During the August 2 episode of SAP Partner Live — “Be a Value Catalyst” — SAP experts and executives explored the Customer Value Journey, an evolution in SAP's customer engagement model that transforms how SAP and its partners collaboratively achieve optimal outcomes for customers.
This virtual event was split into three parts to provide a holistic picture and explain what the Customer Value Journey is, why SAP is shifting to this new way of engagement, and how this model will affect SAP partners.
The Customer Value Journey model launches in Q4 2023, with SAP preparing partners for a smooth transition. Here’s an overview of the important insights shared.
What is the Customer Value Journey?
Aneesha Shenoy, head of Global Revenue Operations at SAP Customer Success, provided an overview of the six engagement stages that form the foundation of the new model. The journey prioritizes customer needs, growth, and mutual value at each stage.
- Discover: Customers learn how market offerings solve their business challenges through insights and analysis with SAP and SAP partners.
- Select: Customers choose a technology vendor to enable their desired outcome.
- Adopt: Agile deployment methods are embraced for quick value and smooth solution integration.
- Derive: Value is extracted from solutions through user enablement and ongoing optimization.
- Extend: Customers expand capabilities by seeking expert partner guidance for continued innovation and growth.
- Influence: Customers impact product direction through feedback, aligning with their needs.
Shenoy wrapped by highlighting that at the heart of SAP’s commitment to customer success is relationship management – because the journey does not simply end. It continues to grow and evolve. By staying closely connected with the customer and working as one team, we can ensure alignment with the customer’s objectives and deliver measurable value.
Why the change?
To shed light on this pivotal transformation from SAP's current customer engagement model to the Customer Value Journey, Hans Uebe, global head of Partner Success Services, emphasized SAP's strategic shift towards cloud technologies, customer-centricity, and the vital role of partners in achieving successful customer outcomes.
He explained how cloud-based technologies are gaining significance for businesses due to their innovation, security, and scalability; why SAP is prioritizing customer value throughout their journey; and how partner collaboration evolution is critical. SAP partners embracing this vision ensure a seamless customer experience across the lifecycle.
Hans Uebe then touched on why maximizing customer adoption is vital, leading to investment in Customer Success Partners (CSPs) for effective cloud solution implementation. A data-driven paradigm will guide SAP and its partners, using insights for adoption and improvement via the Customer Adoption Program for Partners (CAPP).
What does this mean for partners?
Hans Uebe sat down with Karl Fahrbach, Chief Partner Officer at SAP, to expand on how the Customer Value Journey will resonate with SAP partners. The two discussed how prioritizing customer engagement and adoption marks a substantial change for partners, moving from a focus on growth and large deals to emphasizing continuous innovation, adoption, and collaboration. The new approach centers on delivering joint value with partners to ensure positive outcomes and closer ecosystem alignment.
For direct customers, SAP is implementing a unified plan involving partners in every step – moving away from separate plans for the partner, the customer, and SAP. This collaboration framework extends to indirect customers as well, with partners contributing to value generation, support, and implementation.
Uebe and Fahrbach highlighted the importance of collaborating closely with a unified plan. By aligning efforts and viewing the customer journey as a shared endeavor, SAP and its partners can consistently deliver value and build enduring relationships. From reshaping direct and indirect business dynamics to propelling innovative support programs and initiatives, this new approach to customer engagement extends beyond transactions to encompass the entire customer lifecycle.
For more in-depth information,
watch the replay and access additional resources on the
event website.
