How to Buy SaaS Software

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Octavia Brianne Smith
5 years ago
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1 How to Buy SaaS Software Four Easy Steps Every Communications Leader Needs to Know How to Buy SaaS Software Four Easy Steps Ever y Communications Leader Needs to Know 1

How to Buy SaaS Software Four Easy Steps Every Communications Leader Needs to Know INTRODUCTION At a large company, the prospect of introducing new technology or processes can sound challenging,

2 How to Buy SaaS Software Four Easy Steps Every Communications Leader Needs to Know INTRODUCTION At a large company, the prospect of introducing new technology or processes can sound challenging, especially when it s new SaaS (Software as a Service) software or something similar that touches many departments. Communications leaders can plead the case for new software to IT, convince procurement of the worth of the investment, and liaise with the legal department for endless hours. Everyone may want the end result seamless integration of the software into the existing system, but opinions about acquisition, implementation, and support can seemingly drag on forever. And the process can take even longer when risk assessment questions go unanswered. Fortunately, the SaaS software buying process doesn t have to be difficult or take much of your time. With the right guidance, the buying process can be a painfree, smooth and easy experience that moves quickly. SocialChorus is your partner throughout the buying process and handles every step along the way. We ve helped over 300 companies through the buying process and will run our playbook for your company too, so you don t have to invest much time getting our app through your internal processes. The playbook involves engaging your designated stakeholders, including IT, procurement, and legal, and consulting with them throughout the process - resulting in a turnkey, solution procurement and distribution experience. This ebook is designed to help communications leaders understand SaaS implementation and distribution. This overview is informed by proven experience with major companies and the best practices of many of our customers. We urge you to consult your own company resources in establishing your buying and distribution process, and to ask questions you deem necessary before making a decision specific to your SaaS needs. 2

3 3 STEP ONE: Meet With IT When buying SaaS software, the first step is simple to engage your information technology or information services personnel immediately. We ll work with you as a team to meet with the necessary IT stakeholders and to determine the answers to key questions. As part of their evaluation, IT will consider who needs to manage the software, and the time needed for weekly management. For the SocialChorus app, the program manager is usually an associate or manager on your communications team who will need about 15 minutes per day to manage the program. We ll work with you to establish an internal project manager in the very beginning and ensure IT understands they will not need to dedicate resources to maintaining the software. Once implementation is complete, this project manager will be the go-to person internally. When the project manager is established, we will schedule a software demo for IT personnel. Risk evaluation is followed by discussing integration with existing systems, and then deployment. We will determine, with your IT team s input: 1 Should deployment happen through Mobile Device Management (MDM), or the web, or both? 2 Should we leverage Single Sign On? 3 Are any security adjustments necessary? 4 What needs to be integrated to the app, and how? Working closely with IT from the beginning of the process means that we ll be prepared to address any questions upfront that may have slowed down the implementation later on. With this approach, even if your IT team does a Security Risk Assessment or would like an MDM implementation, your program could still be up and running within two weeks - eight weeks, respectively.

4 STEP TWO: Engage Procurement & Legal Perhaps you ve been through a scenario like this: IT selects a software solution from an outside vendor, but by the time it gets to procurement, the cost

4 4 STEP TWO: Engage Procurement & Legal Perhaps you ve been through a scenario like this: IT selects a software solution from an outside vendor, but by the time it gets to procurement, the cost scenario stops progress in its tracks. We understand, because we ve been there, too. Over 300 times, actually, and for the world s largest brands. So, we engage procurement immediately after our first meeting with IT. As we negotiate financial and commercial terms with procurement, we simultaneously exchange paperwork with your legal team. We swap revisions and address feedback to finalize paperwork. Working both processes in tandem will shave time off of your buying process so you can focus on your day job.

5 5 STEP THREE: Get Final Approvals In a large organization, it can be difficult to navigate final approvals for purchasing decisions. Even after getting sign off from IT, procurement, and legal, the process can screech to a halt if you don t have clarity on who makes final approvals. We will help you determine who else should be involved in approvals, and when. Our team establishment first approach will identify the potential obstacles to approvals, installation and integration early on, so you can launch your program within three months.

6 6 STEP FOUR: Software Rollout Now that you ve purchased the software, the fun part begins. The SocialChorus approach includes comprehensive SaaS implementation techniques that support every end user in your company. We will help you from start to finish to ensure your app is set up to drive the most employee engagement. This includes content strategy, promotion strategy, training techniques and more. We ll help you determine: 1 Your employee engagement goals and how to measure them 2 How to craft a content strategy that will engage employees 3 How to market your program internally and drive adoption 4 How to train your employees, including the use of our training video

7 IN CONCLUSION While a few other vendors may offer a similar service, none are as invested in helping you navigate your internal purchasing processes.

7 7 IN CONCLUSION While a few other vendors may offer a similar service, none are as invested in helping you navigate your internal purchasing processes. We ll be your team along every step of the way: initial demo, contract negotiations, implementation and deployment. Our objective is the same as yours to improve employee communications with the least disruption and the highest production increase possible. 89% of your employees time spent on mobile is spent using mobile apps, you should have a place on their home screen. Our daily news app for work earns you the right to be there. The SocialChorus app delivers personalized news and content, real-time notifications and social sharing. Employees using SocialChorus are more informed, engaged and productive. CALL US: REQUEST A DEMO

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