Why are Millennials the key demographic that SaaS companies should focus on? For one, they are quickly making up a larger share of your total userbase. However, it is more than just a shift towards a younger generation; it is a shift in ideology. Millennials approach information much differently compared to Boomers. According to a research conducted by Forbes (2013), 74% of non-Millennials stated that Millennials offer different skills and add inherent value to workplaces. A big reason for this is that they grew up with personal computers, Internet, and are generally more receptive to multi-tasking and rapid absorption of information.
Therefore, in order to be successful as a SaaS company, software must be developed with Millennials in mind. Here are 5 tips for increasing SaaS adoption for Millennials.
1.Know Where You’re going – Set End Goals
During the early stages of training, it is vital to have self-contained, easily understood objectives for the end user. Getting off on the right foot will make the overall adoption process much smoother. More specifically, the design should appeal to Millennials and their inherent qualities.
Since your end users will typically be more tech-savvy and connected, you should ensure that your software offers a similar experience that they are used to. This means a stronger emphasis on clean UI, optimized media, mobile connectivity, upfront and easy-to-find objectives, and a knowledge base with a wide breadth.
2. Know How You’re Doing – Monitor Performance
Perfect SaaS onboarding strategies cannot be made inside a vacuum. They take a careful blend of observation, and re-evaluation. Likewise, improving adoption of SaaS follows these same methods. You should monitor user performance during and after training. This allows training managers to provide more nuanced support whenever issues arise. Monitoring software can include databases, and integrated tests.
Once initial training ends, you should evaluate whether or not the original training objectives were met. This clues you into what was successful in the training program, and what could use some polishing. Also, feedback from the end user is important to get a gauge on how well the training program was received. Ideally, this monitoring and re-evaluation feedback loop should occur at regular intervals in order to improve training methods efficiently.
3. Go Digital – Offer Online, Real-Time Help with Problems
Instead of offering paper worksheets and static instructions as a part of training, look towards more dynamic, real-time training methods. This can include automated walkthroughs, context sensitive tutorials, and other collaborative multimedia functions. These methods do not have to be strictly web-based either, since there are resources like online flowcharts that are simply digital analogues of paper versions. Real-time mentoring can be beneficial along with other online methods. The main factor to consider is that training materials are adaptive and easy to absorb.
Another benefit of dynamic approaches is that they are more convenient to update as information becomes outdated. This makes it cost-effective and aligns closer with Millennial expectations of adaptive material. Millennials can be described like sponges, soaking up information, coaching and tips.
4. Bridge the Gap – Implement Cutting-Edge Tools
Staying on the cutting edge of technology has several benefits for Millennials. New toolkits help provide support for advanced users and can help in providing better real-time support, or monitoring user improvement as mentioned in the previous tips. Not only do these tools tend to offer better cost-to-performance ratios, they are also more appealing for Millennials from a technological perspective.
Neuro-linguistic artificial intelligence functionality such as Apple’s Siri are quickly becoming popular options among these tools. While they aren’t perfect solutions, they help bridge the gap between tech-savvy Millenials and older generations of your workforce. Context sensitive assistance tools like WalkMe are another option for bolstering your training suite – they teach your users how to use applications, like CRMs, through step-by-step guidance balloons that leads a user through the site.
5. Don’t Stop! — Offer Continuous Training
The key to great training programs is that they aren’t simply complete after the initial training period ends. Long-term training keeps users sharp and adaptive as new tools, technologies and market forces change. It reinforces what was learned, instead of placing it in the backburner, and it reduces the amount of initial training stress.
Applying and sticking to the right training methods and technologies are essential if you plan on attracting Millennials into your userbase.