Imagine you have implemented an SAP solution – and then a new regulation was issued that you must comply with. Or that you have to reorganize some of your business processes ASAP – or you start losing money. Who can help you reconfigure your system? You’re lucky if you have an internal team – but what if they don’t have enough expertise?
SAP solution is a complicated and agile platform that should be able to constantly evolve, adjusting to new business challenges your company is facing. To keep your SAP system up-to-date, you need a dedicated Support Service. This article will explain how the SAP Support System works, advise you on finding your SAP support partner, and provide strong reasons to choose ACBaltica.
Choose wisely
The SAP Support partner is the keystone to your ability to leverage the potential of SAP solutions and recoup your investments. It is always better to subscribe to Support services with the same contractors that implemented the SAP solution for you since they already know everything about the system. But you might also go with any other company – note that it will take them some time to get on the course (usually it takes a few months).
While choosing the contractor, remember that support service is not only about responding to user requests. Here’s just a short list of services that your SAP Support Partner should be able to provide:
- Support SAP BASIS (Business Application Software Integrated Solution), which basically means system maintenance and upgrade, performance optimization, setting up of system jobs, monitoring, and analyzing system logs, and more
- Apply vendor’s recommendations regarding standard system functionality
- Communicate with SAP on the issues in the standard functionality that have never been described before
- Perform system configuration
- Perform custom development
- Find bugs in the custom development and address them
- Consult on the future system development and how to address new business challenges.
And don’t forget that your SAP support partner should have in-depth expertise in your business segment (proven with their portfolio of projects) and in the SAP products you use (proven with SAP certifications). And what’s even more important, they should be able to truly understand your business and be genuinely engaged in your success. They should be flexible and willing to adjust to your business processes.
Types of SAP Support
Generally, the support of your SAP solution consists of two parts: provided by the vendor and the certified SAP Partner.
With support from the vendor, you get access to the updates, SAP notes and patches, and SAP knowledge bases. The service will also cover the "high" and "very high" level incidents – as long as they don't involve creating new functionalities since the SAP support covers only the implemented solution as is. But suppose you need to modify your SAP system and adjust it to the changing business processes. In that case, you must subscribe to the Application Support Service provided by a Certified SAP Partner.
Application Support
Application Support covers all it takes to help you get the most out of your SAP solution (except for the part that requires changing the standard functionality):
- all kinds of incidents,
- version updates,
- SAP notes implementation,
- new features and custom development,
- dealing with SAP support on your behalf,
- consulting on the system functionality,
- and more!
At ACBaltica, we have over 20 years of experience with SAP products and are certified as a Partner Center of Expertise. We've helped hundreds of companies from dozens of industries – from retail to the automotive sector – to leverage the potential of SAP solutions. And with all these years in business, we are genuinely flexible since we know: every business is unique and needs an agile approach.
Why choose us
- We have a dedicated team for every customer who subscribes for support services with us. Every request is handled by an experienced consultant/engineer who is already well informed about your project details. You have no idea how much time and effort it can save you!
- Before assigning the team for your project, we explore your needs. It helps us create a versatile team of high-level specialists that can help you face any challenge – product update, bug fixing, or custom development. And since we ensure that everyone in the team is aware of your project, there's no chance that the absence of one team member can slow down the whole team's work.
- All our teams consist of highly qualified professionals. Even the first-line support can promptly solve the typical issue saving your time.
With ACBaltica, you have a choice of four Support Service packages:
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| Minimal | Middle | Maximum* | Custom** | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support Services | Benefits that you gain | 160-320 hours/month | 321-640 hours/month | 641-1280 hours/month | 1280+ hours/month |
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Support team |
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| Assigned Support Coordinator | A manager that can help you with all organizational issues | + | + | + | + |
| Dedicated Account Manager | Your ambassador in the ACBaltica Support Team, who has answers to all your questions. | + | + | + | |
| Team selection | Control who joins your Support Team: you can choose employees by their experience, product portfolio, certifications, and more. | + | + | ||
| Request for a dedicated consultant | If you have an issue that requires a dedicated support, we can allocate any of our consultants (of your choice) to join your team. | + | |||
| Flexible working hours | We'll shift our working hours for your convenience. | + | + | ||
| On-site visits | Because we believe that face-to-face communication is always better! | + | |||
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Support infrastructure |
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| ACBaltica Service Desk | Customized issue tracking system to monitor incidents and provided service via convinient and user-friendly UI. Plus, it is a knowledge base built on our 20+ years of experience with SAP and explaining possible ways of resolving all kinds of issues. | + | + | + | + |
| Hotline | First-line support in real-time – only during the office hours | + | + | + | + |
| 24/7 Emergency line | With business-critical incidents, you can rely on our support 24/7 | + | |||
| Customer SolMan deployment * | SAP Solution Manager is an end-to-end application lifecycle management solution that has plenty of tools for support management and issue prevention: Early Watch Alerts, Change Request Management, Solution Documentation, Test Management, and more. | + | + | ||
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Scope of support |
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| Basis Support | In addition to the SAP modules, we also support Basis – the environment that enables SAP applications to function. Our SAP-certified Basis specialists will take care of it for you. | + | + | + | + |
| Proactive monitoring | A set of tools and competencies that allows us to resolve issues andeffectively prevent them. | + | + | ||
| Consulting service for ABAP/Fiori developers and consultants | If you have an internal team of developers and consultants working on custom features for your SAP solution, we can train/consult them and transfer our in-depth knowledge about SAP solutions | + | |||
| SAP workshops for end users (monthly) | We can train the end-users to work with the implemented system – on a one-off or regular basis. | + | |||
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Other options |
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| One Month Hours Rollover | Transfer the unused support team's hours for the next month | + | + | + | |
| Three Months Hours Rollover | Transfer unused hours for the next three months | + | + | ||
| Dedicated hour package for change request | Team's hours booked to fine-tune your SAP system, including minor custom development | + | + | + | |
| Flexibility in the use of hours | Not sure in which area you need more attention from our Support Team? We can be flexible and adjust on the fly! | + | + | ||
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Customer Support Reports |
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| Extended Real-time activity report | Get more details on how your SAP system works | + | + | + | + |
| ACBaltica Support Dashboard | Sophisticated report on provided Support Service | + | + | ||
| Advanced Report on Support Hours Usage | This deport divided by incidents helps you optimize your costs. It allows you to track the most common issues and secure more time for them in the future. | + | + | ||
| Individual report design | Need a custom report format? You have it! | + | + | ||
* — S/SS required for on-prem
** — The package can include more features – even those not mentioned here
Additionally, you can subscribe to some beneficial features:
- Access to our Knowledge Base built on our 20+ years of experience with SAP (solutions, best practices, cases, and more)
- Analysis of current license for optimization (including system security audit, and more)
- Development of system security and authorization
- Upgrade/Update service – regular or one-time
- System landscape security audit
- Solution architecture design and/or review
- And more!
Don't hesitate to contact our team for more details and options.