How to provide consumer-like user experiences in business software

Arpita Goala , Content Marketing Manager

May 5th, 2021

Business software is changing

85% of CEOs say that the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation, according to a recent Deloitte survey. Digital transformation often means new software tools that increase productivity and conduct business functions with ease. In 2021, it’s predicted that organizations with 250+ employees will use 100+ business software products, driving rapid growth for the business software industry (10% CAGR over the next five years.)

As the number of new tools increases, so does their significance for businesses. According to McKinsey’s 2020 B2B business survey, the importance of digital B2B channels to engage customers, collaborate with coworkers, and buy goods and services has doubled since the COVID-19 crisis began.

The problem is that business software offerings are often complicated due to company-wide adoption, rich product ecosystems, and a domain-specific focus. Currently, users perceive only 30% of business software companies as customer-centric. 

Yet this 30% of customer-centric business software companies – and those that will follow their lead – are rewarded handsomely. 86% of business software customers are willing to pay more for better customer experiences. Last year, customer and user experience leaders in the S&P 500 outperformed competitors by 80%.

Software testing supports differentiating UX

Turning to software testing can help business software providers meet and exceed market demands.

Human testers on real devices in global locations report on end-user experience issues. This pre-release exploration helps improve CX and UX by identifying faulty functionality and high-priority bugs before customers do.

Catching issues before release has a significant impact on growth. Businesses that provide seamless digital experiences are 50% more likely to be chosen as a primary supplier than those who offer poor experiences. 

Test cases that improve user experiences

The most common buyer pain points and frustrations cited in a McKinsey study of business software providers were CX related:

• 36% cited the length of the ordering process
• 34% cited the difficulty of finding products
• 33% cited technical glitches with ordering

Testing can proactively diagnose problems for all three of these pain points. For example, one test case can measure and report load times in different environments. Another can measure time spent finding products and report lengthy user flows. Teams of testers might also conduct tens of orders on different device/ OS combinations to uncover glitches. These tests combine to create a robust concept of end-user experience that can be improved or tweaked to meet market demands. 

Software testing is a critical component of providing consumer-like digital experiences in business software. 

See the complete playbook for testing your way to customer-centric business software

This blog post references insights from the 2021 report ‘State of App Testing: Business Software’. The full report includes:

• Business application testing benchmarks from exclusive client data
• Five testing and QA best practices from analysis of exclusive client data
• Expert commentary
• Two applied case studies from industry leading Testlio clients

Testlio is the originator of networked testing. Our award-winning combination of platform, freelancers, and services enables you to deliver great customer experiences—fast. In any location. On any device. In any language. Testlio business software clients include 8×8, athenahealth, DataRobot, Microsoft, SAP, and many more. Collectively, they have awarded us an industry-leading 4.7 G2 rating and an NPS of 75. To learn more, visit www.testlio.com.