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Self-serve isn’t a nice-to-have for SaaS companies anymore.Â
B2B buyers want the flexibility to explore a product at their own pace and make informed purchasing decisions. That’s what self-serve experiences can offer.Â
We spoke with Akshath Dorai, who leads product marketing at Apollo.io, for a conversation on building self-serve SaaS products at scale.Â
Akshath begins by emphasizing the critical role of self-serve in SaaS, especially as companies reach a certain scale.
 "Most companies will need to start looking at strengthening their self-serve muscle," he explains. This approach is not just about scaling economically but also about enabling users to discover value independently, without the constant need for human interaction.
 "Strategic self-serve helps you drive value discovery at a scale that is not just important but also easier." For Apollo, moving towards self-serve early in the product life cycle was a strategic decision to differentiate from competitors and enhance user autonomy and flexibility.
Today's buyers value the ability to explore, evaluate, and adopt new tools independently, without the need for direct sales assistance. Self-serve models empower users by giving them:
This is increasingly important in the SaaS industry, where the ability to quickly and easily try out and adopt new solutions can significantly impact a user's satisfaction and loyalty.
One of the key insights from Akshath is how to strike the balance between self-serve and human-assisted models.Â
He clarified that it's not an either/or situation but rather about finding the right mix. "There are some aspects of your product discovery that the best self-serve model in the world can never do," he stated, highlighting the importance of human nuance in certain areas.
Akshath shared practical advice on how to leverage self-serve tools effectively, even when human assistance is necessary.Â
For example, using in-product walkthroughs to push adoption of new features can significantly reduce the load on customer success teams while providing users with the flexibility to explore at their own pace.
He also highlights the importance of continuously improving and personalizing self-serve resources based on user feedback and behavior. This involves personalizing self-serve content based on user roles, industries, or usage patterns can also make these resources more relevant and effective.
Leveraging data to optimize self-serve tools is another key recommendation. By analyzing user interactions with self-serve resources, companies can identify areas for improvement, measure the impact of self-serve on customer satisfaction and support efficiency, and tailor their strategies to better meet user needs.
When it comes to measuring the success of self-serve initiatives, Akshath emphasized the importance of funnel efficiency. He suggested focusing on how many users see the initiative, interact with it, complete the onboarding flow, set up the feature, and reach the "aha moment."Â
"For activation, you would like to have at least 30% of the users who start your flow... anything above 50% and you're doing a very good job."
Akshath highlights how self-serve tools can play a significant role in both monetization and adoption as well. By providing users with the resources to explore and utilize the product independently, companies can accelerate the adoption process.
Self-serve tools like interactive guides, tutorials, and knowledge bases empower users to get the most out of their current plans, laying the groundwork for successful upsell strategies later on.
Implementing a self-serve model at scale comes with its set of challenges. Akshath highlighted issues such as creating too generic or too nuanced onboarding flows and the difficulty of keeping these journeys up to date with rapidly evolving products.Â
He stresses the importance of building modularity into the self-serve journey to quickly adapt to changes.
He acknowledges the challenge of balancing the goal of delivering maximum value to users with the company's revenue objectives. Akshath's approach focuses on ensuring that users are fully satisfied and see tangible benefits from their current plans, which in turn creates a stronger foundation for future revenue growth through upsells and expansions.Â
This user-first approach to monetization recognizes that satisfied customers are more likely to remain loyal and increase their investment in the product over time.
As we wrapped up our conversation, Akshath shared his vision for the future of self-serve in SaaS. He believes that focusing on providing maximum value within current plans is key. "As users start seeing more value in your product, they will upsell themselves," he remarked, underscoring the importance of a win-win approach where both customers and companies benefit.
In conclusion, Akshath's insights provide a valuable roadmap for SaaS companies looking to scale through self-serve models. By balancing self-serve and human-assisted interactions, focusing on key metrics, and navigating the challenges of implementation, companies can unlock significant growth and efficiency.
"Remember, it's a win-win game. When your customers win, we win as well," Akshath reminded us, leaving a lasting impression on the importance of customer-centric strategies in the SaaS industry.
Self-serve isn’t a nice-to-have for SaaS companies anymore.Â
B2B buyers want the flexibility to explore a product at their own pace and make informed purchasing decisions. That’s what self-serve experiences can offer.Â
We spoke with Akshath Dorai, who leads product marketing at Apollo.io, for a conversation on building self-serve SaaS products at scale.Â
Akshath begins by emphasizing the critical role of self-serve in SaaS, especially as companies reach a certain scale.
 "Most companies will need to start looking at strengthening their self-serve muscle," he explains. This approach is not just about scaling economically but also about enabling users to discover value independently, without the constant need for human interaction.
 "Strategic self-serve helps you drive value discovery at a scale that is not just important but also easier." For Apollo, moving towards self-serve early in the product life cycle was a strategic decision to differentiate from competitors and enhance user autonomy and flexibility.
Today's buyers value the ability to explore, evaluate, and adopt new tools independently, without the need for direct sales assistance. Self-serve models empower users by giving them:
This is increasingly important in the SaaS industry, where the ability to quickly and easily try out and adopt new solutions can significantly impact a user's satisfaction and loyalty.
One of the key insights from Akshath is how to strike the balance between self-serve and human-assisted models.Â
He clarified that it's not an either/or situation but rather about finding the right mix. "There are some aspects of your product discovery that the best self-serve model in the world can never do," he stated, highlighting the importance of human nuance in certain areas.
Akshath shared practical advice on how to leverage self-serve tools effectively, even when human assistance is necessary.Â
For example, using in-product walkthroughs to push adoption of new features can significantly reduce the load on customer success teams while providing users with the flexibility to explore at their own pace.
He also highlights the importance of continuously improving and personalizing self-serve resources based on user feedback and behavior. This involves personalizing self-serve content based on user roles, industries, or usage patterns can also make these resources more relevant and effective.
Leveraging data to optimize self-serve tools is another key recommendation. By analyzing user interactions with self-serve resources, companies can identify areas for improvement, measure the impact of self-serve on customer satisfaction and support efficiency, and tailor their strategies to better meet user needs.
When it comes to measuring the success of self-serve initiatives, Akshath emphasized the importance of funnel efficiency. He suggested focusing on how many users see the initiative, interact with it, complete the onboarding flow, set up the feature, and reach the "aha moment."Â
"For activation, you would like to have at least 30% of the users who start your flow... anything above 50% and you're doing a very good job."
Akshath highlights how self-serve tools can play a significant role in both monetization and adoption as well. By providing users with the resources to explore and utilize the product independently, companies can accelerate the adoption process.
Self-serve tools like interactive guides, tutorials, and knowledge bases empower users to get the most out of their current plans, laying the groundwork for successful upsell strategies later on.
Implementing a self-serve model at scale comes with its set of challenges. Akshath highlighted issues such as creating too generic or too nuanced onboarding flows and the difficulty of keeping these journeys up to date with rapidly evolving products.Â
He stresses the importance of building modularity into the self-serve journey to quickly adapt to changes.
He acknowledges the challenge of balancing the goal of delivering maximum value to users with the company's revenue objectives. Akshath's approach focuses on ensuring that users are fully satisfied and see tangible benefits from their current plans, which in turn creates a stronger foundation for future revenue growth through upsells and expansions.Â
This user-first approach to monetization recognizes that satisfied customers are more likely to remain loyal and increase their investment in the product over time.
As we wrapped up our conversation, Akshath shared his vision for the future of self-serve in SaaS. He believes that focusing on providing maximum value within current plans is key. "As users start seeing more value in your product, they will upsell themselves," he remarked, underscoring the importance of a win-win approach where both customers and companies benefit.
In conclusion, Akshath's insights provide a valuable roadmap for SaaS companies looking to scale through self-serve models. By balancing self-serve and human-assisted interactions, focusing on key metrics, and navigating the challenges of implementation, companies can unlock significant growth and efficiency.
"Remember, it's a win-win game. When your customers win, we win as well," Akshath reminded us, leaving a lasting impression on the importance of customer-centric strategies in the SaaS industry.
Whether it's a new feature walkthrough or guiding customers on how to navigate your product, you can do it all by yourself.
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Floik helps in creating customized self-serve interactive demos, product videos and step-by-step guides in minutes on a single platform
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