Zuora Seed: Revolutionizing SaaS Onboarding

Zuora Seed is an innovative AI-powered onboarding solution specifically designed for mid-market SaaS companies. It seamlessly transforms customer intentions into deployable Zuora configurations in just minutes, significantly expediting the traditionally lengthy onboarding process.

Step 1

Welcome, team. I'm here to introduce you to an exciting development.

Step 2

I am responsible for partner success at Zuora. Today, I will walk you through Zuora Seed, our AI-driven onboarding solution for mid-market SaaS companies. It efficiently converts customer requirements into fully operational Zuora configurations in mere minutes.

Step 3

Let's explore the market potential. The billing software sector in the SaaS industry is expected to grow to $10.5 billion, with 40% of this growth driven by small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). This segment represents a significant opportunity for Zuora.

Step 4

The challenge lies in the complexity of service-heavy implementations, which are unattractive to SMBs. They prefer straightforward, usage-based pricing over large upfront costs.

Step 5

Our current partner strategy relies on large, implementation-intensive partners like Deloitte and PwC, which works well for enterprise clients. However, to expand in the mid-market, we need resellers seeking simple, easily deployable products that don't require extensive explanations.

Step 6

Zuora Seed is the key to unlocking this potential. Having discussed the market opportunity, let me show you the working prototype, which features a straightforward process.

Step 7

Customers input their requirements in plain English. Zuora Seed processes this input, aligns it with the existing Zuora object model, and generates the product catalog, charge models, and necessary deployment files. This is the Seed project workspace.

Step 8

Think of this as a launchpad for all your monetization experiments. Each tile represents a monetization project, such as converting freemium users to paid users or developing usage-based pricing for IoT clients.

Step 9

For today's demonstration, let's create a new project.

Step 10

Define your monetization setup by entering each requirement as a prompt. I've provided example prompts to guide users in formulating their inputs.

Step 11

For the first requirement, the customer is charged $99 per month with an additional charge of 10 cents per API call after the first 10,000 calls, plus a 14-day trial. You can add as many requirements as necessary; for this demo, we will add two.

Step 12

For the second requirement, there is a $500 onboarding fee and a $149 monthly charge thereafter. With both requirements entered, let's generate the configuration. Zuora Seed will interpret your inputs.

Step 13

It has accurately interpreted the first requirement, identifying the monthly billing frequency and base price.

Step 14

The two identified tiers and trial period are accurately reflected. Similarly, for the second requirement, the billing frequency and one-time fee are correctly captured.

Step 15

Zuora Seed has correctly recognized both requirements. The second requirement has no tiers. Once satisfied with the interpretation, click "Looks Good, Simulate." Zuora Seed will generate an invoice preview and revenue recognition schedule.

Step 16

You can review the calculation details and test them out. Additionally, you can view the generated files, including the product catalog and charge models.

Step 17

Preview these files, test them, and download them for Postman collection. Once satisfied, click "Deploy to Sandbox."

Step 18

Provide your sandbox details, including whether it's a customer sandbox, internal QA, and specify your region and deployment name.

Step 19

Enter the username and password. Having tested the files, select the ones to deploy and proceed with "Deploy to Sandbox," completing the process.

Step 20

The deployment summary displays the products, charge models, revenue rules, usage metrics, and mock invoice preview for both requirements. Preview the configuration in a Zuora sandbox.

Step 21

Let's explore the underlying mechanisms. At its core, the training framework uses over 70 prompts focused on mid-market SaaS use cases. Each prompt is linked to clarifying and follow-up questions, charge model types, access tags, and catalog structures.

Step 22

The training logic enables Zuora Seed to convert natural language into simulation-ready configurations. It holds significant business value, potentially generating up to $22 million in three years based on conservative estimates.

Step 23

With a $2.5 million cost, covering development and sales efforts, it can enhance our EBITDA by an average of 1.5 percentage points annually over the next three years.

Step 24

This solution isn't an invention but rather PR orchestration, showcasing its realistic application.

Step 25

Zuora Seed builds on the existing Zuora object model and utilizes our APIs. The SMB onboarding MVP can be developed in eight weeks, with phase two advancing towards full implementation.

Step 26

Currently focused on onboarding, phase three will extend to usage-based monetization through Zuora Seed.

Step 27

We are shifting from fixed annual charges to usage-based models, charging based on platform interactions. The vision for Zuora Seed involves automated requirement integration, offering insights and competitive analysis for customers.

Step 28

Imagine logging in and finding a pre-built configuration, with Zuora Seed highlighting missing elements and competitive insights, enhancing its power.

Step 29

This transition marks a move from setup to strategy, combining AI with context to make Zuora Seed an unstoppable force.

Step 30

Thank you.