In recent years, the SaaS market has been swept by a wave of “domestic replacement” initiatives. SaaS, or Software as a Service, refers to the model where software providers deploy applications on their servers, allowing customers to access these services over the internet based on their needs. To put it simply, traditional software is like buying a house, while SaaS is akin to renting an apartment.

• Buying a house involves a one-time, heavy investment, followed by ongoing maintenance and upgrades.
• Renting an apartment requires less upfront cost, offers ready-to-move-in convenience, and provides flexibility to renew or terminate the lease.

This revolutionary SaaS model has led to a surge of companies migrating to the cloud in China, further fueled by favorable government policies. In early 2023, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) issued Directive No. 79, mandating state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to replace their information systems with domestically developed solutions by the end of 2027. This policy has created unprecedented opportunities for domestic SaaS providers, while also making the market increasingly crowded. Merely competing on product features is no longer enough to stand out. In today’s service-driven post-product era, only products that precisely address customer needs can maintain their relevance. For SaaS companies, focusing on delivery experience and long-term customer value is critical to standing out and thriving in this competitive landscape. So, how can SaaS companies improve their delivery experience?    

Yunzhangfang: A "Near-Unicorn" Company’s Three-Step Service Design Journey

  As a leader in the financial and tax SaaS space, Yunzhangfang has earned a spot on the "Cloud 100 China" list by Jingya Capital and Cuiniu Club for two consecutive years. In the face of intense product homogenization and rapid industry changes, Yunzhangfang recognized the importance of enhancing customer retention and turning one-time purchases into lifetime value. To address these challenges, Yunzhangfang brought together employees from product development, marketing, operations, and management, and partnered with CBi China Bridge for service design training. The goal was to adopt service design thinking and methodologies to better understand customer needs, improve delivery experiences, and enhance the company’s competitive edge. Using CBi China Bridge’s proprietary service design CBI Model, Yunzhangfang identified three critical factors for enhancing product delivery through a training-integrated-with-projects approach.  

Perspective Shift: From Business-Centric to User-Centric

In the B2B space, multiple stakeholders with different business needs and goals are involved. Using the Stakeholder Map, Yunzhangfang mapped out the roles and responsibilities of these stakeholders, identified end users, and clarified the target audience for different service phases. Through this process, Yunzhangfang shifted from a business-centric to a user-centric perspective. Participants remarked:

“We learned various tools for gathering and analyzing user information and realized the significant gap between our assumptions and customers' actual needs.”

Understanding customer needs requires starting with observable behaviors, not assumptions. Traditionally, SaaS companies believe customers care primarily about the product and its ability to meet business needs. However, service design helped Yunzhangfang realize that products and services are interdependent. Customers don’t just want a product—they want comprehensive support. As Yunzhangfang founder and CEO Xue Xinghua summarized during the co-creation session:

“Simply replicating customer requests has no value. We must uncover the root causes behind their needs.”

CBi China Bridge introduced tools such as User Journey Maps, Experience Drivers, and 10 Innovation Methods to help Yunzhangfang analyze user behaviors, needs, and emotions at each interaction stage. This process revealed opportunities for improving the customer experience and redefining the user journey. User Journey Maps are more than visual tools—they are frameworks for deep user insights. Yunzhangfang executive Wang Ying shared:

“User Journey Maps are excellent tools. They help us deconstruct reality from the user’s perspective, driving sustained creativity.”

By applying these methodologies, Yunzhangfang broke free from traditional thinking. The company realized that they weren’t just selling software—they were empowering customers and creating value. Programmers participating in the co-creation process shared their reflections:

“To provide more accurate feedback and data, we’ve built increasingly sophisticated systems, but this also lengthens error-handling times.”

Users, however, only see the disconnect between front-end and back-end processes, leading to misunderstandings about the company. Moving forward, Yunzhangfang plans to embed service design thinking into their work, ensuring smoother customer experiences and ultimately empowering their clients.  

 

Co-Creation: From Functional Teams to Collaborative Teams

During the co-creation workshops, cross-functional teams from Yunzhangfang collaborated to tackle real business challenges, including:

• Improving self-service rates among experienced customers
• Enhancing customer satisfaction during follow-ups
• Increasing customer conversion rates
• Improving the client onboarding experience
• Streamlining accounting and tax filing processes

Traditionally, Yunzhangfang operated with siloed, functional teams. Through this collaborative approach, team members recognized the need for an integrated, system-wide perspective to deliver seamless customer experiences across the entire journey. Participants shared that the co-creation workshops opened new avenues of thought and uncovered opportunities. Teams committed to iterating on service design practices in their daily work. Yunzhangfang CFO Zhang Xurui noted:

“We will keep the current project teams and continue to develop at least one co-created idea to completion.”

 

SaaS Success Lies in Service Design Thinking

  Through service design training, Yunzhangfang deeply understood the importance of user experience in product and service delivery. Products and services are not isolated—they coexist and reinforce each other. For B2B SaaS companies, the complexity of managing multiple stakeholders boils down to human-to-human (H2H) interactions. Service design prioritizes understanding human needs and emotions, making it uniquely suited to solving these challenges. In SaaS projects, service design not only helps companies meet business demands but also creates exceptional end-user experiences, enabling:

• Enhanced product competitiveness
• Broader business opportunities
• Greater agility in adapting to market changes

For all B2B enterprises, improving customer lifecycle service experiences is key to maintaining a competitive edge. Without service design thinking, even the best B2B products risk falling short. As a pioneer in financial and tax SaaS, Yunzhangfang is also a leader in applying service design. They have ignited the flame of innovation—now, they invite you to join them on this transformational journey.