Six SaaS Services for Start-ups and SMBs

One of the main things to consider when starting up a business is to think about being cost effective. These days, SaaS (Service-as-a-software) vendors are attracting a new breed of entrepreneurs since it allows business operations to pay for the service on a monthly fee.

As cloud computing changes the way we do business, we can reply on it to increase productivity, generate leads or improve customer relationships. These cloud-based apps are one of the popular delivery models to almost any types of businesses.

These services are accessed on the web, hosted by cloud vendors in their powerhouse data centres whilst users pay the services in a subscription-based model.

• 1. Dropbox – It’s a public cloud service for end-users, start-ups and SMBs that allows them to share, store, back up and sync files. As the demand of mobile workforce increases and the ease of working in a virtual environment changes the team’s collaboration and management, a multitude of start-ups and SMBs (even professionals) are migrating to cloud-based apps like Dropbox. It offers free online storage and also premium plans starting from $9.99 (Pro).

• 2. HubSpot – As a web-based marketing platform, HubSpot offers lead, sales and traffic generation to businesses, allowing them to manage all the marketing tools in one platform, whether blogging, email, landing pages or newsletter. The service is highly praised for improving inbound marketing strategies of companies in all sizes. You may start a trial or choose from the pricing plans on a monthly basis, starting from $200/month (Basic).

• 3. FreshBooks – Powered by a hybrid cloud solution, this popular web-based service is packed with basic accounting solutions for professionals and small business owners such as invoicing and time tracking. It has professional invoice templates and a default list of categories for expenses and items to keep track of your personal account activities, too. FreshBooks offers 30-day free trial and basic plans starting from $19.95/month (Basic).

• 4. Zendesk – This web-based software suite is a help desk service that provides ticketing system, customer service support and issue tracking. More than 30,000 companies worldwide are using Zendesk to meet the demands of customers’ inquiries and issues via ticketing system. Since this is hosted in the cloud, it can accommodate large amount of data as customers flock in 24/7. The service offers pricing plans, starting from $2/agent, billed monthly (Starter).

• 5. Shopify – This e-commerce platform allows businesses to create online stores. Since it’s hosted in the cloud, Shopify makes it easier for businesses to design them with over 100 website e-commerce templates for different niches in uptime. They can also outsource web designers to do the job. Whether you’re into a fashion store or a la “Etsy” style theme for your crafts, you’ll be able to come up with something fresh, original and create an upbeat site. You can use the service starting from $29/month.

• 6. Zoho Reports – With this web-based reporting and business intelligence software, you’ll be able to monitor data analytics and read more in-depth analysis of reports with its drag-and-drop interface. Zoho lets you create insightful reports via visual analysis and allows you to upload spreadsheets and data into its services. You can easily share the data to clients and colleagues within encrypted connections. Know the performance key indicators to improve customer relationship. Pricing starts from $50/month (Standard) and comes with a 15-day trial.

About author: Andrew Wood is a tech addict, who enjoys researching and writing about the latest technology.