Service as a software is the future of software. Alexander Puutio captured it perfectly in his Forbes article: SaaS is service in name, product in nature.
That single line explains why the old SaaS model is creaking. For too long, cloud software has meant renting tools on a subscription. Dashboards, workflows, reports. All still left for the client to manage. AI has now tipped the balance and the next wave is not about tools. It is about Service as a Service and delivering outcomes.
From Products to Outcomes
Businesses do not actually buy software. They buy the result that software is supposed to deliver.
- Sales leaders do not want another CRM. They want more sales.
- Finance teams do not want another dashboard. They want invoices processed accurately.
- HR does not want a learning management system. They want staff onboarded quickly.
In the SaaS era the billing model shifted but the work did not disappear. Clients still had to configure, train, manage and monitor. Now with AI, the product itself is becoming the wrapper. The outcome is the value. This is the heart of Service as a Service.
AskElie’s Service as a Software Model
That is why at askelie we built from day one with Service as Software in mind. Our platform is not designed to hand you another tool. It is designed to quietly deliver the outcomes that matter, end to end.
- intELIEdocs goes beyond document capture. It validates and posts invoices directly into finance systems, cutting manual handling out completely.
- askVERA does not just produce Easy Read templates. It guarantees accessibility by transforming complex documents into fully compliant Easy Read versions.
With each module, the software is there but invisible. The real value is the service it delivers. This is Service as a Software in practice askVERA
Why Service as a Service Matters Now
Boards and executives are not asking for more subscriptions. They are asking for risk reduced, compliance handled and ROI proven.
- Compliance delivered: Not another tick box tool, but actual evidence for auditors.
- Invoices processed: Not a partial workflow, but cash flow running cleanly.
- Accessibility guaranteed: Not templates, but assurance that obligations are met.
That is why AskElie gives a guaranteed ROI promise. If the outcome is not achieved, the product has not done its job. This is the fundamental shift to Service as a Software.
Agentic AI: The Invisible Service Layer
The real game changer is agentic AI. Instead of adding new systems, agentic AI delivers outcomes invisibly in the background.
- An agent triages your inbox without you opening a tool.
- Another agent qualifies leads, writes sales emails and pushes them out automatically.
- A finance agent extracts, validates and posts invoices straight into Intact or SAP.
The messy middle is gone. No dashboards. No endless admin. Just work done.
Puuto summed it up in Forbes: “Maybe, just maybe, Service as a Software will be the new SaaS simply because the outcomes are what customers have always wanted.”
The Fall of Product Led Growth
The SaaS playbook was simple. Build a product, scale ARR and lock clients into subscriptions. It worked when clients had no choice but to buy tools.
But the cracks are showing. Point solutions pile up. Interfaces become cluttered. Integration becomes costly.
Outcome led delivery flips the model. Instead of asking customers to manage complexity, platforms like AskElie erase it. Clients do not stay because of features. They stay because the job gets done, consistently and measurably. That is the promise of Service as a Software.
The askelie Difference
AskElie is not following the SaaS herd. We are already operating where the market is heading.
- Outcome driven: ROI guaranteed, not optional.
- Invisible service: The product is the wrapper. The real value is the service delivered.
- Agentic AI at the core: Agents do the work so humans do not have to.
That is the future of enterprise AI. Not more dashboards but fewer headaches. Not another subscription but measurable results.
Closing Thought on Service as a Software
SaaS changed how companies paid for software. AI is changing what they expect from it.
The pioneers will not be the ones selling another tool. They will be the ones delivering outcomes as a service. At askelie, that is exactly what we are building. Not just Service as a Service in name, but Service as a Software in reality.
Because the product might open the door, but only the outcome keeps it open.