Once companies complete their SAP SuccessFactors implementation(s), it is not uncommon for them to engage with a vendor for post-implementation support. Administrators and business users are often consumed by their day-to-day work and may not have sufficient time to keep up with internal requests and the latest enhancements of the products. Having a support vendor, outside of the support provided by SAP SuccessFactors, has proven to be helpful for organizations that require a more personalized approach.
Selecting the right SAP SuccessFactors Customer Support vendor is as critical as selecting your implementation partner, and there are certain criteria which can help you get the right partner for your team and organization.
- Credentials. First and foremost, ensure that your vendor is a partner with SAP SuccessFactors. If not, they won’t be able to provide help/configuration on the provisioning side (back end configuration) when needed. Only SAP SuccessFactors Partners can access the provisioning system.
- Certifications. Do they have consultants who are certified and experienced in the solution areas that you've implemented? Without certification, consultants don't have access to the provisioning system. As we said above, this means that they can access the front end of the solution, but not make necessary changes to the back end, turn on/off features, etc.
- Experience. Don't be afraid to ask for profiles/resumes of the vendor's support team. This will give you insight into previous project/support experience, years of experience and which certifications they have. You can also get an idea of the types of customers they've supported in the past and if they have experience with post-implementation support.
- Availability. Is your vendor's team available during your core working hours? Are the resources primarily on-shore or off-shore? This may impact your resolution times, especially on high priority issues, so it’s important to ask if they have resources available in your geographical area, time zone, etc.
- References. Ask for a few customer references. Speaking to these references should allow for a candid opportunity to discuss what they like about working with the vendor and any challenges/issues they've had to overcome.
- Resolution. Receiving support should be convenient and reflect the way you and your team want to communicate. Ask the methods in which you can submit a ticket for resolution (vendor portal, email, phone, chat, etc.) Be sure to ask about their Service Level Agreement (SLA) which will dictate issue resolution times and make sure they reflect your expectations/business needs.
- Approach. We feel that a support vendor should not only be able to resolve your issue(s) but also advise on process improvement and encourage a best practices approach. They should also provide documentation on any changes to your solution and any necessary training enable you to maintain the solution.
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Word to the wise. Cheaper doesn't always mean better.
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You may end-up paying more in the long run (stringing along for more hours, etc.) if you don't select the correct vendor. When vetting a support vendor, we recommend having a good idea of what types of support you'll need (break/fix, upgrades/quarterly releases, etc.), the number of solutions and/or integrations they will be supporting, and if you have plans to expand your overall solution with additional modules. This will help your vendor adequately provide you with a support plan based on current and future needs.
Using the above criteria during the selection of your SAP SuccessFactors support vendor is a good start in seeking the partner that best aligns with your organization.
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