Purchasing a traditional software license is very much an individual affair. When you subscribe to a SaaS application, however, you become a member of a community that has the application at the center.
As Wainewright points out, SaaS changes the relationship between software vendors and customers. In a service environment, argues Wainewright, there is “a convergence of interest between customer and vendor that’s more intimate than that expressed in the world of conventional on-premises applications.”
The intimacy results because:
- SaaS vendors constantly monitor how their customers are using the application.
- Customers easily benchmark themselves against their peers.
Awareness of how customers in the aggregate are using an application presents the vendor with a constant supply of metrics it can’t ignore. Typically, this awareness translates into improved usability, performance, and functionality.
In addition, when you contact technical support, you’re likely to experience faster and better service because support professionals can look at your implementation to see exactly what’s happening.
As a SaaS customer, you benefit from your peers in a way that you’re less likely to do with an on-premises implementation. According to Wainewright, SaaS customer user communities “tend to thrive” and are excellent sources of best practice tips and even templates or add-ons.