Software as a Service

I have worked on several subscription based online services. I have also led the development of a service from an early concept to the acquisition of a regular paying customers.

Creating a successful service is difficult and requires an appreciation of considerations beyond just 'building a product'. It usually requires a team with a deep understanding of their market and the community of users. It also takes time and perseverance to grow awareness and trust amongst potential customers.

Case study

The target market for the SaaS project that I was involved with from the beginning was the UK electrical and plumbing industry. I was already part of a team that had worked in this subject area for many years and building on that knowledgebase was key to delivering a new service that could compete with others. Where possible we used our learning and existing assets from our other products to design and build a cloud based web application. We 'soft-launched' with free-trials whilst shaping and refining the web presence and pricing model. We then added a mobile app which integrated with the system and was made available on iOS and Android. Slowly over time we built a reputation and worked intensively with our initial customers to refine the service further and the customer base continued to grow.

Creating this kind of software is a huge challenge, but I am proud to have achieved it and could not have done so without collaborating with colleagues and customers. I believe my experience in this area puts me on a firm footing to help guide similar projects in the right direction in future.