Challenges in Recurring Revenue Observations from the Companies Utilizing Recurring Revenue A Study

Transcription

1 Challenges in Recurring Revenue Observations from the Companies Utilizing Recurring Revenue A Study Summary Results August 2013

2 Overview Gatepoint Research invited selected business services, telecom, high tech, and retail executives to participate in this survey. Candidates from companies with a recurring billing model were invited via and 103 executives have participated to date. Respondents are predominantly employed in product, operations, and finance functions. 45% hold the title of Manager; 51% are Directors and 4% are VPs or CxOs. Of the companies represented by survey participants, 72% have annual revenues of less than $250 million; 8% between $250 and $500 million; 10% between $500 million and $1.5 billion, and 10% greater than $1.5 billion. 100% of respondents participated voluntarily; none were engaged using telemarketing.

3 Observations and Conclusions 42% of respondents use homegrown billing systems in their organizations. Of those, 40% had low levels of satisfaction with their system (3 or below on a 5 point scale). 34% manage more than 10,000 subscribers. 67% of respondents invoice using a flat subscription model. Most companies manage their recurring billing systems through their Finance or IT departments. Respondents most value, tiered usage models (52%), a flexible product catalogue (47%), and channel/reseller management (43%), all features Aria offers. 80% of respondents use, or plan to use, SaaS or cloud-based billing solution services. 31% consider themselves mature users of SaaS. Of those who have not yet moved to the cloud, 35% report being unhappy with their current solution (3 or below on a 5 point scale).

4 In general, how satisfied are you with your current recurring billing system? (Rate 1 to 5, 1 = unsatisfied, 5 = very satisfied) 30% 25% 20% *25% *22% *20% 15% 10% 5% *4% *4% 0% 1 Unsatisfied Very satisfied 33% report to being barely or less than satisfied with their current Summary recurring Results billing system. * 25% of those queried did not answer August 2013

5 Which of the following billing systems are present in your organization? Homegrown *42% Other *17% Oracle: Billing & NetSuite *15% *15% Zuora SAP: Electronic Bill *11% *10% Amdocs Covergys Aria Systems Vindicia *3% *2% *2% *1% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 42% of respondents use homegrown billing systems in their organizations. No one vendor dominates Summary in Results the rest August of the market. * Respondents chose one or more answers 2013

6 How many subscribers do your systems currently manage annually? 40% 38% 35% 30% 28% 25% 20% 21% 15% 13% 10% 5% 0% 1 to 1,000 1,001 to 10,000 10,001 to 100, , % manage more than 10,000 subscribers.

7 What types of invoicing best describes your recurring revenue model? Flat subscription *67% Usage-based *52% Add-ons *29% One-time *28% Other *5% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 67% of respondents invoice using a flat recurring revenue model. * Respondents chose one or more answers

8 Which department in your company is responsible for managing your recurring billing system? Finance/Operations 53% IT 25% Marketing/Sales 8% Other 7% Engineering/Developme nt 6% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Finance and IT manage most companies recurring billing systems.

9 What capabilities are or would be most valuable for your recurring revenue model? Consumption/tiered usage models *52% Flexible/configurable product catalogue Channel/reseller management *43% *47% Foreign currencies/languages PCI compliance *25% *23% Other *8% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Respondents most value tiered usage models, a flexible product catalogue, and channel/reseller management. * Respondents chose one or more answers

10 Where is your organization with regards to adoption of SaaS or cloud-based billing solution services? We are mature users of cloud-based apps 31% We are moving apps to the cloud now, but not all We plan to move some apps to the cloud No plans to move apps to the cloud 19% 18% 18% We ve moved apps to the cloud, eventually most 12% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 80% of respondents use or plan to use SaaS or cloud-based billing solution services.

11 Profile of Respondents: Revenue $ million 8% $500 million - $1.5 billion 10% >$1.5 billion 10% <$250 million 72% 72% of respondents come from companies with revenues less than $250 million.

12 Profile of Respondents: Job Level VP & CxO 4% Director 51% Managers in Product, Operations, Finance 45% Responders are primarily Managers and Directors with product, operations, Summary and Results finance August functions. 2013

13 Aria Systems sponsored this survey. Aria provides cloud billing for recurring revenue management. The Aria Cloud Billing Platform is the industry's only enterprise class solution that transforms billing into a strategic advantage for enterprises. For more info, visit Gatepoint Research, a subsidiary of SimplyDIRECT, designs, drafts and deploys opt-in, invitation-only surveys to management-level executives within leading technology companies. Using web, phone and -based data collection its cutting-edge IT trends research and data analysis help in the generation of custom reports and thought-leadership content. Gatepoint has deployed over 500 surveys since 2000 and engages over 10,000 decision-makers each year.