The cloud-based, Software-as-a-Service model is seriously picking up speed in the world of software & tech. It makes sense—why make a single profit on one sell when you can sell a customer once and have recurring profits? Lucrative as this is, it presents a new major challenge: customer retention is everything. Here are a couple ideas for keeping your customers “bought in” to your software service.

The personal touch

People naturally give more trust and loyalty to those they have a personal connection with. Reach out occasionally to each and every one of your customers to ensure that they’re getting the quality of service they need. Even if you only have the time to send a batch email to all of them, do so with the intention of engaging some of them in one-on-one conversations. A single personal interaction might mean the difference between a year-long relationship and a lifelong relationship with the same customer.

Getting feedback

On a related note, it is important to make sure that your SaaS suites each of your customers’ needs. When appropriate, push them for feedback. Find out how they think your product could be better and then make those improvements happen. If you’re able to, consider making hand-tailored solutions and adjustments for specific customers.

The perfect customer retention strategy

The key to customer retention is to put the service into Software-as-a-Service. Obvious as this may seem, it’s something that many SaaS sellers forget. You’re not just mass distributing an online program at a monthly cost. You’re providing an ongoing service to each of your customers. Keep the right focus, and you’ll keep the customers too.