One of the longstanding choices when choosing technology for online B2B Ecommerce and order management is selecting between an Open Source platform and a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform.
While we’ve talked about the general differences previously on our blog, one of the major benefits of SaaS is the support model. In fact, it’s probably one of the most important differences you’ll encounter, because how Open Source and SaaS manage this speaks volumes about the way each path is managed.
While not every SaaS Ecommerce platform offers all of the below, the best offer all three of these to differentiate themselves from the competition:
- Strong onboarding support
- Predictable and fast tech support
- Regular software updates and bug fixes
Let’s see how each of these compare between Open Source and SaaS, and why SaaS can be the superior format for support:
1. Strong onboarding support
Open Source solutions tend to not be supported by the companies that offer them. They release their code out into the world and encourage an ecosystem to form around it. While this can mean a lot of choice, it doesn’t mean a consistently strong experience. This can create challenges for businesses to know who’s a good choice and who may be less than ideal.
It can also create a lot of confusion because you’ll have the platform, at least one third party partner advising (and possibly more depending on your needs), and then your own team. This can quickly make project management a nightmare.
On the other hand, while an ecosystem may also crop up around SaaS businesses, some B2B SaaS Ecommerce and order management solutions, like Zoey, take it upon themselves to have either a partial or full role in the initial setup of a store or website.
This means helping to advise on how to best leverage the capabilities to implement the right business rules and settings; implement the design desired; streamline data entry of products, orders and customers; and configuring internal team accounts and permissions.
This means getting support both before and after the sale, during the setup process, for businesses such as Backyard Nature Products:
“There was great responsiveness to problems during the development process. There will always be kinks and bugs along the way, but you guys would always work them out — and usually faster than expected!”
Mike Kasdorf, Director, Backyard Nature Products
2. Predictable and fast tech support
With open source solutions, it can be challenging to get support when something goes wrong, because with the code readily available, changes may have been made that can break things in unexpected ways down the line. This goes for both the core platform, as well as plug-ins and extensions added on to the platform.
Each store is a bit different, so support is a slower, more challenging process. With more hands in the process, it’s not always clear cut who’s responsible for a solution. And the original open source software provider is unlikely to provide that support at all, advising stores to work with a third-party vendor instead.
In this arena SaaS has a strong advantage for a few reasons:
- Everyone uses the same system. Since the baseline infrastructure and code powering stores is the same, if there’s a problem, you can quickly rule out things and find the source of the issue.
- SaaS businesses support their product directly. While third parties can be a part of the conversation, SaaS businesses offer ways to get help as part of the subscription price.
- Robust written documentation. Since the support team is familiar with many common issues, it leads to many tutorials being written about how to accomplish common tasks or fix common issues.
To that last point, SaaS Ecommerce platforms that put an emphasis on written tech support can help the do-it-yourselfers just as much as those who need to be guided to a solution. Just take this example from Professional Medical Fulfillment:
“We no longer require the services of an outside team of developers. Written documentation is always available for support when we have questions, and if we require more specific information, email support is very prompt and helpful.”
Joan Van Veen, VP of Marketing, Professional Medical Fulfillment
3. Regular software updates and bug fixes
With open source software, if a new version comes out, it has to be heavily tested to make sure the new additions and changes don’t break anything previously developed on top of the solution. Businesses that don’t have help on hand may skip updates at their own risk, potentially leaving open critical security issues that hackers could take advantage.
By comparison, SaaS solutions can roll out updates quickly and easily, and all businesses can easily benefit. Extensions and plug-ins deployed on the solution can be rolled out to all users as well, ensuring everyone’s on the same page and no one’s left behind.
Many businesses have found that migrating to a SaaS Ecommerce platform like Zoey has saved them lots of time, effort and resources that they can reinvest into their business instead:
“Our company was making a major move off a platform which needed a dedicated Web developer. Upon testing Zoey we found how easy it was to use because all the developer type things are taken care of for you. It gave us a smooth transition with a website that offered all the bells and whistles we had to do as add-ons before.”
Peter Luchsinger, Vice President, Cannabis Irrigation Supply
It’s time to make your move to SaaS Ecommerce
We’d love to show you how we’ve helped hundreds of businesses like yours migrate to a solution that has better support and less headaches. Find out how Zoey can transform your business with a personalized demo. Simply click the button below to request yours:
