This is where you have the opportunity to make a solid profit, if you play your cards right. By using the principles that have made Software as a Service, also known as SaaS 14 billion dollar industry. At its core, SaaS revolves around data. Customer data, financial data, news, social media and so on have become a major aspect of medium and large business. All these services draw from these few data pools, but they distinguish themselves through, quality, customer service and the user experience.
Quality may be one of the most important aspects of any business. In your business research, it is important to not only check on pricing of the various frozen desert machines out there, but also to actually try the product as well. High quality machines from Electro Freeze, like the SLX400E take the same mix as all the others, but put out a superior quality of frozen desert. That means your ongoing variable costs are the same, but you still beating out your competitors on flavor, quality, texture, and consistency. Your customers will take notice and give you an opportunity to create a loyal following to your brand.
Quality does not mean much if your customer service is poor. This usually means hiring the best staff, but that is only one piece of the puzzle. Going back to the SaaS analogy, downtime is possibly the biggest enemy of online services and inferior equipment. When your equipment is down, you are not only unable to attract new customers, you are actively losing repeat business needed to make the core of your profits. This applies directly to your frozen desert business as well. If your customers know they can rely on you to be open when they want a treat, they will be far more likely to come back time and time again.
Don't risk betraying them by being closed. With Electro Freeze from Sentry, you are not only getting equipment, but you are getting the value added aspect of a full service repair contract, warranty and dedicated service. It does not matter if your machine breaks down at 11 PM on Saturday night, Sentry has a repair van fully stocked with all the parts for your equipment so that it can be fixed right away, regardless of what is wrong with it. It is important to ensure that the company selling your equipment is also the company who will service it. If not, your equipment has no priority standing with the service company. You are merely another call that the service provider may or may not be equipped to deal with. The difference with Sentry, for instance, is they only sell and service Electro Freeze and it is all done in house. So when you call, you are dealing with the same company and people from which you purchased for service and future consultation. A company has a 32 year experience with the industry, their brand, and their customers' profits and pitfalls.
The final component of a successful SaaS business, or in your case a SSaaS business, is a solid customer experience. This does include customer service and quality, but also things like decor, pricing, and community involvement. When you purchase Electro Freeze equipment - say the SLX400E, you are not only buying a great machine, you are buying into the wealth of experience that Sentry Equipment has in the frozen desert business. They also offer consulting services for more than just your equipment purchases, and if they don't have the right answer for you, they can direct you to some who does.
Think about your last few food purchasing experiences. Did you really make your decision completely on price, or did you also give some consideration to these other elements as well? When creating a frozen dessert business or adding equipment to an existing operation, a major factor is price. However, if your decision is made completely on price you will undoubtedly choose poorly. Typically a mistake isn't realized until it has already negatively affected your operation. The key is too learn about the company, the brand, the service and the full package of support and consultation. Remember how important the equipment is to your operation and how valuable a partnership with the right company can be. See who everyone out there - both big and small - is using in your industry. Talk to them and get information so you feel comfortable with your buying choices.
At their core, all customer service industries compete on these points as well as their profit margin. By taking notes on how other industries handle their customers you can learn about how to create a successful venture and beat out your competition.
