Every brand needs a reliable, hands-off method that enables online ordering for their wholesale customers. Typically, there are only two ways to get there – a SaaS solution, or building the software in-house. SaaS is great because it’s an off-the-shelf solution that you can implement immediately. But, it can be rigid, and not easily tuned to your specific needs. Building your own software gives you customizability – to the extreme – but, it comes at a huge cost and takes a very long time to build.
There’s a third, better option that’s on the rise. It’s called MSaaS – managed software as a service. MSaaS bridges the gap between the immediacy of a SaaS solution and the customizability of something built internally, bringing the best of both worlds to the table. And it’s the perfect model for an enterprise-level solution.
Let’s take a look at what SaaS and internal solutions look like, and how MSaaS might just be the key your organization needs to unlock growth in your wholesale channels.
The Usual Solutions
Off-The-Shelf SaaS Solutions
A SaaS platform offers a rapid path to a solution. Most often a download-and-go piece of software and you can be up and running (in theory) fairly quickly.
The main limitation of SaaS software is its ‘one-size-fits-all’ aspect. In order to ensure that the SaaS solution works for everyone, there is no customization. That means any brand that has unique needs is out of luck and will have to settle for the solution as-is. Additionally, as a result of being a packaged solution – purchase, download, go – the SaaS applications very often come with minimal support and training, so onboarding and leveraging the solution across your entire organization can be challenging.
Building Software In-House
The other option is to try and build your own solution in-house. The obvious pro here is that you own it, and as such, can build and develop it to specifically suit your needs. That’s about the only pro. Building software of this scope in-house has some very sizable cons. There are huge development costs, endless upkeep, and it can be a major distraction from your core business.
Neither of these solutions are good enough.
MSaaS, The Best Of Both Worlds
What if you could get an effective software solution, implemented as quickly as the SaaS model, and get premium support and training from a dedicated team, but also realize the same level of customization you would get out of an in-house solution? That’s the MSaaS model, and it’s how Envoy B2B operates.
With our MSaaS platform you’ll get a dedicated, private setup. That means your own private instance of Envoy B2B, with your own software license that you don’t share with any other brands. And, much like the SaaS model, we can implement and integrate the platform into your organization's wholesale business with speed.
And, every single update, improvement, and new feature we implement will automatically get added to your platform, at no extra cost. Because our costs are predictable. We offer a flat subscription fee with no hosting fees and no surprises.
You’ll also be working with a team of real humans. We provide a support team, dedicated to assisting your organization with implementation, training, and a dev team that will tailor the software to your needs.
Software And A Roadmap Built Just For Your Org
Finally, and most critically, your organization will operate on a customized version of the Envoy B2B platform, with features built specifically for the particular demands of your wholesale business. And not only do we create a tailored version of the software for you when we implement it, we work with you to build a roadmap of features that we’ll implement for you.
This is far better than the traditional SaaS model, where brands will be locked into a generic roadmap, with broad stroke features that need to work across every single brand on the platform. It also means you’re realizing huge savings in manpower and budgeting, because you don’t need to build your own team to manage the platform.
The Speed of SaaS With The Flexibility Of A Custom Solution
Our MSaaS model is more than just a collection of software tools. It’s fast implementation, quarterly updates and improvements, a predictable line item for your CFO, your own custom features and development roadmap, and a team of people that care about your experience with their software, and the success of your brand. All this makes MSaaS software a superior solution compared to a SaaS platform, or trying to build one in-house, for any enterprise brand looking to create a smoother, more robust, more successful wholesale channel.