After years of fast-paced adoption of cloud technology, companies are replacing the “spend first, cost it out later” approach with a focus on getting the most value at the lowest possible cost. But turning this mindset into a reality is easier said than done – unless you have access to personalized guidance.
Acquiring the right talent is critical for businesses when they adopt their first cloud solutions. Without the right people, companies cannot realize the full value of the cloud, impeding their ability to drive continuous improvement, transformation, and innovation.
A proven remedy for this talent gap is consistent access to personalized guidance from experts who help manage software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions reliably, resolve queries and incidents quickly, and alleviate administrative workloads associated with adopting enhancements. In a study update commissioned by SAP, Forrester Consulting reported that this approach uncovered additional uses and opportunities to achieve business goals.
To better understand the benefits, costs, and risks associated with this trend, the third-party global market research company assessed the SAP Preferred Success offering. The proactive service offering can provide the success resources and tailored-to-fit consultative assistance necessary to maximize the value of cloud solution investments from SAP throughout the application lifecycle. The results were combined to form a single composite organization.
Expanding the Cloud’s Value with Individualized Guidance
Issue resolution, new release implementation, and a gradual, company-wide migration associated with long-term cloud usage can be costly juggernauts of overwhelming complexity. However, organizations that turn those tasks into benefit-rich opportunities know how to optimize the value of their cloud investment to adapt their processes based on evolving business needs and the latest technology capabilities.
According to the Forrester study, SAP Preferred Success allows SAP customers to gain this advantage by driving a considerable total economic impact (TEI) – even five years or more after the initial cloud implementation. Findings from the aggregated study of a customer generating US$1 billion annually revealed a 377% ROI on cloud investments. Such an outcome also includes higher project efficiency, improved application time to value, productivity gains, and optimized business processes.
How can companies achieve such a dramatic advantage? It all goes back to having consistent and trusted guidance to increase business value in four fundamental ways:
1. Accelerated Implementation and Release Preparedness
Forrester’s survey results reveal a 10% decrease in implementation effort for internal teams and a reduction in release preparation time by one month each year. Such improvements are achieved by understanding upcoming changes and reviewing release information quickly and early on. In return, organizations can tap into the benefits of the latest cloud capabilities sooner and accelerate the realization of the technology’s overall value.
During one of Forrester’s interviews, a respondent shared that SAP Preferred Success helps organizations discover new and relevant features. The SAP customer stated: “Two years ago, [releases happened] every three months – and, certainly time-wise, [they required] more than a week for its preparation. Now, [they arise] every six months and [are] streamlined and done within a week in terms of being ready for it.”
2. Faster Time to Value
Shorter release cycles not only shorten the time required to manage new releases, but also position the business toward getting the most value from its cloud solution investment. For example, access to SAP expertise through a single point of contact delivers a higher user satisfaction rate. This is especially true when reducing risk throughout the solution lifecycle and improving and optimizing process efficiency.
According to the survey, customers using SAP Preferred Success also appear to adopt cloud solutions better. They spend a weekly average of three hours more than users who do not leverage the service offering. Furthermore, customers indicate a more satisfying overall experience, compared to the total number of businesses that have adopted cloud solutions from SAP.
3. Increased Optimization of Business Processes
Forrester’s research also indicated that SAP Preferred Success offers a prime opportunity to collaborate with SAP experts to help achieve critical business goals through business process optimization. Respondents gained an overall 24% boost in productivity, as IT issues reduce during regular strategic reviews and ongoing formal exchanges with customer success experts, participation in customer councils, and access to in-depth training materials.
All these activities pave the way to 30% higher employee efficiency and productivity while potential areas for process enhancement are identified. But more important, organizations are learning how to mitigate emerging risks with worthwhile remedies.
A technology team lead from an energy firm told Forrester, “Our customer success expert knows the challenges that we might be having. If there are upcoming changes that will address those challenges, she will tell us about the potential fix worth testing out.”
4. Streamlined IT and Business Operations
One benefit that cannot be underscored enough is the reduction of priority one and priority two cases. SAP Preferred Success can deliver this outcome through fast-paced, effective mitigation and resolution of IT incidents. As a survey respondent explained, “The number of tickets has gone down since the system is more stable now compared to when we started.”
Streamlining IT and business operations without getting bogged down by incidents gives users the confidence that their technology is reliable and provides accurate, data-driven insights. And as user satisfaction improves, business processes become more efficient and risk across the solution lifecycle decreases.
Moving Forward with Flexibility, Efficiency, and Confidence
We believe Forrester’s TEI research clearly shows that SAP Preferred Success offers a combination of proactive outcomes that can be critical to business success in every economic condition. From accelerated implementations and faster time to value to business process optimization and simplified IT and business operations, organizations can be empowered to transform at their pace with greater flexibility and value.
And with those advantages, companies can create a foundation that helps ensure the benefits of the cloud consistently outweigh the technology’s costs.
Could SAP Preferred Success amplify your future potential in the cloud? Find out by reading Forrester’s full economic impact study, “The Total Economic Impact™ of SAP Preferred Success.”
Chad Crook is chief innovation officer of Cloud Success Services at SAP.