Understanding who is the user vs customer? — Victoria Zhang // Salesforce
- Part 1 Understanding who is the user vs customer? — Victoria Zhang // Salesforce
- Part 2Delayed ROI signal from licensed products — Victoria Zhang // Salesforce
Show Notes
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01:28The difference between users and customers in SaaSWith SaaS products, the customer isnt always the same as the user. Users are the ones using the software or products, while customers purchase the product but may not use the product themselves.
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04:00Balancing needs of users, customers, and decision makers in a SaaS businessUnderstanding different user group needs is crucial for influencing decisions and optimizing product experiences. Connecting qualitative and quantitative data from these groups guides long-term engagement and future decision-making in the complex landscape of SaaS businesses.
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07:51Establishing the business value of a SaaS productIn the case where you dont yet have a customer base, it comes down to identifying the business value your product offers to your customer groups. Collect data supporting the business value to craft a compelling narrative for decision-makers, users, and customers.
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11:11Emphasizing business value in SaaS product messagingIts crucial to showcase how a product solves customer problems rather than just highlighting its greatness and features. An analysts job is to articulate these points to internal teams through storytelling to help speak directly to the needs of customers during the selling process.
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14:05Balancing complexity and simplicity in analyst recommendationsThe job of analysts involves simplifying complexity into actionable recommendations, ensuring depth of understanding without overwhelming receivers with excessive details. Understanding human psychology in message delivery is crucial.
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15:41Using data to understand product adoption and user behaviorIf theres a particular feature that has low adoption rates among users, this requires that usage data be linked with other data sources to identify the root causes. Integrating these other data points driving user behavior helps analysts provide more holistic recommendations.
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18:20Understanding feature adoption in SaaSIn complex SaaS software, similar features can serve similar purposes. If some similar features are used and others aren't, it means the jobs are getting done, but if none are used, that indicates that features arent solving their problems and its time to ask users the 4 Whys.
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20:41Leveraging the 4 Whys to get to the root cause of customer behavior in SaaSCuriosity and asking why are key in data analytics for SaaS, especially since direct conversations with users aren't always feasible. By combining quantitative data and understanding the psychology behind their needs, we can create better SaaS products.
Quotes
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"The one thing that we need to understand is what problem are you solving for the customers, especially in the SaaS business, because it's not as obvious as consumers products." - Victoria Zhang
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"A common mistake we often make is, we build a product, we start selling the product, and all our data points are about how great the product is instead of how great the product is at solving customer problems." - Victoria Zhang
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"As analysts, our job isnt to lose sight of the complexity of SaaS but to synthesize it to the message that helps a company sell the product." - Victoria Zhang
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"By asking the four whys, we get to the incentive for the real driver for a particular product behavior." - Victoria Zhang
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"Curiosity is a trait we look for when hiring data analysts and scientists. It drives innovation and helps solve complex problems that users may not even realize they have." - Victoria Zhang
- Part 1 Understanding who is the user vs customer? — Victoria Zhang // Salesforce
- Part 2Delayed ROI signal from licensed products — Victoria Zhang // Salesforce
Up Next:
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Part 1Understanding who is the user vs customer? — Victoria Zhang // Salesforce
Victoria Zhang, VP of Data Science at Salesforce, explores customer centricity and product performance. In the SaaS world, understanding what users are trying to achieve with our software is crucial. Yet, as users often aren't the purchasers, it's essential to communicate effectively with decision-makers who hold the buying authority. Today, Victoria discusses understanding who's the user versus the customer.
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Part 2Delayed ROI signal from licensed products — Victoria Zhang // Salesforce
Victoria Zhang, VP of Data Science at Salesforce, explores customer centricity and product performance. In the realm of consumer products, our actions and experiences often have immediate and trackable effects. However, in the world of SaaS, due to the license-based business model, making the connection between daily user experiences and future revenue is a nuanced challenge for analysts. Today, Victoria discusses why data-driven SaaS product development drastically differs from consumer products.
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