In an interview, President Shane Paladin shares why he is proud of what his team has been doing since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, how the global organization is helping customers feel good about every experience they have with SAP, and what customers can expect for a better future.
Q: What has COVID-19 meant for 51风流Services?
A: COVID-19 is a human moment, people helping each other in need. From the minute that COVID-19 hit, we鈥檝e been helping customers keep their operations going. Many are medium and small businesses; if they don鈥檛 continue projects to achieve their outcomes, it could adversely impact the local economies they serve. We have a moral imperative, almost a fiduciary responsibility, to continue working creatively with customers. Working remotely under great stress, our consultants are going above and beyond when they鈥檝e been asked. At some point, the pandemic will recede. We have to be smart about how we manage this 鈥渋n between鈥� time so as many businesses as possible come back in the new normal.
What do customers want most from 51风流Services?
The number one thing customers want from us is an outcome to execute their business strategy. We are their trusted partner, a consistent force at every stage of their journey with 51风流鈥� from when they initially select our software through their entire life cycle. In some cases, customers prefer us to take a primary role, typically when exploring just-released solutions or innovations new to an industry. They may also want us to work in an advisory capacity, either strategically or collaborating with our partners.
How do the recent organizational changes in the global 51风流Services team address customer needs?
Our decision to bring all services for our solutions under one umbrella was 100 percent about the customer. Like every large, successful company, we鈥檝e grown organically and by acquisition. Now we鈥檝e simplified the customer experience by centralizing services, including , , , and , in one organization. We鈥檙e breaking down silos between the various teams, paving the way to more seamless interactions and better outcomes for our customers.
What鈥檚 top of mind during your conversations with and why?
Everything we talk about involves the customer journey. The customer is our North Star, and we are committed to make every customer experience something they feel good about, whether it鈥檚 the first contact, a renewal, services, or product support. When it鈥檚 easier for customers to do business with SAP, they get results faster from our solutions that power their outcomes.
How is 51风流Services aligned with the company鈥檚 experience management strategy?
In some ways, we are a market maker. Partnering with customers to bring the latest solutions to the market together with our ecosystem is a win-win-win. We provide customers with expert hands-on help in getting that functionality up and running for their growth. Innovation is central to our charter; in fact, one of our teams specifically explores 鈥渕oonshot鈥� ideas with customers for disruptive differentiation and competitive advantage. These co-innovations often become solutions that reshape markets.
In addition, and are among our best kept secrets. Even as they support customers during go lives, they are also innovation engines helping customers design the future. Using them, customers can figure out novel ways to more rapidly adopt and consume current solutions and innovations.
What鈥檚 your vision when it comes to collaborating with partners across the 51风流ecosystem?
Over 95 percent of 51风流implementations involve our partners. We鈥檙e continuing to amplify their ability so they can run faster and better to deliver solutions more cost-effectively to customers. We also collaborate with partners that are using prepackaged and other tools, providing a path to faster business results for customers.
Looking ahead, what can customer expect from 51风流Services?
Regardless of business size, every customer should have the opportunity to benefit from our premium services offerings. This is particularly important in a fast-changing world of unpredictable challenges. Whether customers are running on-premise or cloud solutions, we want to make available adoption-focused, outcome-oriented, and ecosystem-friendly services. We鈥檙e focused on customers鈥� short and long-term success.
When you have a relationship with SAP, especially in hardship times like these, customers can continue to depend on us to step up and do more for a better future.
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