Behind the Tickets: Three SAP Application Support Case Studies from ACBaltica

Vadim Chugunov, Chief Support Manager at ACBaltica

Throughout the SAP application lifecycle, even well-designed systems become increasingly complex. Companies operate across countries, deal with local regulations, manage legacy technical debt, and constantly integrate SAP systems with the cloud, analytics, and third-party platforms. In this environment, stable operations are not a matter of chance. They require experienced SAP support teams that take ownership of system stability and long-term evolution. And ACBaltica has performed this role in real-life customer scenarios.

In this article, we present a selection of real SAP support cases from our experience. These examples demonstrate how ACBaltica provides L2 and L3 SAP application support, as well as full-cycle L1–L3 support, combining operational stability with continuous improvement. The cases span different industries, system landscapes, and maturity levels.

Case 1. Long-term L2/L3 SAP Application Support for a multi-country automotive industry client

The client operates 150 legal entities across three European countries, each with its own local business and regulatory requirements. We have been providing continuous SAP application and platform support to the customer for decades.

The SAP landscape supports approximately 1500 active users, with an average of 150–200 support tickets per month. Support is provided during the customer’s local office hours, ensuring close alignment with business operations.

Scope of support: Our engagement covers 2nd- and 3rd-line SAP application support, including custom development and system enhancements, as well as integration with QlikView analytics.

Supported components include:

• SAP Basis;

• SAP ECC (FI, CO, HCM, MM, SD, PM);

• SAP BW;

• Integration with QlikView analytics.

Challenges

The key challenges of this engagement included:

• Complex legislative and regulatory compliance across three countries;

• Variations in system configuration and business processes across multiple legal entities;

• Long-term support of custom developments while maintaining system stability and performance;

• Ensuring reliable data flow between SAP systems and QlikView analytics.

The customer required not only incident resolution, but a support partner capable of maintaining consistency, compliance, and reliability over many years.

Results and business impact

• Seamless and uninterrupted SAP ERP operations for over 20 years;

• Consistent regulatory compliance across all legal entities and countries;

• High system reliability supporting day-to-day business operations;

• A trusted long-term partnership enabling continuous system improvement.

Case 2. Stabilizing and transforming SAP Support for a large transportation company in Eastern Europe

We have partnered with a leading transportation company in Eastern Europe since 2018. Initially, the customer operated a large SAP landscape supporting approximately 5,000 active users. The relationship is ongoing and has evolved significantly over time.

The customer generates around 25 support tickets per month, with support provided during the customer’s local office hours.

Scope of support

Our engagement includes enterprise-level 3rd-line SAP application support, system stabilization, continuous system improvement, and the enablement of the customer’s internal teams.

Supported components include:

• SAP Basis;

• SAP ECC (FI, CO, MM, SD, PM, BI);

• SAP BusinessObjects;

• Custom developments and system enhancements;

• End-user and IT trainings.

Challenges

We took over SAP support from a previous partner and system integrator under particularly challenging conditions:

• The SAP landscape contained numerous unresolved legacy issues, accumulated over time;

• The customer was highly dissatisfied with prior support, and escalations were frequent, especially during the first two years of cooperation;

• Several SAP functionalities operated unstably, directly affecting business processes;

• In parallel, a new SAP functional module was being implemented and later handed over to us for ongoing support;

• We needed to restore system stability and rebuild trust while simultaneously managing inherited technical debt.

Results and business impact

• All inherited legacy issues were successfully resolved, and overall system stability was restored;

• Escalations dropped sharply, and support requests now focus mainly on occasional consultations;

• What started as a crisis-driven engagement evolved into a long-term, trusted partnership;

• The scope of cooperation expanded to include new SAP functionality implementations and additional product support;

• The customer’s internal teams became more self-sufficient through structured knowledge transfer and collaboration.

Case 3: Full-cycle SAP Support for an IT company

In 2025, an IT and technology company operating in the telecommunications sector started working with us. The client runs a growing SAP landscape supporting key business areas including Sales, Finance, Sourcing & Procurement, R&D and Engineering, and Manufacturing.

The system is used by approximately 80 active users and generates a high volume of requests — up to 100 support tickets per month. Support is provided according to the client’s time zone (UTC-5), including on-call coverage when required.

Scope of support
Our engagement covers full-cycle SAP support, combining operational stability with continuous system evolution.

Supported scope includes:

• End-to-end SAP support across L1, L2, and L3;

• Continuous system enhancements and custom developments;

• User management and role administration;

• Support for business processes across multiple lines of business;

• Integration and synchronization with SAP Sales Cloud (C4C).

Challenges

The engagement started under demanding conditions:

• The client had no internal IT support team, making us fully responsible for user administration, access management, and day-to-day SAP operations;

• A high volume of break/fix incidents required fast reaction and strict prioritization;

• At the same time, the SAP landscape was actively expanding, with new integrations and functionality being introduced;

• Balancing reactive support with ongoing development and system growth was critical to success.

Results and business impact

• Smooth and stable SAP system operation despite high ticket volume and ongoing changes;

• Significant reduction in support requests through proactive issue resolution and process optimization;

• Successful stabilization, building trust and confidence early in the partnership;

• Establishment of a solid foundation for long-term SAP support and landscape growth;

• Active contribution to the client’s SAP evolution, including rollout of new functionality and cloud integration.

Conclusion: What These SAP Support Cases Have in Common

Throughout all of our engagements, we take full ownership of the SAP landscape within the agreed-upon scope. This includes resolving complex L3 issues, stabilizing inherited systems, and supporting ongoing enhancements and integrations. No matter who we're working with, we focus on system reliability, business continuity, and measurable improvements over time.

At the same time, each case highlights a different dimension of SAP support expertise:

1. Managing multi-country compliance and long-term system consistency;

2. Recovering and stabilizing SAP environments after challenging support transitions;

3. Delivering full-cycle L1–L3 support in high-volume, fast-changing environments;

4. Supporting system growth, including new functionality, analytics, and cloud integrations;

5. Building trust-based partnerships through transparency, expertise, and proactive support.

Together, these cases demonstrate our ability to adapt SAP support models to our clients' needs. Our goal is to create stable, scalable SAP environments that support business growth and reduce long-term operational risk.

If you would like to discuss your current support challenges and explore how our experience with SAP application support can benefit your organization, let's start the conversation.