is the digital tool for customers and partners to easily interact with 麻豆原创 and get immediate guidance to the best solution. With this portal, users can access important alerts, metrics, and insights about their 麻豆原创 product portfolio from a single access point. The integration of Joule in 麻豆原创 for Me is not just a feature drop or a UX redesign. This is an inflection point in how customers access products, support, and self-service.聽

We are moving from a click-and-search portal to a conversational, agent-driven enterprise ecosystem. For users, this is an experiential shift with significant business outcomes. By taking over the tedious work of clicking, searching, parsing, and diagnosing, Joule helps free up IT administrators, consultants, and business leaders to focus on what truly matters: driving innovation and scaling their business.

鈥淭he successful launch of Joule in 麻豆原创 for Me is the result of strong collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to improving customer experience. It demonstrates how 麻豆原创 continues to turn its AI strategy into real, tangible value, delivering solutions that are not only powerful but also practical and user-centric.鈥�

Gerlinde Wallner, Organizational Change Manager and Coach, Strategy & Operations, 麻豆原创

What can users expect from this new unified, AI鈥憄owered entry to 麻豆原创 for Me?

• Effortless navigation across the portal
• Fast access to relevant information
• Advanced self-service with guided support
• Accelerated task execution without needing to know where to click

In their fast-paced business environments, users don鈥檛 have to search through complex menus or multiple touchpoints. Joule in 麻豆原创 for Me can simplify their path to support. They can simply ask, explore, and act to experience personalized, conversational access to support, self-service, and key tasks in 麻豆原创 for Me.

鈥淛oule is transforming 麻豆原创 support by making it more intuitive and intelligent. We can guide users conversationally to the right outcome鈥攏o searching, no guesswork鈥攁ccelerate self-service and task execution, and deliver context-aware, personalized support directly within 麻豆原创 for Me.鈥�

Corinne Reisert, VP, Customer Support Experience 麻豆原创 for Me, Global Customer Support, 麻豆原创

In addition to introducing Joule in 麻豆原创 for Me, 麻豆原创 takes advantage of AI-powered agentic case resolution, which brings AI agents into support workflows to help analyze new cases, detect duplicates, suggest routings, and draft responses. For select priority cases, AI agents can recommend replies, which helps reduce manual effort, improve triage accuracy, and shorten resolution timelines. This is available now to 麻豆原创 customers.For more information, see .

Joule in 麻豆原创 for Me is being rolled out in phases as of May 2026, at no extra cost to customers.

鈥淲ith 麻豆原创 runs 麻豆原创, we show our customers how we scale agents across the enterprise to deliver real outcomes. Joule in 麻豆原创 for Me exemplifies how conversational and agentic AI can fundamentally transform the way users operate and offer customers a simple and intuitive path to access 麻豆原创鈥檚 services and support.鈥�

Benjamin Blau, Chief Process & Information Officer, 麻豆原创

While Joule in 麻豆原创 for Me already helps deliver a simpler and more intuitive way to access information, support, and guided actions, this is just the starting point. As 麻豆原创 continues to advance its AI strategy, customers can look forward to new scenarios, expanded agent capabilities, and deeper integration across services and support processes. This launch establishes the foundation for a more conversational and autonomous customer experience, one that will continue to evolve as 麻豆原创 brings the next generation of AI-powered innovations to life.

Stefan Steinle is executive vice president and head of Global Customer Support at 麻豆原创.

Updated March 2, 2026

Usually in the cloud, 麻豆原创 partners provide implementation and operations services that complement 麻豆原创 cloud services. In such scenarios, partners utilize support services from 麻豆原创 on behalf of the joint customer. Typical scenarios include, for instance, requesting support for a technical issue by creating a support case with 麻豆原创 or leveraging 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM in an implementation project.

As partners regularly request support, 麻豆原创 closely collaborates with its partner ecosystem along all dimensions of support and equips partners with the tools, insights, and self-services they need to deliver consistent, high鈥憊alue services alongside 麻豆原创. This includes:

• Best practices for partners to self-sufficiently handle common consulting and 鈥渉ow-to鈥� questions from customers
• Data insights and dashboards, such as the customer insights dashboards and Support Collaboration Analytics (for partners) in 麻豆原创 for Me, to help monitor performance, identify trends, and proactively realize quality improvements
• Best practice guidance embedded in 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM with the opportunity for partners to enhance process content and methodologies represented in the solution
• Support Accreditation training that can guide partners to efficiently engage 麻豆原创 for support
• Enabling transparency on partner action on customer鈥檚 behalf through dedicated partner S-users

Partner selection based on trusted support expertise

Customers can now receive higher value from partners with trusted support expertise. Partners that have built strong capabilities for an effective support collaboration can accelerate project execution and reduce risks. For example:

• Partners that self-sufficiently address customers鈥� consulting and 鈥渉ow-to鈥� questions can resolve inquiries much faster, as it avoids involving 麻豆原创 in the process.
• Partners that use 麻豆原创 self-services or automatic responses to support inquiries as the default without creating redundant cases can minimize delays and disruptions.
• Partners that effectively follow 麻豆原创鈥檚 best practices, for example in 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM and the 麻豆原创 Activate methodology, can be better equipped to help mitigate project risks and escalations.

Customers are therefore encouraged to review partners鈥� support capabilities when selecting and working with partners. Effective partners apply 麻豆原创 support best practices to help resolve issues and self-sufficiently handle customers鈥� consulting and 鈥渉ow-to鈥� inquiries. As a target for showing trusted support expertise, no more than 30% of partner-created support cases should fall into these categories. High-performing partners will establish standard operating procedures and continuously optimize service delivery by leveraging 麻豆原创鈥檚 data-driven support insights. Such partners also engage more efficiently with customers and 麻豆原创 by speaking the same language because consultants are qualified on support offerings, channels, and best practices through the Support Accreditation training. They can also deliver best practice-based implementations by applying 麻豆原创 guidance available through 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM.

To simplify partner selection, also based on their trusted support expertise, 麻豆原创 will show such qualified partners in 麻豆原创 Partner Finder from March 2026 onwards.

As a prerequisite for showing such trusted support expertise, customers need to ensure their partners are working with partner S-users.

Customer action recommendations to realize incremental value when engaging partners

When seeking a partner, select those with trusted support expertise, visible from March 2026 onward in through a support proficiency designation.

When working with your partner, enable transparency by authorizing partner S-users for support case handling via the and leverage the in 麻豆原创 for Me for transparency on partner support collaboration effectiveness.

Jens Bernotat is head of Strategy, Portfolio, and Ecosystem Management for Global Customer Support at 麻豆原创.
Marcus Blaesi is head of Global Ecosystem Programs for Global Customer Support at 麻豆原创.

麻豆原创 for Me: tailored digital gateway

麻豆原创 for Me transcends the typical portal; it鈥檚 your customized digital gateway to holistic 麻豆原创 insights. Every aspect, from system landscapes to support services, is tailored to meet the distinct needs of your role and responsibilities.

麻豆原创 for Me is more than a portal 鈥� it鈥檚 your gateway to intelligent support.

Thomas Pfiester, member of the Extended Board of 麻豆原创 SE and head of Global Customer Engagement & Services

Customer insights dashboard: comprehensive 麻豆原创 viewfinder

Residing in 麻豆原创 for Me, the customer insights dashboard delivers a comprehensive, customizable view of your 麻豆原创 environment鈥攚hether you’re managing hybrid settings, tracking case trends, or preparing for contract renewals. It empowers users to:

• Obtain a 360掳 view across all 麻豆原创 engagements
• Analyze support data, product portfolios, renewals, and system landscapes
• Review historical support cases for quality, volume, and trends
• Leverage customizable filters and automated reporting for precise insights

This tool is designed to both report data and to transform it into actionable intelligence, enhancing leadership clarity and decision-making confidence.

What鈥檚 new: continuous enhancements

麻豆原创 is committed to continuously refining the customer insights dashboard to cater to evolving needs. Notable recent enhancements include:

• Benchmark capabilities through peer group comparison
• On-demand generation of detailed reports like support insights report and case overview report
• Increased visibility with partner case statistics and onboarding milestones

These updates are meticulously designed to deepen insights and streamline strategic processes. Additional planned updated include:

• Deeper engagement metrics from 麻豆原创 Enterprise Support Academy
• Advanced AI-driven insights for smarter, quicker decisions
• CPU consumption and memory consumption for private cloud: Access performance metrics for private cloud environments

Data without insight is noise. 麻豆原创 for Me turns it into action.

Anja Schneider, senior vice president and global head of Premium Engagement & Advisory at 麻豆原创

Accessing the dashboard

Starting with this powerful tool is straightforward via three ways:

• Use the direct link:
• Use the reporting icon:
  • Log into
  • Click on the reporting icon on the left menu bar
• Use the customer insight dashboard card:
  • Log into
  • Navigate to the Services & Support then Diagnostics, Reporting & Analytics
  • Click on the customer insights dashboard card

In all three cases, ensure your S-user ID is authorized to access the necessary features (get more information in ).

Why it matters

With comprehensive visibility, your approach shifts from reactive problem-solving to proactive strategic planning. The Customer Insights Dashboard equips you with the clarity to forecast and act effectively, supporting your role as a strategic leader within your organization.

When support is transparent, it鈥檚 not just reactive 鈥� it鈥檚 strategic.

Stefan Steinle, executive vice president and global head of Customer Support & Cloud Lifecycle Management at 麻豆原创

Turn insight into strategic action

For CIOs, IT administrators, and support leaders, the customer insights dashboard is more than a tool; it’s your strategic command center embedded within 麻豆原创 for Me. Experience how it turns insights into impactful actions today.

• 麻豆原创 for Me portal: Access the customer insights dashboard through the
• Getting started guide: Learn how to effectively use the dashboard with this
• Customer insights dashboard portal: All relevant information can be found in the

Check it out today and discover how insight becomes impact.

Oliver Huschke is vice president of External Engagements, Customer Support & Cloud Lifecycle Management at 麻豆原创.

Let鈥檚 explore how embracing customer insights transform good intentions into meaningful impact across .

Build relationships with customers, not attachments to products

Product teams pour enormous passion and effort into building innovative solutions. Yet the real impact comes when that same energy is focused not just on what we build, but how it is experienced.

A product can be packed with features and innovation, but none of that matters if the overall experience does not meet real user needs. That is why product experience eats product capabilities for breakfast.

From good intentions to real impact: outcome over output

Today, at 麻豆原创 we are in the fortunate position of having access to rich data that helps us understand:

• How customers use our software
• How they truly experience it
• What they actually need from 麻豆原创 Business Suite

Customer insights replace internal assumptions with the reality how end-users are interacting and using the different capabilities of our software. Instead of guessing what matters, we uncover it through data-driven discovery. Instead of building based on what we think is needed, we deliver what鈥檚 proven to create value.

This is how product managers evolve: from intuition-led decision-makers to data-driven strategists, designing solutions that align with real-world use 鈥� and with the business outcomes our customers care about.

Three layers of insight that drive better software

This insight-driven approach is grounded in real data that reflects how customers use and experience our software. To improve how software is built, introduced, and adopted, we focus on three essential types of product insight.

Together, these three layers give our teams the foundation of a holistic view — of both product performance and of the experience behind it. And that experience is often the difference between a product that is used and one that is valued. This understanding enables smarter decisions, faster iteration, and ultimately software that reflects and supports the way customers work.

Product 360: 麻豆原创 Business AI-powered one-stop insights hub

It is not only about collecting feedback; it鈥檚 about closing the loop, so every voice helps shape the product. And it’s about making sure our customers can see that we listen and understand what they really need.

Turning insights into action for product teams and customers

We are not just collecting this data for our product teams at 麻豆原创; we鈥檙e making it transparent and actionable for customers. Through 麻豆原创 for Me, customers can access dashboards that visualize and within their own portfolio, along with . For 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, they also receive from their end users, with more products to follow.

To turn these insights into real outcomes, we combine the power of and with in-app guidance tools like WalkMe solutions. This allows users to see where action is needed and to immediately take the right steps. From surfacing relevant KPIs to guiding users through change and process adoption, we are making enablement part of the flow of work.

By shifting our focus from what we build to how it鈥檚 experienced, we are not only improving software; we鈥檙e elevating the entire customer journey. Every insight, every piece of feedback, and every usage pattern brings us closer to delivering solutions that truly matter.

The more we understand how products are experienced, the better we can shape what comes next — for our customers, our teams, and the future of 麻豆原创 Business Suite. Because when we fall in love with our customers, not just the product, we create value that lasts and experiences that lead the way forward.

Florian Heretsch is senior vice president and global head of 麻豆原创 Product Experience.

ASP is an international membership organization for customer support managers and professionals and has held this title for over 20 years. 麻豆原创鈥檚 Customer Support & Cloud Lifecycle Management team and Corporate Processes & Information Technology (CPIT) teams are proud to get this honor for the second time, building on the 2018 ASP award win for the 麻豆原创 Support Portal.

This year鈥檚 evaluation criteria covered site user experience, content offering, content engagement and interaction, site improvement process, and site measurement process. Created to become a unified meeting point for information about administrative, commercial, and technical 麻豆原创 solutions, 麻豆原创 for Me implemented new features that focus on self-service and AI-enhanced search. The ASP award demonstrates the team effort to deliver these improvements for functional dashboards, user-friendly navigation, and an integrated portal for post-sale customer communication.

Four Questions to the Experts

Dr. Benjamin Blau, chief process & information officer and head of Corporate Processes & Information Technology, and Stefan Steinle, EVP and head of Customer Support, answered some questions related to the ASP award.

Q: What role did Corporate Processes & Information Technology play in achieving this award?

Blau: Let me start by giving a shout-out to our Corporate Processes & Information Technology teams for all their hard work in developing the amazing platform, 麻豆原创 for Me. By leveraging 麻豆原创’s own technology stack, we were able to enable seamless integration, high performance, and scalability. Through the fantastic collaborative effort between our IT and process teams and support functions, we were able to create a personalized and user-friendly experience that the judges recognized as industry leading. I am proud of what we were able to achieve together.

Q: The award is a great proof point in delighting customers. What do customers find most useful when seeking support from 麻豆原创 and what role does AI play in it?

Steinle: This award reconfirms the direction 麻豆原创 support is heading and our customers鈥� needs are the driving force behind. Customers value how predictive support, efficient self-service, and real-time channels can reduce the effort of resolving software issues. AI plays an important role in this. With the 麻豆原创 for Me site’s AI-powered self-service capabilities and search tools, we can provide efficient and personalized support. Customers can get targeted and relevant results that consider the user and product context. Moreover, AI also helps categorize issues, identify and recommend the best suited solutions through , and find the most appropriate interaction channel.

Q: How do you see the future of 麻豆原创 for Me evolving, and what role will 麻豆原创’s technology play in its continued success?

Blau: The future of 麻豆原创 for Me is incredibly bright! We’re thrilled about our plans to enhance key areas like contracts and billing, system management, reporting, and support. We’re also going to dive into emerging 麻豆原创 technologies such as AI-driven insights, machine learning, and predictive analytics to personalize and optimize the customer experience. Our goal is to help customers anticipate their needs, automate routine tasks, and gain greater insight into their 麻豆原创 landscape. By staying ahead in technology, we’re not just maintaining our leadership in customer support but also setting new industry benchmarks. We’re excited to continue improving and evolving to better serve our customers.

Q: The customer support experience is constantly being innovated. What can customers look forward to from 麻豆原创 support?

Steinle: To start, it would be evolving and growing personalization. We鈥檙e dedicated to strengthening predictive and preventative support, proactively identifying and anticipating potential issues. Customers can also expect our continued focus on bi-directional support, including real-time assistance. We鈥檒l continue to optimize our real-time support channels to help further reduce our customers’ effort to resolve software issues. We鈥檒l significantly increase the use of AI, particularly generative AI, to analyze and classify reported issues, enhance search results, and improve recommendations. We actively listen to customer feedback and continuously improve usability, supportability, and product quality. This helps ensure a smooth and effortless experience.

More Information

The constant innovations and leveraging AI for a further improved customer support experience and this recognition reconfirm 麻豆原创鈥檚 continued focus to bring out the best in every business. is one of the three key access points for customers, together with and . Read more about and .

Follow and and on LinkedIn.

Stefan Steinle, executive vice president and head of Customer Support, 麻豆原创 SE, shares more about how the Customer Support organization at 麻豆原创 is harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to help bring innovative improvements and deliver value to businesses.

Q: What are your views on the idea that businesses need to look beyond the customer to deliver outstanding customer support? 

A: Customer support is a differentiating factor in the success of any business, as it directly impacts customer satisfaction and in turn customer retention.  

While the primary role of customer support is to fix customer issues promptly and effectively, it is equally important to address the needs of support engineers. I would even go one step further and say that customer support is not just about customers. Yes, you heard that right. It may seem counterintuitive, but there鈥檚 another side to the story of retaining customers. The customer’s support experience and the engineer’s support efficiency are two sides of the same coin.

Support engineers are responsible for resolving complex issues and ensuring customer satisfaction. They are the first line of defense in protecting the company鈥檚 reputation. By investing in the well-being of support engineers, customer support can significantly elevate the customer support experience. 

Q: What constitutes a great support experience for customers? 

A: I can鈥檛 emphasize this enough: customers love self-help. They find satisfaction in testing workarounds, playing around with tips and tricks, and arriving at a solution without raising a ticket. What does this mean for us? It is our job to provide comprehensive 麻豆原创 Knowledge Base Articles, guided tutorials, and other self-service options. 

Next, we need to accept that customer preferences are diverse. Not everybody has the same choice when it comes to interacting with support teams. Some like tickets, some prefer live agents to bots, and some like talking on the phone. We address this by offering multichannel support. 

Time is always a huge factor in a customer鈥檚 support experience. Maybe the issue they are facing is a minor speedbump or a major showstopper. Our job is to get them back on track. This includes personalization and the sharing of engagement history across support channels, to help ensure the customer is not forced to repeat its complaint at every desk. 

There are many more, but if you asked me to pick one 鈥� I would think proactively addressing customers鈥� issues, even before they realize there is a problem, constitutes a great support experience.   

Q: What can improve support efficiency among support teams and engineers? 

A: Any business that takes pride in offering exceptional customer support would address three areas and ask the following questions to ensure that their support teams are fully empowered:  

• People: Are your teams well-trained? How is the culture? Are employees collaborating and sharing knowledge? Are your systems set up to spotlight engineers who handle complex tickets with high quality solutions? 
• Processes: How well do you minimize manual efforts and automate repetitive tasks? Do you have clear protocols and escalation paths?  
• Technology and infrastructure: How robust is your ITSM system in managing and tracking customer queries? What productivity improvements have you implemented?  

Q: How has 麻豆原创 elevated support experiences among customers?  

A: While we are invested in fine-tuning our Customer Support systems and processes regularly across multiple criteria, I would like to focus on our AI-powered solutions. 

When it comes to elevating support experiences among customers, our efforts are toward providing a smooth journey 鈥� right from when they encounter a problem down to its successful resolution. 

Those familiar with 麻豆原创 systems know that our products are mapped to product functions, which you select when you create a new ticket. Now with AI, the system can predict the product function related to your case, and you can have the option to narrow your selection down very quickly. The system can also automatically suggest products when you try to select a product in the case creation form in 麻豆原创 for Me. Similarly, the system can automatically route your ticket to the right queue by suggesting application components sorted by relevance for your new case. 

Another valuable AI-powered service is customer solution matching, where the system displays solutions provided to other customers that match your customer profile. With Incident Solution Matching, the system provides suggestions in the side panel of the get support app on 麻豆原创 for Me. You can also see the top content suggestions related to your issue description. Our predictors and categorization machine learning models help enhance Incident Solution Matching recommendations by providing the correct contexts for a given issue description. 

麻豆原创 for Me helps bring together important alerts, metrics, and insights about your 麻豆原创 product portfolio with a single access point. Built-In Support can embed the support experience into the product experience, offering context-aware guidance integrated into the user interface of cloud solutions from 麻豆原创. 

At the end of the day, all of these translate to a smooth and effortless experience for end users trying to log a support request. 

Q: How has 麻豆原创 improved support efficiency among support teams and engineers? 

A: When it comes to improving the efficiency of support engineers, we lean on minimizing tedious, manual efforts and automating what can be automated. 

For example, with the expert finder, engineers can view a list of relevant experts who can handle the topic best. When intelligent swarming is applicable, the system can sort relevant swarming areas and experts by relevance, considering historical data. Given a case assigned to a category, the system can propose the most granular application component to which the ticket can be assigned. 

Support engineers can view top 麻豆原创 Notes and 麻豆原创 Knowledge Base Articles matching the topic of the issues they’re handling. The system can detect outbreaks by matching a case with other cases where the same issue was reported. The system can also predict outbreaks by reviewing customers with similar profiles.

Other services include automatic translation, communication assistants, text extractors, channel recommenders, and solution recommenders. These are just a few examples of how AI is making the day-to-day of a support engineer a little bit better. And 麻豆原创 is fully on board to explore exciting options in this area. For a detailed showcase of our AI-powered solutions, check out . 

Renuka Abraham is part of Customer Support at 麻豆原创.

麻豆原创 for Me provides a central access point to solution support. The portal offers a user-friendly interface with improved functionalities that can enable better and faster interaction with 麻豆原创 support experts and can provide immediate guidance to solutions for daily business tasks. It aims to make detached information a thing of the past on the customer and partner journey to an intelligent enterprise.  

Since November 6, 2023, an English-language experience has been available for customers and partners to begin their exploration before the migration. And as of today, 麻豆原创 Ariba and 麻豆原创 Business Network knowledge-related content on 麻豆原创 for Me is available in over 20 languages. 

麻豆原创 for Me provides an integrated and comprehensive platform to help meet the diverse needs of its users. The Services & Support dashboard features an 麻豆原创 Ariba card that helps direct users to multiple resources on the legacy 麻豆原创 Ariba Connect , including 麻豆原创 Ariba and 麻豆原创 Business Network release readiness information, product documentation, announcements, and specific content related to adoption and deployment.聽聽

When getting started with 麻豆原创 for Me, know that:

• 麻豆原创 Ariba Connect S-user authorizations are automatically carried over to 麻豆原创 for Me 鈥� no additional access authorization is needed to use 麻豆原创 for Me. 
• The portal gives access to personalized content in the most used languages 鈥� English, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. 
• 麻豆原创 for Me offers intuitive cards that categorize and bucket information for your convenience. Support-relevant cards are mainly located in the Services & Support and Systems & Provisioning dashboards.  
• The availability, maintenance, and subscriptions for 麻豆原创 Ariba solutions and 麻豆原创 Business Network can be found in the availability section of Systems & Provisioning.
• You can get a holistic view of licenses, orders, and consumption status.
• 麻豆原创 for Me is also available on mobile devices. The mobile app will be enhanced with additional features and the ability to create and manage a new case.
• The get support application is your primary touchpoint with support.

Get Support, Easier and Faster 

The get support application helps guide customers through technical product issues in real time or reaching 麻豆原创 experts through an AI-enabled framework. It can provide an integrated and personalized support experience to help simplify and streamline the case creation process. AI can automatically recommend solutions during the interaction, predict the right product categorization, and recommend the most suitable support channel, like Expert Chat, 麻豆原创 Community, or Ask an Expert Peer, when available for the selected product.  

Access 麻豆原创 Support on the Go 

With the 麻豆原创 for Me mobile app, support interaction can be possible anywhere and anytime to complete tasks and access information directly on a smartphone. The mobile app can be downloaded from the Apple Store and Google Play Store. 

In conclusion, 麻豆原创 for Me puts customer and partner interests into focus. While partners can manage their pipeline and customer success, the portal also serves as the central entry point for all support-related topics and questions for customers. It allows access to relevant information, self-services, and consumption status connected to any purchased product portfolio.  

The 麻豆原创 for Me migration for 麻豆原创 Ariba solutions and 麻豆原创 Business Network is a significant milestone as we tap into the next generation of AI opportunities to create an effective experience for our customers while delivering a seamless consistency in the look, feel, and delivery of critical support services.

麻豆原创 for Me is made for you. Follow 麻豆原创 for Me on LinkedIn and bookmark 麻豆原创 for Me on 麻豆原创 Community to stay updated.

Rohan Patel is global head of Support for 麻豆原创 Procurement.

鈥淐ustomers undergo a cloud transformation because they want to accelerate their time to realize business value and they want to take advantage of innovations faster,鈥� says Rohan Patel, global vice president, Customer Support and Innovation, Product Support 鈥� Procurement, 麻豆原创. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what helps them maintain a competitive edge. And they want to do this while decreasing overall cost and minimizing risk.鈥�

This is where from 麻豆原创 can add real value. In this conversation, Patel gives insight into how 麻豆原创 support can benefit procurement customers.

Q: How are you supporting procurement customers on their journey to the cloud?

A: Support in the old, on-premise world is what I like to call 鈥榖reak-fix鈥� support. When something failed, the IT department submitted a ticket for support, the problem was fixed, and communication ended until another issue arose. Being a break-fix support provider doesn鈥檛 work in the cloud environment. Support requires speed and foresight. Support today identifies problems and optimizes products before customers even notice something鈥檚 not working as it should.

麻豆原创鈥檚 strategy is predictive and proactive. We want continuous dialogue with customers to provide insights and guidance that are a value-add so we鈥檙e there long before something breaks. Success in the cloud requires adoption outside of the traditional IT environment. Business end users and lines of business, like procurement, supply chain, and HR, expect easy-to-use support portals that are intuitive and quickly anticipate user needs.

Can you share some examples of how 麻豆原创 is using data to enhance predictive support?

The tools we use not only help us deliver a great experience to our customers, they also continue to improve the 麻豆原创 solution itself. Consider the cloud health monitoring tools within , our application lifecycle management solution that helps streamline the way our customers implement and operate their cloud and hybrid environments across the entire business.

These tools can analyze what鈥檚 happening at the customer experience layer 鈥� for example, how long it takes a specific page to load, how long a user needs to complete a task, and any delays that could frustrate users, hinder adoption, and slow business outcomes. We act proactively at the engineering and cloud operations layer to help continuously improve that user experience.

We also use knowledge and data to improve the support experience, such as with , which has millions of active trading partners. This business-to-business network of companies connecting, transacting, and partnering with numerous shared processes and information expands the 麻豆原创 footprint well beyond the four walls of traditional operations.

Equally important is that our consumers today aren鈥檛 just IT support users, but rather work in departments throughout the clients鈥� operations. We鈥檝e taken steps to help meet the needs of all those different user types. We can provide quick, easy-to-understand guidance and answers to their questions using intuitive, personalized, and real-time channels driven by both humans and artificial intelligence (AI). This recommendation engine can provide guided answers based on who the users are, what they鈥檙e doing in the application, or what questions they ask. Users can quickly get useful and relevant content for answering their questions. The data from those guided-answer experiences is then fed into the product road map to help make the entire user experience more optimal and eliminate problems before they happen.

What have procurement customers seen in 2023 from 麻豆原创 support?

Our procurement coverage in 2023 hits two themes: harmonization and Real-Time Support. Let me begin with the harmonization perspective. We鈥檙e taking significant steps to create a customer support experience that鈥檚 consistent across all 麻豆原创 solutions 鈥� most notably a single entry point to 麻豆原创 support with . 麻豆原创 Fieldglass solutions went live on 麻豆原创 for Me case management in March 2023, and 麻豆原创 Ariba solutions and 麻豆原创 Business Network will soon follow. The 麻豆原创 for Me portal can give users the information and answers they need, specific to the solution they鈥檙e using. Earlier this year, procurement support went live on , where our business and IT users can access blog posts, tips, and connect with experts. Even customers and partners can provide an additional layer of insights and guidance, especially to a specific industry.

This year we have been working to bring our Real-Time Support concept to reality for procurement. When I talk about Real-Time Support, I mean support that is always on, continuously evolves, and adapts to customer needs. This can be direct access to support experts for business-critical processes when and where customers need it. It鈥檚 the live support channels such as , Ask an Expert Peer, context-sensitive help, , and AI-driven self-service access to a vast knowledge base and user community.

What do you see in the future of support for procurement?

I envision a day when customers don鈥檛 need to see or hear from us because we鈥檙e already working behind the scenes to give our customers a seamless, reliable, and delightful experience. The ultimate vision is preventative support with the help of AI and machine learning 鈥� in other words, self-healing IT systems.

Of course, there will always be times when customers need us. In those times, 麻豆原创 is prepared to offer as simple of a support experience as possible, such as with and direct access to experts or a quick call to solve an issue the moment it occurs. We also continuously look to disrupt ourselves by using new technologies such as ChatGPT to enable self-help or self-guidance and provide the best possible customer experience.

What sets the 麻豆原创 support experience apart in the industry?

麻豆原创 mindfully takes steps that help give customers the best support experience possible. We can provide a cohesive array of support channels, self-service tools, and cloud health and integration monitoring. Even with these successes in hand, 麻豆原创 will continuously push the boundaries of customer support with new innovations, help ensure support interactions are delightful, and offer Real-Time Support that can bring ambition to life.

Follow Rohan Patel on .

Regina Postman is part of Customer Support and Innovation Communications at 麻豆原创.

鈥淚n the past, users first selected the communication channel to raise a case before describing their issue. This was not always the most efficient way to solve their issues,鈥� states John Bowley, product manager, 麻豆原创 for Me Support Applications. 鈥淭o better direct the case to the supporting organization, it makes more sense to have customers first describe their issue and then be recommended the communication channel that would help solve it quickly.鈥�

In this interview, Bowley gives more insight into how the latest usage improvement of 麻豆原创 for Me is doing just that.

Q: What has been improved within 麻豆原创 for Me?

A: Our focus is to continuously find ways to minimize customer effort when contacting 麻豆原创 for help and that customers can quickly get the support they need. One important milestone is to simplify and streamline the end-to-end case creation and management process. 麻豆原创 users can now engage with 麻豆原创 support through the new application in and its use of artificial intelligence (AI). The focus is to provide suggestions, such as how to fill in values on the screen or how to best contact 麻豆原创 for help and support. AI helps predict all these values based on the system that鈥檚 been selected.

This new flow means we鈥檝e altered the order of how we route a support issue to the most appropriate place for quick answering. AI analyzes the information received and then gives the customer suggested values for the product information and product function. This means the customer鈥檚 issue is narrowed down to which product it relates to and then within what area of the product the issue is actually occurring. AI also suggests how the connection to 麻豆原创 support should best be made and to which channel 鈥� whether that鈥檚 , , or maybe opening a question in . This is what we call the channel recommender. The issue is then routed to the correct support engineer or team of support engineers.

What type of simplification does the get support application provide?

We鈥檝e rearranged the accessibility to existing Real-Time Support channels. On the previous platform, 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad, customers were first asked to choose the support channel before describing the issue. For instance, the customer might have decided to do an Expert Chat and then started to describe the issue. What sometimes happened was the customer changed their mind, got pulled away, or any other circumstance. This caused a delay or break in the momentum of solving their issue.

The new get support application first asks customers to describe their issue. The system then recommends the best channel to take. Customers can choose to use this channel or decide that another channel may be a better fit.

In the future of get support there will be enhancements to help drive the AI to provide better and clearer support or assistance to customers. Our ongoing focus is to reduce customer effort and provide them with the information they need.

How does the get support application within 麻豆原创 for Me relate to Built-In Support?

Both the get support application and work in harmony with each other. Customers can create a support case within Built-In Support and they will also see it listed in 麻豆原创 for Me. The same for the reverse as well. The convenience of Built-In Support is to be able to post an issue from directly inside the application in use. Alternatively, there may be times where an issue may need to be raised or a question asked outside of Built-In Support; 麻豆原创 for Me would be ideal then.

Customers working within 麻豆原创 for Me will see the convenience of first telling us their issue and then being recommended the best channel to get it resolved. There are offered regularly to introduce customers to the get support application on 麻豆原创 for Me.

Regina Postman is part of Customer Support and Innovation Communications at 麻豆原创.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important we provide customers with a true feeling of being supported on their journey,鈥� states , senior vice president and global head of Product Support, 麻豆原创 Concur. 鈥淟ive interactions between our customers and our support engineers not only get cases solved faster, but they also work to build better relationships and understanding of how customers use our 麻豆原创 solutions.鈥�

In this interview, Vollan provides insight into the live, Real-Time Support interactions customers should tap into.

Q: When would Real-Time Support make sense for customers and 麻豆原创?

A: Most support-related questions can be more effectively resolved through . Whether customers have an urgent issue or even an easier, quick question, Real-Time Support can give customers an opportunity to reach out to 麻豆原创 in real time, right in the moment needed, or later through a portal case, depending on what is most convenient for them. Real-Time Support can be especially useful for very urgent issues. In those instances, customers might feel the need to connect with a person on the other end through a live support channel to make sure their issue is heard and acted on right then.

Let鈥檚 take a priority one issue, for example. The customer might have anxiety around when they鈥檒l hear from somebody. With Real-Time Support and its live channels, they can reach out to an 麻豆原创 support engineer immediately. Whether in or by using the service for some solution areas, these real-time channels can give customers the comfort in knowing they鈥檙e being helped quickly. This direct interaction can avoid the back-and-forth that is common in a portal case interaction. When you have a chat or a phone call, you can get to the heart of the matter a lot more quickly. This applies to any support-related issue.

What鈥檚 so special about Real-Time Support?

In our live support channels, the issue might get resolved immediately if the support engineer can see what鈥檚 going on through a screen share while speaking with the customer. This form of interaction helps build empathy between the customer and support engineer. The customer can feel and hear that we really care. The customer is at the heart of 麻豆原创 support. Our focus is to build up the connection through such conversations. It helps build loyalty and trust with the customer.

One of the most important things to customers is time. It鈥檚 essential for the support engineer to quickly understand the issue with as little effort as possible from our customers.

There are different ways customers can have that Real-Time Support experience. Could you touch on a few of those?

Yes, absolutely. The Expert Chat service can be extremely powerful. It can be very quick to access a support engineer live. Should the issue turn out to be very complex, the support engineer can create a case to pull in another team, if needed. Customers can also schedule a set time to connect live with a support engineer at their convenience.

麻豆原创 support is also investing in technology that will anticipate customer needs before they ask. Within the tool, when we notice customers are having problems, we鈥檒l be able to suggest knowledge content from within the product to help. Our ambition is to proactively notify customers before they notice an issue.

Finally, we also have another way for customers to find an answer very quickly on their own, without needing to connect with a support engineer: our self-service engagement, which is also part of Real-Time Support. We鈥檙e investing to make searches engaging, contextual, and relevant through our knowledge enablement platform and search engine in 麻豆原创 for Me. Its underlying technology uses analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to help make the experience for customers personal. When they do a search, it should contain the answer they鈥檙e looking for within the first three to five results.

Why do you feel this Real-Time Support interaction is so important?

Three words come to mind: easier, faster, and personal.

It鈥檚 easier: customers can get most of their concerns resolved with less effort, and reducing customer effort is one of our top priorities.

It鈥檚 faster: customers can see a more rapid resolution or response time for most of their concerns, especially on urgent or critical issues.

It鈥檚 personal: customers can speak with a support engineer to discuss and explore issues. Conversation creates better context and understanding, both of which are particularly useful when issues are complex.

Real-Time Support helps customers and support engineers quickly find out what the issue is and what the impact and the urgency of the issue are.

What should customers remember about Real-Time Support?

Customers have many ways to interact with 麻豆原创 support in real time and support is always available 24/7. We offer relevant, contextual, personalized support though our knowledge base and Built-In Support to help speed case resolution for many issues. For complex issues, having opportunities for customers and our support engineers to interact in real time is the best way to build a connection and to resolve an issue. Holding a real conversation about an issue often leads to a much faster and better understanding of the challenges customers are facing. This can all lead to shorter resolution times.  

If we can give customers a positive experience with us every single time, show them we care about their issues, and do our best to resolve them, that can make a huge difference. Real-Time Support can give that great experience. Support is, at its heart, a people business.

Regina Postman is part of Customer Support and Innovation Communications at 麻豆原创.

鈥淎s part of the evolution in providing customers an even better 麻豆原创 experience, 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad is now fully part of the 麻豆原创 for Me portal,鈥� says Peter Kappelmann, 麻豆原创 for Me product manager. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited that customers can get even better insights into their 麻豆原创 product portfolio from within 麻豆原创 for Me,鈥� adds Anna Withum, 麻豆原创 for Me customer collaboration manager.

In this interview, Kappelmann and Withum give more details on what the replacement of 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad means for customers.

Q: What鈥檚 the major difference between the old and new portal?

Kappelmann: 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad was the single entry-point for the services and support world. Its main target audience was system administrators with a technical focus. With more and more applications being offered in the cloud, we鈥檙e also serving new target groups: the end users.

For some years now, has been reaching the end users. Thus, now was the right time to enhance the scope of 麻豆原创 for Me to also cover what鈥檚 been known in 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad. 麻豆原创 for Me is designed to provide a holistic view of the customer鈥檚 麻豆原创 landscape, from products, orders, and licenses to provisioning, maintenance, and optimization. It made perfect sense to now include the support-related tools. Everything that was offered in the launchpad continues to be available in 麻豆原创 for Me. We have expanded the coverage for the needs of the end users. In 麻豆原创 for Me, we offer so-called dashboards that can give both technical and non-technical users the details they need. One dashboard is labeled 鈥�.鈥�

The newly developed tools on 麻豆原创 for Me make use of artificial intelligence (AI) features, which can simplify the user鈥檚 interaction with 麻豆原创. Examples include the support knowledge search or the channel recommender in the .

How were customers involved along this journey?

Withum: We already had a good relationship with our pilot group that was established on 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad. From the very beginning we involved customers in the move to 麻豆原创 for Me. They received early prototypes and beta features to give us direct feedback on usability.

We had 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad and 麻豆原创 for Me running at the same time. This gave us the opportunity to gather early insights and get feedback from the beginning. It also enabled us to tweak a few details and further improve the overall experience. Customers were at our side during the development, so we could build out the 麻豆原创 for Me portal together. They felt involved and heard.

Program participants helped define important aspects of 麻豆原创 for Me, such as the first-visit experience, navigation search, integration of applications, and more. Their insights helped us identify any shortcomings and design the final product. They also revealed potential deficits in the early stages, when they could be easily corrected. This type of collaboration will be extended and built upon in future projects.

What was key to the success of this large-scale migration?

Kappelmann: As mentioned, customer involvement was our key component in the migration. Not only were we building something new for our support customers, this was also new for 麻豆原创. We combined the service and support world, which included a lot of tools, Web sites, and services to offer our customers.

The key ingredient to success was considering the needs of the great number of users who would be touched by the move. For many customers, 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad was their daily work environment. Having the launchpad and 麻豆原创 for Me run in parallel helped them get used to the new environment at their own pace. This also helped ensure the necessary acceptance.

What can customers look forward to in the future?

Withum: We will transition more and more 麻豆原创 line-of-business customer portals to 麻豆原创 for Me. The portal reduction will help simplify operation complexity and associated costs. More importantly, it will improve our customers鈥� user experience by replacing fragmented Web site landscapes with a central entry point across all 麻豆原创 solutions.

As it could get a bit overwhelming when a lot of services and tools are offered in one place, these will be enriched with new self-services and artificial intelligence. Add on top of that the diverse focus of users, and personalization and intuitive customization features will help the users see what鈥檚 really important for them. The addition of new self-service scenarios will help make transactions and the interaction with 麻豆原创 for Me more efficient and less time-consuming.

How can one get started with 麻豆原创 for Me?

Kappelmann: Explore and try out . Join our regular or quarterly rollout sessions where we share the latest news, features, and upcoming releases. 麻豆原创 for Me also has a vast knowledge library of information that fits each user鈥檚 level of need.

Regina Postman is part of Customer Support and Innovation Communications at 麻豆原创.

As one important milestone in this transition, 麻豆原创 is now migrating 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad to 麻豆原创 for Me as the new, personalized central entry point for 麻豆原创 support. As of April 22, 2023, users are being redirected to 麻豆原创 for Me. To help ensure a smooth transition, both portals will continue to run in parallel over the next weeks. After June 29, 2023, customers and partners will automatically be redirected to 麻豆原创 for Me without any further prompts, and consequently 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad will be dissolved.

麻豆原创 for Me offers a new, user-friendly interface with improved functionalities. It enables interaction with 麻豆原创 support experts and can provide immediate guidance to the best solutions for daily business tasks. It aims to make detached information a thing of the past on the customer journey to an intelligent enterprise. 麻豆原创 for Me will become the central digital touchpoint for all 麻豆原创 solutions.

Consolidating Multiple Portals into One Central Place

麻豆原创 for Me helps streamline access to 麻豆原创 support and aggregates alerts, self-services, and metrics for full transparency and a comprehensive end-to-end view of the individual 麻豆原创 product portfolio. The new portal helps integrate multiple touchpoints and harmonize the tool landscape within 麻豆原创.

All applications and support-related tasks known from 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad are available in 麻豆原创 for Me 鈥� making 麻豆原创 for Me the digital companion to engage with 麻豆原创 support. Customers and partners can get immediate valuable guidance and recommendations through a variety of 麻豆原创 resources.

What to Know When Starting with 麻豆原创 for Me

• Launchpad S-user authorizations are automatically carried over to 麻豆原创 for Me 鈥� no additional access authorization is needed to use 麻豆原创 for Me.
• The portal gives access to personalized content in one of the most-used languages 鈥� whether English, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, French, Portuguese, or Spanish.
• What used to be called a 鈥榯ile鈥� in 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad to perform support-related tasks or applications is now called 鈥榗ard鈥� in 麻豆原创 for Me and has more detailed information at your convenience. Support-relevant 鈥榗ards鈥� are mainly located in 鈥楽ervices & Support鈥� and 鈥楽ystems & Provisioning鈥� dashboards. More information about what went where can be found on this .
• 麻豆原创 for Me capabilities come in various flavors, including newly developed, fully integrated applications, cards with key performance indicators or charts, fast access cards, and link lists. Further evolvements will continue to be made over time.
• With the migration of 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad to 麻豆原创 for Me, the terminology will be changed from 鈥榠ncident鈥� to 鈥樷�� to follow the Information Technology Infrastructure Library. To make the transition easy for customers and partners, the search functionality will still find the correct applications with the former name.

Leverage Support in the Most Efficient and Guided Way Using the Brand-New 鈥楪et Support鈥� Application

Customers and partners benefit from the newly developed 鈥楪et Support鈥� application. This feature provides a step-by-step guided support experience and is replacing what was formerly known as 鈥業ncident Wizard/Form鈥� in 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad. Artificial intelligence (AI) is leveraged to help predict the right product categorization and recommend the most suitable support channel to help resolve your technical issues quickly and effortlessly 鈥� whether through Expert Chat, Schedule an Expert, Ask an Expert Peer, 麻豆原创 Community, or 鈥榗ase,鈥� formerly known as 鈥榠ncident.鈥� It represents a central access point to previously detached applications.

Take a moment to learn more details and watch a demo about the 麻豆原创 for Me portal and the new 鈥楪et Support鈥� functionality. Join one of the upcoming live in Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, or Spanish.

Access 麻豆原创 Support on the Go

With the 麻豆原创 for Me mobile app, support interaction is possible anywhere and anytime to complete tasks and access information directly on a smartphone. The mobile app can be downloaded from the Apple Store and Google Play Store.

In conclusion, 麻豆原创 for Me puts customer and partner interests into focus. While partners can manage their pipeline and customer success, the portal also serves as the central entry point for all support-related topics and questions for customers. It allows access to relevant information, self-services, and consumption status connected to any purchased product portfolio. Enjoy your journey with your digital companion today!

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Jasmin Baus is part of Customer Support and Innovation Communications at 麻豆原创.

鈥淭he support industry has been severely disrupted over the past decade, but much, much more in just the last few years since the pandemic started,鈥� stated Mohammed Ajouz, senior vice president and global head of at 麻豆原创. 鈥淲e have experienced more change in the last two years than we’ve had probably in two decades. We have watched support go from an afterthought to top of mind for CIOs, as they have seen how vulnerable their business could be with unforeseen or unpredicted crises.鈥�

The need to transform is further accelerated by the abundant availability of new technologies 鈥� such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, Big Data, in-memory computing, and hyperconnectivity, to name just a few. All these changes also have an impact on customer support. Having an outdated support model is no longer an option. In this interview, Ajouz describes why it鈥檚 key to give immediate support, why it鈥檚 important to predict potential issues before they could occur, and why an enterprise support organization needs to be more proactive in providing bidirectional support.

Q: Why is Real-Time Support valuable for customers?

A: Let me first provide some context around the disruption in the support industry. Technology is more complex and integrated. In the past, customers used to have a single mission-critical application. Today, most processes are mission critical and everything needs to be made available around the clock. What was once considered a luxury 鈥� such as offering 24×7 support 鈥� is now an expectation and customers are demanding their vendors take more responsibility for delivering business outcomes.

Customers today have much higher expectations of support, especially when it comes to real-time. Because expectations have changed so dramatically, creating a support case and waiting one or two days for a response is no longer an option. This is why 麻豆原创 created and fine-tuned with the basic objective of being available when the customer needs us most. That, in its simplest form, is the premise of what we鈥檙e doing with Real-Time Support.

Why is it important to strike the right balance between proactive and preventative versus real-time?

When a customer faces a problem, they expect 麻豆原创 to be there for them. Whether it鈥檚 through or , customers are working with the same pool of experts that typically process their cases. But we鈥檙e taking this one step further. What if we contacted customers before they even became aware of their problem? We are not only there in real time, but we are also pivoting from reactive support models to predictive and proactive support. The true value of those services lies in our ability to predict and solve customer problems before they cause any business interruption. This is the evolution of our Real-Time Support approach toward delivering better business outcomes.

We can tap into our vast repositories of information to analyze and understand the trends and patterns behind our customers鈥� system and software usage and drive differentiated customer experiences. The vast amounts of data about customer behavior and preferences previously collected but not effectively utilized is the foundation of our . The power behind the data lake, powered with AI, is our ability to incorporate this information into highly personalized customer experiences and learn from the past to predict the future. With access to this valuable knowledge, we will transform the support experience into one where support prevents an issue from becoming a business-impacting event.

Being proactive and preventative is our ultimate vision with Real-Time Support: not only to be there when you need us, but to be there before you even know you need us.

What will be the long-term impact of investing in real-time channels and in proactive, preventative support?

We expect our investments in Real-Time Support to improve our ability to better support the needs of our customers. Many market and industry studies have shown a direct correlation between customer loyalty and customer effort. As we reduce the amount of effort a customer experiences, the more loyal that customer is going to be. This relates to the as described by Gartner. This balance between effort and value becomes more critical with cloud customers. The reason? Cloud customers, unlike traditional IT departments, are business users and end users. We have simplified the interaction and made it easier and simpler for them to interact with support.

In the days of on-premise software, we communicated with IT power users who understood the technology and complications behind it. Those power users knew that a support case could take a few days to resolve. Our cloud customers鈥� expectations are significantly different and, as a result, our services have evolved to cater for these needs in the cloud. This is why Real-Time Support is so critical. It increases the value of solutions by lowering cloud customer effort to obtain them.

The premise of predictive and preventative support is a reduction in customer effort. And if there isn鈥檛 a problem because we resolved it ahead of time, that is the ultimate effortless experience we strive to deliver to our customers. Value and effort are directly correlated: more effort means less value, less effort means more value.

What are some recent enhancements of Real-Time Support?

Adding to the existing portfolio of Real-Time Support channels, we recently introduced . This service is supported by certified, external peers. This is ideal for asking non-critical questions and getting insights from experts outside of 麻豆原创. We initially started with 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions and recently expanded it to include some of our core enterprise resource planning (ERP) and 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform products. We are seeing a lot of momentum building among our customers.

Another enhancement is with . It has been expanded to also include medium-priority tickets for those times where customers need to speak with a manager. And finally, with our migration from our to 鈥�,鈥� the new single-entry point to 麻豆原创 support, the support case creation process can be much easier and powered by cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. This helps reduce the effort of our customers and ultimately provides them with an almost effortless experience.

Can you give us a sneak peek of what we can expect in the future of Real-Time Support?

Let me come back to the point that cloud customers expect a simpler, faster, and effortless experience in interacting with support. One of the key initiatives we鈥檙e working on is with . The basis of Built-In Support is to bring the entire support experience customers know from 麻豆原创 Support Portal or 麻豆原创 ONE Support Launchpad directly into the product. Rather than going to a portal to log a support case, query an existing case, initiate a chat, or search our knowledge base, we鈥檙e putting the power and full functionality of 麻豆原创 support within the product and at the customers鈥� fingertips.

Another aspect of our Real-Time Support approach is the move from the traditional unidirectional support 鈥� of customers reaching out to us when they need us 鈥� to bidirectional support. Not only can we communicate directly with customers, we can give them timely and relevant information about product issues or alerts, upcoming releases, product trainings, or any other information that enhances their experience with support at 麻豆原创. All this information would be relevant to the customer鈥檚 platform, product, or version and curated specifically to their personas. This is how we see 麻豆原创 support in the future: bidirectional, predictive, and effortless.

Follow Mohammed Ajouz on and .
Regina Postman is part of Customer Solution Support and Innovation Communications at 麻豆原创.

Let me describe three big examples of innovation developed to make your lives easier: continuous updates that are no longer disruptive to the business; artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning that produce more precise search results; and real-time support at your fingertips that is built into your application.

Continuous Updates That Are No Longer Disruptive

System updates are important as they provide new or improved functionality, enhance stability and security, and enrich the user experience. However, what鈥檚 been a challenge in the past for on-premise software is the downtime, test efforts, and spike in system issues that often followed a bigger release cycle. For cloud solutions, you should 鈥� and already can 鈥� expect ready-to-use, manageable updates with minimum disruption.

With the , our application lifecycle management platform developed on 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 BTP), we solved that issue by introducing 鈥渄eploy with confidence鈥� as a new way of how we develop this solution. Deploy with confidence works to increase developer productivity and helps ensure high quality while delivering daily system updates. From a technical side, it incorporates many development tools to help automate the daily deliveries of multi-microservice software-as-a-service applications like 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM.

All this allows us to provide regular feature updates to 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM with daily deployment and enables a robust lifecycle without disruption or downtime. Additionally, as our teams are in continuous exchange with customers using 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM, we can quickly bring their feedback into the solution to further improve our software quality. Introducing deploy with confidence as the development method for 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM is a great example where we as a team leveraged innovation to increase productivity and quality while at the same time lifting customer experience to a whole new level.

AI and Machine Learning: More Precise Search Results

Continuous updates are one thing. What about using technology to get answers faster? With companies working in a faster-paced digital world, making decisions and finding answers also need to move faster. This is also the case when business processes aren鈥檛 running as expected.

Think about yourself and if you are someone who prefers to find answers on your own and not wait on support to respond. You鈥檒l be happy to know we have various ways to help you find the right answer. When you search in or 鈥�,鈥� you can get an increasingly personalized search experience that considers the topics most relevant for you. As this applies machine learning to improve search relevance and we are continually optimizing our knowledge base for better discoverability, you鈥檙e more likely to get the needed answer instantaneously 鈥� listed as a proposed solution within the first bunch of search results.

When you actually contact 麻豆原创 support directly, your request and all of its context, such as system and product information, text input, and soon even attachment data, are evaluated in real time by a highly optimized, AI-powered algorithm to provide you with precise solution recommendations. This Incident Solution Matching algorithm helps to make sure you are shown the best available solutions even before you send a ticket to 麻豆原创 or start an Expert Chat session. This helps reduce your effort to solve the problem.

Real-Time Support and Answers at Your Fingertips

It鈥檚 definitely an advantage to tap into modern technology for finding the answers you need. How about the convenience behind it and having answers at your fingertips? One of the things we鈥檝e learned from research and talking with customers is how annoying it can be when you must drop everything you were doing and leave your IT workspace to raise a ticket in a central support portal. This meant you would need to rethink what you were doing when the issue came up and where it happened. Plus, you needed to enter all the contextual information the portal doesn鈥檛 have, such as the system where it happened or the application you were using when running into problems.

We鈥檝e made this obsolete and convenient: is available in many of our cloud solutions and can be used right away, if needed. It鈥檚 a click of a button to ask a question, search for solutions, get tailored recommendations for your problem, or to just report an issue. Built-In Support knows where you were working when the issue came up and what you were doing when you got the error message. Through the usage of AI and machine learning technologies, the tool either already finds possible answers while you are typing in your issue, or it pulls together the necessary information for the support engineer. This is a more personalized support experience tailored to your specific situation. How convenient to not need to post a ticket elsewhere or explain your situation.

And even better, this click can get you connected in a or a scheduled appointment with a support expert. You can more quickly describe and resolve your question or problem 鈥� avoiding the ping-pong back-and-forth happening through a traditional ticket resolution. Talk about a way to free up time and resources to focus on the business.

On top of this, Built-In Support will evolve towards bi-directional communication: if there鈥檚 a brand-new solution to a critical issue in the application you are currently working with, why not get it shared with you right away? And if there is supporting information around a new or changed feature in the app you might have questions about, why not see it published proactively before you run into problems? This is exactly the future-looking direction of Built-In Support. Tailored to every screen of your application, it can proactively provide you answers and solutions and not wait until you run in to a problem and need to report it. Built-In Support is ending the one-way communication. If we know a customer has a problem but isn鈥檛 yet aware of it, we鈥檒l proactively take care of it.

In Summary

All this sounds smart, right? Let me summarize my key messages to you. You鈥檝e learned that 麻豆原创 system updates are important as they bring you new functionality, but they don鈥檛 need to be disruptive. Finding answers to your support problems is just as quick as what you know from a regular Web search. And finally, you鈥檒l experience the convenience of having support at your fingertips and getting your support questions and issues quickly worked out without needing to leave the application you are working in.

I hope I got you excited about some of the existing support innovations that will further improve your support experience. And we鈥檙e not stopping there. We鈥檙e already working on more great things.

Andreas Heckmann is executive vice president of Product Engineering and head of Customer Solution Support and Innovation at 麻豆原创. Follow him on and .

Digital upsell transactions are important because they are 98% more efficient than the traditional offline process. But at 麻豆原创, we couldn鈥檛 stop at 98%.

We wanted to streamline this process even further, so in July of this year, we released a self-service indirect digital upsell solution that allows for quick repurchasing of cloud products. The solution is available in the existing customer portal on for customers and partners, our customer portal aimed at simplifying customer product portfolios.

This powerful self-service platform allows customers to digitally repurchase existing cloud solutions within existing terms and conditions, drastically reducing the time to repurchase and simplifying the repurchasing process, leading to easier and faster digital transformation, a growing trend across the world. It also helps partners manage existing 麻豆原创 cloud software subscriptions more easily, allowing them to better communicate and determine customer needs as they arise.

Customer Benefits

This new functionality for partners mirrors the digital upsell motion that was in 2021 and complements the existing capabilities of 麻豆原创 for Me.

Enabling this streamlined digital process provides significant benefits for returning customers and 麻豆原创 Store partners. Some of the top features include:

• The average sales time is reduced from six hours to six minutes, saving time and resources for customers to focus on further sales discussions with 麻豆原创, more complex deals, and other needs as they arise.
• Customers are able to purchase more of the 麻豆原创 solutions that their teams are already using quickly and easily and without a lengthy process that takes time or complex planning.
• Customers can expand and upgrade services in the cloud quicker than with on-premise upgrades, making digital transformation a more efficient option for customers looking to expand and continuously upgrade.
• Teams can also get the same negotiated pricing or better for existing 麻豆原创 solutions while aligning new licenses to original contracts.
• Finally, this new process allows customers to avoid duplicate instances of a solution across their organization, saving valuable resources and eliminating the concern of accidental purchases.

Partner Benefits

麻豆原创 partners will also enjoy many benefits with 麻豆原创 for Me, as they are able to buy licenses online and extend existing customer contracts with a few simple steps. Partners can also manage 鈥渃arts鈥� for customers with existing products visible at once, while letting partners add new users to active customer contracts, using pre-existing discounts and terms.

Additionally, the end user license agreement (EULA) process is also fully automated, and the deals are not released until the end-customers sign, providing additional confidence for our partners to leverage this channel.

Who Can Use It?

The digital upsell solution in 麻豆原创 for Me is aimed at helping customers and partners with repurchasing and upscaling existing solutions and supports 麻豆原创 partners with active cloud provider contracts. 麻豆原创 for Me supports cloud offerings and services, including 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions and 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, with more products to be added down the road along with license purchasing and renewal.

The digital upsell self-service tool in 麻豆原创 for Me offers efficiency, simplicity, insights, and transparency into cloud software repurchasing and upselling for customers and partners and is an important tool in 麻豆原创鈥檚 push toward digital transformation and cloud adoption, allowing customers to be flexible and responsive in their adoption and deployment of cloud solutions.

Learn more about .

Carsten Storm is head of Marketplace Group, Digital Experiences, 麻豆原创.

Competency Framework from the 麻豆原创 PartnerEdge program showcases the experience and skill sets of partners to improve vendor, partner and customer satisfaction.

鈥溌槎乖� partners are instrumental to the success of our customers鈥� digital transformation journey,鈥� said Karl Fahrbach, Chief Partner Officer, 麻豆原创 SE. 鈥淗ence we want to make it as easy as possible for customers to identify the best fit for their business needs. Additionally, it allows 麻豆原创 to reward and recognize partners鈥� investments in high-quality delivery practices that drive customer adoption and success.鈥�

An evolution of the 麻豆原创 PartnerEdge program, the framework will help differentiate and highlight their skills and experience 鈥� based on solution and consultant knowledge, customer success and proficiency 鈥� to generate visibility and emphasize what they do best.

Specifically, the launch of the new Competency Framework will:

• Recognize partners for their practice maturity and focus on customer lifetime value based on expertise and specialization across solution areas and geographies
• Help partners stay ahead of customer needs through an automated designation process where they can identify achieved and at-risk designations based on their daily achievements and performance, to be visible in the portal, which partners use to manage their relationships with customers and 麻豆原创
• Feature new 麻豆原创 partner branding logos embedded within the tool, which displays all partner competencies for customers to search and match to their transformation goals

鈥淐ompetency Framework from 麻豆原创 PartnerEdge allows partners to highlight their expertise and helps customers identify partners with the right skill set to address their business needs,鈥� said Paul Edwards, director, Software Channels & Ecosystems, IDC, an industry analyst firm. 鈥淏y launching this new model, 麻豆原创 is prioritizing partners and the work that they do to drive customer success.鈥�

Within the framework, partners will be classified by two aspects: competency and specialization. To start, there will be seven competencies that align with the solution or line-of-business areas, such as human capital management, which will have three progressive tiers: essential, advanced and expert. Within each competency, partners can have specializations at the product or process level, such as talent management. Partner performance in each competency will be measured and attained across three areas, including expert knowledge, customer success and proficiency.

This change will create the foundation for better outcomes for both partners and customers who can be assured that the partner they choose has both the necessary knowledge and proven expertise to deliver the specific solution they need.

Read what partners have to say here.

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Media Contacts:
Angelika Merz, 麻豆原创, +41 58 871-7216,鈥�angelika.merz@sap.com, CET
麻豆原创 麻豆原创 Room; press@sap.com
Amy Thompson, FleishmanHillard, +1 (617) 692 0508, amy.thompson@fleishman.com, ET

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of 麻豆原创鈥檚 2021 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
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