The Top Features to Look for in a SaaS Solution that Most People Don’t Realize

People often look at the obvious elements – the number of features, pricing, integrations, AI capabilities, and overall ratings – when they compare SaaS products. However, many of the characteristics that can make your day-to-day use of the product fun or frustrating are found within the product details. From cutting down on frustration to boosting business value, these lesser-known features of SaaS can make a difference and save time as you work at the same time with the program.

If you’re on the hunt for a new business solution or taking a critical look at your current SaaS stack, you’ll want to seek out something that offers so much more than its big promises.

Simple and Reliable Automation

While automation is not a new SaaS functionality, the quality of automation which is applied, is not always noted. Advanced workflows are marketed on many platforms, only requiring simple triggers and actions to eliminate repetitive tasks for users.

When searching for SaaS solutions, you should find a programmable one that reduces the need for technical expertise in repetitive tasks. Being able to automatically assign tasks, remind people, update records, generate follow ups, and move parts between stages can save hours per month.

Often the best automation is the automation that you don’t notice. It runs quietly doing repetitive work tasks, while your team is doing more valuable work tasks.

Granular User Permissions

While user permissions might not seem thrilling, they can prove to be a crucial factor as your company expands. It’s important to have an application that serves you, rather than you serving it.A good SaaS platform should have isolation and control over viewing, editing, creating and deleting different user experiences.

Your marketing department is an example of such a function, which might require customer data but not financial data. In the same way, a freelancer may require accessing just one project, instead of all projects contained in your company account.

Granular permissions enhance security, structure and streamline management of bigger teams. An insignificant detail that can be very beneficial later on.

Data Export and Portability

One of the most overlooked SaaS features is the ability to easily export your data. Your information is of great value when making a massive investment in a platform and you spend many months or years investing or using that website. Don’t feel forced, because it can be hard to get that data someplace else.

When considering SaaS products, ask if it is possible to export data such as contacts, projects, reports, documents, or any other key elements on a standard format.

With data portability, you have flexibility. Use the product if the business changes prices, if the product is not as helpful as you need or you find another that works better, you can move without having to start over.

Search That Actually Works

A good search engine is far more helpful than 12 bells and whistles. As your account grows up, it can get difficult to find the right customer, doc, task, conversation or project.

Search for software with quick search, helpful filtering options and the ability to search for various types of information. When a database is large, it is easy to make it manageable by making its search function good.

One of those things you don’t even think about much when it works; when it doesn’t, it’s a problem.

Customizable Notifications

Notifications are key, but excessive notifications can be a productivity issue. For this reason, it is advisable to pay more attention to the ability to customize settings for notifications within SaaS products.

That’s because each user can choose what events result in an in-app, email, mobile, or desktop notification, thereby creating a space that’s optimized for each user.

Your team can devote their attention to meaningful alerts and not be interrupted when it’s not needed.

Draft Insightful Reports and Analytics

Many SaaS products have dashboards, but the true measure of the usefulness of a dashboard is its ease of use for converting data to information. Choose reports that’re customizable, filters, date ranges, saved views and simple, easy-to-understand analytics.

There’s no reason to export simple data into a spreadsheet for answering a simple business question.

Reporting is important so you can determine if you are doing things right, if there are hazards, and where the time and money is going.

The API and Integration are Strong

Integrations are typically considered an extra value-add, but can be decisive for whether or not a SaaS product is completed to fit into your current workflow. A powerful API enables businesses to integrate their applications with any other program while streamlining their processes.

Having an API today may be a benefit even if you do not require it right now, but as your business expands.

Conclusion

Not every SaaS product that has an extensive set of features is the best. It’s often these smaller features that provide the real value, like being able to easily automate it, set up permissions, move data from it, be searching from it or customizing notifications, reporting, and robust integration.

Don’t simply ask “What does SaaS product X offer?” when evaluating SaaS products with others. Ask, “What will be a benefit of this feature for my daily work? Those overlooked features can be the key to distinguishing software that impresses, from software that’s of real benefit to your business.