figure out if the subscription still generates value for your team, and where you might be able to save by cancelling unnecessary services.

For example, there may be cheaper alternative tools to the one your team is using. Some of the subscriptions may be unused, or you may even be unnecessarily paying for duplicate subscriptions that you aren’t aware of.

SaaS operations will zero in on these concerns and optimize payments for more value. Additionally, it will work with your finance department to facilitate bookkeeping related to your SaaS.

Onboarding and Removing Users

Employees are the users of SaaS. Therefore, SaaSOps will often be involved in onboarding new employees and helping them sign up for the tools that they need.

For example, if you’ve hired a new copywriter your SaaS operations team will help them identify and sign up for tools like editors, proofreading solutions, plagiarism checkers, and so on.

In addition, SaaSOps will manage removing employees from existing tools when they leave the company. The is vital not just so that former employees won’t have access to potentially sensitive company data, but also to limit unnecessary spend on subscriptions that are no longer needed.

Ensuring Compliance

Businesses need to comply with regulations that often extend to the use of SaaS. For example, GDPR that aims to protect the privacy of users.

As a result, any tool that handles user data should be compliant with applicable data laws.

SaaSOps ensures that all digital tools a business uses are in compliance with regulations. The process starts with selecting the right tools and maintaining proper records – which is tough to do without a dedicated team for your SaaS operations.

Final Thoughts

SaaSOps is necessary for companies who want to properly manage the digital tools their team is using and make sure you’re not overspending on them. Take the hassle out of it with a SaaS payment solution like Mesh. Our platform gives finance managers a total bird’s eye view of all employee SaaS tools and key insights unique to the platform that help you save money — including identifying duplicate subscriptions and subscriptions that aren’t in use, as well as suggesting cost-effective alternative plans and solutions.

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Mesh Content Team