The Free Trial, also known as the “Trial Period” or “Free Trial” in English, is a customer acquisition model where a SaaS product is offered to customers for a limited period of time for free, allowing users to familiarize themselves with the product and fully experience its benefits before making a purchase or subscribing to a paid subscription plan.
The Free Trial model to simplify the customer acquisition process
The Free Trial model, similar to its counterpart, the Freemium model, is a convenient way to let your SaaS product sell itself. By offering a free trial of your product, customers have a designated period to use your product, ranging from one week to a month or even two. A Free Trial allows users to test the product, understand its features, and see if it provides them with added value before committing to a purchase.
The magic of the Free Trial model lies in simplifying the acquisition process. You should be able to guide users through each step of the product and assist them as much as possible. This can be done by providing quality customer support and offering a seamless user experience.
Is the Free Trial model right for you?
To make this model work, you need to answer some important questions that help determine if this approach is suitable for your business:
- Does your product require personalized onboarding?
If that’s the case, there’s no guarantee that users will fully benefit from the trial period. The product should be user-friendly at best or well-assisted with tutorials, guides, webinars at worst. - Is your company equipped to handle a large volume of users?
The more users (potential prospects) try and explore your SaaS product, the more your Support/Customer Success team will be engaged, and quick response will be required. In this case, the Free Trial model may not be the right choice for your company. - Do users feel supported or guided when using your product?
Converting users into paying customers is the main goal of the Free Trial model, and customer guidance is a decisive factor. Your SaaS should be able to guide and support them, making them as active as possible during the Free Trial period. This way, they will discover the full potential of your SaaS and all the benefits it provides (time-saving, productivity, financial, etc.).