SAP announced SAP's support discontinuation for SAP Business Suite 7, which encompasses SAP ECC 6. SAP’s new approach for its customers revolves around S/4HANA. This presents a dilemma for IT teams who have dedicated considerable time and effort towards developing their proficiency in ECC and tailoring their systems to suit their specific business requirements.
IMPACT ON CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION PRODUCTION
The effects of this will be felt particularly by customers utilizing Customer Communication Management (CCM) solutions to generate regulatory documents like invoices, statements, or contracts. The prompt and precise production of these documents is a crucial aspect of business operations, necessary to ensure compliance with local regulations. Failing to produce these necessary regulatory documents poses a significant business risk.
Regrettably, transitioning from SAP ECC to S/4HANA does not offer a straightforward path, and this has repercussions for CMM operations. Customers must establish a new integration with S/4HANA and given that 100s of enterprises are likely to undertake this task simultaneously, it is expected that there will be challenges in terms of resource availability in managing the associated demands.
Certain CCM platforms have stopped investing in R&D for years. Consequently, their product has not undergone significant upgrades, which has caused it to fall behind the trend of digitalization. Given that the integration of SAP S/4HANA will require a new product, businesses can use this as an opportunity to reevaluate their options and choose a CCM platform that is both cost-effective and capable of providing superior customer engagement, ensuring that it is future proof.
TIME TO ACT NOW
It is time to act now, specializing in CCM and customer communication digitalization, industry expert Antoine Hemon-Laurens says. As SAP ECC end of life deadline approaches, the scarcity of professional service resources in the market could potentially lead to an increase in prices as demand grows.
Below is a checklist that assists SAP ECC customers in identifying a contemporary CCM solution that will effectively meet enterprise's requirements well into the future.
HOW QUADIENT INSPIRE CAN HELP?
The SAP S/4HANA accelerator integrated into Quadient Inspire CCM solution allows customers to seamlessly connect with their customer data. Quadient Inspire has been a top-notch CCM solution for many years, consistently introducing new features every two months and innovating its products. Recently, it unveiled the R16 Inspire Flex and now offers a comprehensive SaaS CCM solution that enables cost effective migration and CMM operations. Thousands of professional service personnel have received certification, providing enterprises with access to a vast resource pool to undertake complicated projects. For further information, please refer to the EON use case.
