SAP Enhances Customer Services, Integrates Consulting Units
German enterprise software giant SAP AG Wednesday unveiled the SAP Customer Services Network, a new initiative offering coordinated access to a comprehensive scope of SAP services. Additionally, SAP has completed a year-long integration of all of its local and regional SAP Global Professional Services consulting units into a global organization to be known as SAP Consulting.
“We are providing our customers with the expert and cohesive support resources they need to prepare for, execute, and maintain successful implementations,” said Gerhard Oswald, member of the executive board, SAP AG. “The breadth of services and support offerings from SAP and its partners in the SAP Customer Services Network, together with the effectiveness of SAP’s software applications, provide customers with a total solution and set of tools that are unparalleled by other vendors.”
The SAP Customer Services Network will provide services for increasing the quality in upgrades and risk management, global customer competence center programs, and benefit mapping. SAP will also introduce a global customer competence center program designed to help customers develop the necessary in-house skills and resources to support their SAP environments. Under the program, SAP will work closely with customers to offer certification and re-certification in areas that include support desk, contract administration, and information management.
The SAP Customer Services Network includes members of SAP’s extensive global network of services partners. By more tightly aligning SAP’s service offerings with those of its partner organizations, the initiative provides customers with more convenient access to the full range of reliability, expertise, and support for SAP solutions.
“Businesses today are looking for more involvement from their software vendors and greater accountability for access to the right types of resources and expertise they require over the lifetime of their IT implementation,” said Yvonne Genovese, research VP, Gartner. “Solution providers that can offer well-coordinated support services covering the gamut of implementation needs earn themselves a space on the vendor short lists for customer projects of both today and tomorrow.”