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Ask HN: Is this idea viable - email automation for SaaS

5 points by cloudpre ↗ HN
Following lean-startup methodolody :) to validate the market...

I know there are lot of SaaS companies here who can give some validation.

How do you deal with the signup process? At our previous startups, our signups were leaking at each step. I say step as we divide a user behavior into steps - someone who has completed an action migrates to the next step. Final step would be payment and initial step would be signup. Eg: for a live-chat company - step 1 - signup/verification step 2 - creating agents 3- creating departments 4- adding code to website 5- payment when it is due.

Initially, we had someone looking after the signup process helping them at each step but it outgrew what someone could do manually.

I am thinking of a service which can automate the emails targeting users at each step. The workflow will be done visually with lot of conditional nodes - wait, send email, check behavior, json, responder etc. and the analytics would be a few lines of javascript code which a SaaS company would install so that my service can track the behavior (step he is at currently).

Eg: emails are sent to a user mentioning about the use and why he needs to move to next step at each step if he has not completed it. This will ensure that a user is moving automatically to the next step (nearer to making a payment).

Does the idea resonate or make sense to SaaS companies here?

8 comments

[ 9.9 ms ] story [ 66.3 ms ] thread
swanson
I'd say the idea makes sense, but you might want to check out http://postmarkapp.com/.
cloudpre
swanson - I am aware of postmark and sendgrid etc.

However, these help in delivery. So, we build on top of these to automate your email based on user behavior and funnel step.

Does it make sense?

PonyGumbo
I guess I'm having a hard time thinking outside the narrow frame of my own experience, but why wouldn't you just consolidate the signup process to one or two steps?
cloudpre
Hi Pony - it's not about signup process. It's after signup process (free trial) - how do you manage your customers?

Normally, people handhold but it doesn't scale. This is automated marketing way.

Thanks.

damoncali
The problem resonates with me. But I'm struggling to figure out how you could make me a system that was easier to implement than just writing it into my own app from scratch. Care to elaborate?
cloudpre
Sure - you create a workflow graphically which you can keep changing runtime, do A/B testing etc. - that's one plus.

#2 - you just install Javascript code (Like Google Analytics) on your site with userid as one of the params - we will track it automatically

damoncali
I'm interested enough to want to see what you can come up with. On a related note, outsourcing dunning would be nice.
cloudpre
I have MVP ready - if you would like to get a demo of the designer - pl email me at pbx dot kumar on gmail.

Thanks.