SAP Support and Maintenance Centre (CSM)

SAP customer challenges today

In the context of the use of SAP solutions, the challenges for IT departments are numerous:

Access to experts covering the full range of SAP environments:

• The functional and technical scope of SAP is becoming increasingly wide and complex
• It is difficult to maintain the required skills internally

Ensuring continuity of services:

• Planned and unplanned absences have an impact on the service provided to users

Flexible management of peak loads:

• Increase in workload in the event of new projects (deployment of a new module, version upgrade, etc.)
• Decrease in workload in the event of a decrease in activity

Reduce maintenance and upgrade costs of SAP solutions:

• Business cycles are erratic, short and unpredictable
• Internal or external resources on site constitute a recurrent fixed cost, independent of the real need
• Fine-tuned cost management is difficult (lack of management and control tools)

Improving quality:

• Are the solutions implemented optimal, both from a business and SAP point of view?
• Are the corrections and evolutions documented, from the definition of the user's needs to the technical or functional implementation?
• Are users well supported on a daily basis?
• Do planned or unplanned absences have an impact on the service provided to users?

Until recently, the operating methods of outsourced Service Centres (or TMA) did not provide an answer to these various challenges, particularly due to a lack of contractual flexibility and operational functioning.
The vast majority of existing Service Centres have an approach that focuses solely on reducing the rates charged, generally with a nearshore or offshore approach and teams consisting mainly of junior profiles, capable of providing only level 1 and 2 support.
In response to these different needs, Applium, an integrator dedicated to SAP solutions, has set up a Centre for Support and Maintenance (CSM) which allows clients to benefit from a complete range of SAP services invoiced on a consumption basis (by the hour) and without any volume commitment.
Above all, Applium CSM customers have access at all times to a team made up exclusively of senior SAP profiles, with both business and solution experience, and the ability to provide advice and carry out complex upgrades, right down to the mini-project.

In this approach, costs are optimised through improved operational efficiency.

Service offer

The Applium SAP Centre for Support and Maintenance Centre (CSM) is the entity dedicated to providing :

The flexibility of the proposed model and the expertise of Applium's consultants mean that major upgrades can be carried out in project mode, within the framework of a simple "upgrade" TMA ticket. The Applium CSM regularly carries out upgrades lasting several dozen days, and sometimes more than a hundred days, such as :

• SAP or database version migration
• Implementation of a new module (QM, WM, PS, CO-PA, CO-PC...)
• Deployment of SAP on a subsidiary or creation of a new company
• Implementation of a mobility solution (Fiori or other)
• Implementation of a dematerialization solution for invoices
• Overhaul of the technical infrastructure
• ...

Innovation

The expertise of SAP consultants is a starting point and is no longer sufficient to differentiate the various players in SAP expertise from the market.
Our approach to TMA is particularly innovative and unique within the SAP ecosystem. Our offer was built with three essential characteristics in mind: freedom, flexibility and simplicity
The innovative nature of our offer is characterised by the following two aspects:

• Contract: no commitment on the part of customers to consume a minimum volume, no fixed cost, no prior billing (only tickets closed by customers are billed).
• Portal: provision of an innovative, high-performance TMA portal with numerous functions to streamline and automate the various tasks and management

More information on the world's most efficient support portal!

Expert" profiles

Beyond the processes and tools, the level and experience of the CSM staff is a fundamental element in guaranteeing the quality of the services that are offered to our clients on a daily basis.
Here is what we mean by SAP "Expert":

• Functional Consultants:
  
  • Business expertise (accounting, purchasing, sales, logistics, etc.): ability to communicate with the business (common vocabulary), to understand the needs and to provide advice.
  • SAP expertise: ability to propose the best standard SAP solutions in response to business needs
  • Expertise on several SAP modules / solutions

• Technical Consultants:
  
  • Functional understanding and technology watch
  • Overall SAP Netweaver expertise: Abap + Abap Objet + new SAP technologies (Adobe, Webdynpro, Portal, Workflow, etc.)
  • Compliance with SAP recommendations in terms of optimisation and the naming and coding standards defined by Applium and possibly adapted to each client
  • Creation of optimised programmes that are easy to maintain and develop

Summary of the advantages and differentiators of Applium's Application Managed Services (AMS)

In summary, the advantages of our AMS offer are as follows:

• Contract with no commitment on the part of the customer
• Billing by the ticket and by the hour, only when the client closes the ticket
• On-site interventions when necessary (e.g. workshop for framing an evolution)
• Corrections and upgrades can be subject to fixed price commitments
• Possibility of carrying out complex upgrades in project mode, with dedicated teams
• Strong commitments in terms of reactivity and quality (SLA), in particular for corrections
• Real-time management and monitoring of activities and budgets via the proposed portal
• ...