Business software vendor SAP Africa, market leader in the competitive local customer relationship management (CRM) market with 69% market share, has sweetened its new mySAP CRM 4.0 solution even further with the launch of a series of Business Productivity Packs.
The packs, which provide added functionality for specific industries, are already being ramped up at several large clients, says SAP Africa's CRM specialist Phillip Swanepoel.
SAP believes it now has the largest and most comprehensive CRM solution on the market. It would say that, but its claims are backed up by an impressive array of analysts, with AMR Research saying the company is "walking the walk" in making CRM all about business processes.
Gartner vice-president and research director Ed Thompson agrees, saying today's buyers of CRM applications are focusing less on features and functions and more on the most valuable processes that get work done.
"In many cases these processes are extremely industry-specific. As a result, CRM application vendors are rapidly evolving their products in response. Those implementing CRM have learned over the last three years that the integration of end-to-end processes delivers bottom line results more quickly, particularly when unlocking the value of existing technology investments," says Thompson.
mySAP CRM 4.0 supports more than 280 vertical business processes specific to 23 industry verticals, including pharmaceuticals, automotive, consumer goods, hi-tech, professional services, retail and telecommunications.
SAP Africa's Swanepoel says the company has focused on understanding customers' needs and determining which business processes can deliver returns in a changing environment.
"The market needs to shift away from yesterday's siloed approach," said Swanepoel this week. "mySAP CRM 4.0 is a major product for the company, and we're confident that CRM sales this year will be a high percentage of the overall revenue of SAP Africa."
SAP's new suite uses the company's new NetWeaver technology platform to enable multi-channel interaction through a collaborative services architecture, improving analytics, marketing, sales and service functionality. In addition, mySAP's channel management capability is designed to let partners manage their end customers and give organisations full integration and visibility into the demand chain.
Among the highlights of mySAP CRM 4.0 is that it offers an easy upgrade path for existing customers and allows for a modular approach for those who need incremental implementation.
Share
SAP is the world's leading provider of business software solutions. SAP solutions are designed to meet the demands of companies of all Sizes - from small and midsize businesses to global enterprises. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver open integration and application platform to reduce complexity and total cost of ownership and empower business change and innovation, mySAP Business Suite solutions are helping enterprises around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. The unique core processes of various industries, from aerospace to utilities, are supported by more than 25 SAP industry solutions. Today, more than 23 400 customers in over 120 countries run more than 79 800 installations of SAP software. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP". (Additional information at http://www.sap.com.)
Editorial contacts