The client doesn’t always know best. Yes, I said it.
The vendor doesn’t always know best either. But when implementing a B2B SaaS solution, it’s the vendor’s responsibility to create a collaboration that uses the client’s ideas to add value to the delivery.
During the years I had clients prioritising functionality over delivery timelines, or customisations over standardisation. Mistakes that delay time to value (TTV), or reduce the value of the solution, or increase the cost, or all of the above.
But the problem starts with the vendor – B2B SaaS vendors, and specifically the delivery teams, need to get better at explaining the value of an on-time delivery and of the cost of customisations.
The clients should represent their own needs, and prioritise based on the overall long term value to the business.
The vendor needs to understand the added value of their own perspective from multiple different clients, the best practices.
But the real benefit comes from a collaborative effort, when both parties see a shared goal and agree the value.