Amidst growing pains and intense competition, SaaS providers often rely on a variety of tools for access management, invoicing, subscription renewals, and compliance, burning valuable time and resources on integrating, learning, and troubleshooting new software. Managing multiple disconnected tools may seem manageable initially in the early days, but as SaaS operations scale, the risks associated with fragmentation become more apparent. Each separate tool in the ecosystem could be a potential point of failure— the more tools there are, the greater the likelihood of disruptions, inefficiencies, and security vulnerabilities.
SaaS providers face a patchwork of tools that hide more fault lines than you realize
When separate systems for access control, billing, subscription management, and customer support are not in sync, it could lead to customer access issues, duplicated work, and potential compliance risks. Imagine a customer who has paid for a premium subscription being unable to access the features they’ve paid for because the system that manages their subscription details is not synched with the system that controls access permissions. Needless to say, this would be a hugely frustrating experience for the customer and the support team alike.
With information scattered across multiple tools, maintaining data consistency and integrity becomes an uphill battle. If a customer updates their profile in one system, and if the changes are not reflected in the other systems, everything from billing to access permissions could suffer from discrepancies. On the other hand, manually consolidating data between these systems is extremely inefficient as it leads to downtimes and disruptions in service. The outcome? Poor customer experience and a loss of trust. With trust goes loyalty, and ultimately, customers leave, driving up churn.
The risk of security vulnerabilities and compliance issues stemming from fragmented systems cannot be overlooked. A lack of synchronization between access management and subscription billing, for instance, can allow the wrong people unauthorized access to services. It may not always be fraudsters, but even users who have canceled a subscription or whose payment has failed might still be able to access features they should be paying for.
Since SaaS providers handle user data daily, they are also bound by regulations such as GDPR and PCI-DSS. Fragmented tools, often inconsistent with security and compliance measures, leave room for compliance violations, leading to legal penalties and a dent in business reputation. Not having uniform security protocols in place could also expose SaaS providers to data breaches or leaks.
This is why integrated solutions are key: they make it easier to verify, organize, and update profiles securely, all while meeting compliance standards.
See also: Governance in the Age of Cloud Databases
Integrated solutions ease up operational complexity for SaaS providers
Now, consider a single platform to manage user access, subscription billing, and securely store legal agreements. When all functions operate within a unified ecosystem,
SaaS providers can notably minimize many of the risks they commonly encounter. Moreover, such issues can be diagnosed and resolved more quickly as all relevant data is in one place.
Having everything in one platform can simplify admin tasks, reduce unnecessary overhead, and create a more cohesive customer experience. A unified system also eliminates the need to learn and integrate multiple separate systems, such as access management, subscription handling, and contracting, saving valuable time.
Automation within a unified system can take efficiency a step further. Tasks like billing, reporting, and customer support can be handled consistently without manual intervention— all within a flexible system that brings functionalities together without disrupting core processes. For instance, automating billing allows businesses to ensure accuracy and timeliness, reduce administrative overload and manual errors, offer flexible plans that cater to diverse customer needs, and improve retention by offering exactly what customers want.
It pays off to be customer-centric
To attract and retain customers, SaaS providers need to balance ease of use and efficiency, giving users a sense of control and safety. First impressions don’t need to be fancy; they simply have to be smooth, intuitive, and deliver immediate value.
With no time to waste, customers prefer quick and simple account setup and flexibility in sign-up options. They appreciate the option to build their profiles over time rather than all at once. Gradual data gathering makes the process feel easy and stress-free for users, allowing them to stay engaged without feeling rushed or burdened. In fact, SaaS companies that enable sign-ups without asking for credit card information for free trials tend to see twice as many paying customers.
Clearly, onboarding sets the rhythm for the rest of the user journey, setting expectations and building trust that will guide their ongoing engagement with the service. The smoother the onboarding process, the closer you are to winning a confident customer who feels understood and ready to explore your service fully. It’s about creating an experience that encourages users to dive deeper into the product, increasing their likelihood of long-term retention and reducing the chances of them abandoning the services early on.
A poor onboarding experience, on the other hand, can have the opposite effect— leaving users frustrated, confused, or overwhelmed. A clunky or impersonal approach could quickly erode customer confidence, pushing them to seek alternatives. In fact, a bad first impression can quickly derail the customer relationship, making it much harder to win them back.
Moreover, the relationship between the service provider and the customer thrives on a balance of power and transparency— the provider maintains control over authentication and authorization processes, while the customers have control over their own identities. With self-service options in place, providers can cut down on the time spent on admin tasks and spend more time adding value. Happier users who appreciate the control they have over their experience also mean SaaS teams will have fewer support requests to deal with.
When SaaS providers are free from the hassle of tracking user permissions, renewals, and billing across multiple platforms, they can substantially reduce the time and effort spent on admin and focus more on innovation, elevating customer experience and scaling the business. It’s a win-win for both SaaS teams and their customers, thanks to the lightened load of subscription and access management, better user satisfaction, and enhanced operational efficiency.
Jeroen de Bruijn has been involved in IT security since 2002, starting his career in Datacenter Computing at Fujitsu-Siemens – later Fujitsu Technology Solutions. In 2011, he joined Kaspersky, managing a budget of over €35 million. By 2017, Jeroen succeeded Martijn as CEO of Connectis, leading its acquisition by Nordic Capital in 2020. In 2020, as CEO of ESTG, he doubled sales and gross margins to €250 million annually. In 2023, Jeroen co-founded Metrics Matter as Co-CEO, applying his commercial expertise to a greenfield startup with a societal impact. A year later, he co-founded Veriam, redefining simple, secure access and subscription management for SaaS providers. You can find out more here.
