ISVs use widgets to keep subscribers in touch with SaaS service status

Many subscribers extend their desktop using gadget or widgets. These mini apps from NetVibes, Google Desktop, Google Widgets, Microsoft Gadgets and Yahoo Widgets look good and can do a lot. There are thousands of free widgets to download, with many more to come.

Cross-platform support for Windows, Mac and Linux with tools such as Yahoo’s Widget Engine, Adobe’s Flash-based AIR and Microsoft’s Silverlight make it easy to build these widgets. They run outside of the classic web browser and can be placed as needed. Just park a widget where you can keep an eye on it. if you want, you can turn on sounds and hear status changes as they happen.

You can easily tap into this widget wave. Give your SaaS subscribers a free dynamic widget to show the live status of your SaaS service. Your subscribers get a good looking graphic they can put where they want. It is easy for your subscribers to keep an eye on your service status. They do not have to visit your special dashboard site.

Start with a simple service status widget

You can make a good start with a simple widget which shows the live status of your SaaS service.

Your subscribers benefit from real-time status updates. They do not have to keep the browser open or visit a specific page.

Where you get the status data depends on what you have easy access to. This could be from your own dashboard, your status RSS feed, or even your 3rd party uptime monitor.

Expose key data and events

Your next step is to expose selected data and events to your subscribers with a custom widget. I am sure there are key events and data your SaaS subscribers would like to follow.

An example is the “Opportunity Knocks” widget from Appirio. This connects to your Salesforce.com account and gives real-time event updates, such as when a deal closes. Using this widget it is easy to see what is going on.

It is easy for you to make your live service status visible with a widget or gadget. It shows you have trust in your service levels. This is vital for building trust, and trust is the most critical part of SaaS. So, why not get someone working on a simple status widget today?

If you have a widget or gadget that shows your live SaaS service status then please let me know via the comments. I would also like to hear about other widgets from SaaS ISVs that expose data and events.