I am the CEO and co-founder of Planable, the leading content and collaboration platform for social media teams.
In 2021, organizations around the world had an average of 110 software-as-a-service applications, according to Statista. Here’s another eye-catching figure: The SaaS market is expected to grow from $130. 69 billion in 2021 to $716. 52 billion in 2028.
That’s a lot of money spent across many corporations on a lot of equipment. And it makes sense when you think about it: Teams allow fashion companies to automate what was manual just a few years ago. Look at social media management, for example. Who thought this market would be so large and professional that it would create its own set of third-party teams?
But there is a caveat to all this, which will be the subject of this article. With such a variety of software, how does a company, established or not, decide on its tool stack?Do you want a flexible (also known as horizontal SaaS) or laser-oriented (vertical SaaS) tool?How can a company balance load and productivity?
I am the founder and CEO of a laser-focused solution. From the beginning, we made the decision to forge a position in the market by focusing in particular on two underestimated but important facets of social media management: collaboration and approval. We had to say “no” to functions like analytics, listening, and network management. Through this experience, I learned valuable lessons about how leaders can make a decision about what kind of solution is most productive for themselves and their teams:
Define your needs.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that, as consumers, we’ve been conditioned to equate the number of features a tool provides with quality. In reality, it is not a question of functions, but a matter of skills. Some answers have many functions that are scattered across anything similar to the domain they are targeting. Other teams would possibly have fewer skills, meaning the focus is on fine tuning and iteration into a smaller subset of core functions.
Alternatively, there are corporations that opt for the largest and most expensive solution, thinking that expensive means quality and, by extension, greater results. That’s not to say that flexible responses are bad. There are many scenarios where a flexible solution is precisely what you are looking for. a business needs.
The key is to compare, as objectively as possible, the disorders you are looking to solve with the solution you are considering. Another additional tip here is to prioritize those desires. What is the maximum vital work that can be done?What is potentially “good to have”? By prioritizing your wishes, you will compare the equipment temporarily and objectively.
Consider the possibility of your business.
Modern businesses have many moving parts, and there are so many answers that promise to keep them well oiled. In fact, that’s what SaaS teams are for: to solve an urgent problem.
Either way, when opting for a tool, whether flexible or laser-focused, one of the things to consider is the design of your business. The answers are meant to help team members do their jobs better, so:
• That of your business.
• The format of your (i. e. full office, hybrid, etc. ).
• The design of your company and equipment.
• Future scaling instructions.
For example, if you own a small marketing company and are juggling multiple clients, a fairly expensive search engine optimization tool that allows multiple team members to use it could be the solution. For social media management, it depends on your priorities. Do you want a tool that can technically solve all your problems, or do you want a tool that specializes in solving some quick problems?
Consult with your colleagues.
When everything else fails (or fails), you may want an outside perspective. There is no shame in reaching out to other companies to realize what they are using. You would be surprised at how many points can affect the chances of locating the right tool. In my experience, the maxim is the whim of a search engine.
One of the benefits of reaching peers is that, thanks to their suggestions, you can find anything in your budget. This can necessarily help you with the “bigger and more expensive equals better” fallacy discussed above. time and are more likely to have a targeted solution to their problems.
Evaluate the and dis of other tools.
Let’s take a look at the potential advantages and disadvantages of multiple equipment and laser-focused equipment in a bullet format.
In my experience, some of the flexible teams include:
• Multiple features in one place.
• A bachelor bill.
• Centralized management.
However, I discovered those tools:
• It can be expensive.
• Execute the threat of redundancy, as many features would possibly end up unused.
• It can be difficult to integrate it into the corporate structure.
• Can serve the business as it grows and requires more specialized tools.
On the other hand, laser focusing equipment includes:
• The decided number of features can give businesses the time and bandwidth to adjust them.
• They can solve specific problems.
Of course, those teams also:
• Have fewer features.
• It could require corporations to acquire more software to solve problems.
What is the takeaway?
In my experience, corporations that end up opting for all-in-one teams do so because they haven’t yet faced an urgent challenge. But ultimately, both categories of teams have their own perspective to take their business to the next point through unlocking bottlenecks. that slow productivity. It all comes down to identifying your challenges and making a selection of your genuine and existing needs.
Forbes Business Council is the leading organization in expansion and networking for businesses and executives. Am I eligible?