What to Look For In An SAP ERP Consultant

Considering recent economic events, companies in every industry are understanding the importance of seeking advice and expertise for how to best optimize and modernize their ERP systems. Specifically, along the supply chain, consumer demands are high, and suppliers are seeing markets change as COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the economy.

However, with so many industries still utilizing manual workflows and legacy applications, it has become a costly issue for companies within the supply chain to quickly pivot operations without impacting their bottom line.

As a result, the challenge remains for companies to understand how to find and implement the most reliable and efficient solutions for ERP systems without skipping a beat within their day to day operations. So, what is the solution and how can this be done?

There are dozens of experts within the SAP ERP world who would say that they can help with this issue – providing “expertise” for ERP systems like SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics and other databases – but how can one be sure?

In the process of transforming your legacy ERP platform, such as SAP, for your business, it’s important to make sure you’re working with the right consultant(s). In this blog, we discuss how to identify the specific skills to look for in SAP consultants as well as the best modernization solutions for ERP systems that meet today’s business demands.

Value of Hiring a Consultant

When making the decision to hire a SAP consultant for your SAP ERP requirements, it’s critical to first recognize the specific value offered by each SAP consulting firm; including those who specifically accommodate the needs of companies along the supply chain.

To begin, understanding their SAP experience and previous successes will help identify their level of dedication and knowledge of SAP use cases. You should be able to easily identify that they possess the knowledge to properly outline specific ERP needs and walk through SAP’s solutions; as well as integrations that support SAP legacy modernization.

In the case of Westernacher, for example, they offer specific SAP ERP expertise during every step of the SAP implementation process. Additionally, with their unique Time-to-Value Solutions, you can present your business needs and how soon they need to be accomplished. They work with you to achieve streamlined success.

What Sets SAP Consulting Firms Apart?

In addition to recognizing the value of hiring an SAP consulting firm for companies that work along the supply chain, it’s also imperative to recognize what makes them different. For one, a successful and efficient SAP consultant removes the barrier of complexity that comes with SAP and works with a company to implement at speed and scale, as well as offer a design catered for unique solutions.

Syntax, another SAP service provider, is able to provide flexible and quick success for companies that use SAP due to the unique ERP-centric services that they provide. According to Syntax’s website, they provide “SAP implementation and upgrade services, health checks, as well as a full range of SAP technical development services which can be tailored to meet both your business and financial requirements.” This is beneficial in the process of data migration as well as implementation speed.

In another example, CenturyLink offers Deep SAP & Analytics Expertise. Essentially, their unique skillset includes working to optimize applications, infrastructure and use of data analytics. Additionally, they also promise rapid deployment as well as automation in order to reduce the complexity that comes with SAP legacy modernization. Westernacher offers similar expertise, including streamlined implementation, design to meet your business needs, assistance with rollout, and continued services to help train and support your team.

What Makes an SAP Consultant an Expert

So, how can your company determine what makes an SAP consultant and/or agency an expert in their field? For one, SAP consultants demonstrate their expertise through their experience. Westernacher, for example, has 25 years of assisting clients with SAP implementations under their belt, so you can trust in their ability to help your company succeed. Additionally, Westernacher approaches designing a tightly integrated solutions for your company by focusing on collaboration: in high-level planning meetings, they work with you and for you to define a suitable approach to your business needs. Following these meetings, Westernacher continues working with your company throughout the development and deployment stages of innovating your SAP platform, which is of extreme importance when choosing an SAP service provider.

Another key aspect that makes an SAP ERP consultant an expert are partnerships—Syntax exhibits their status as an SAP Gold Partner. This verifies that they have a proven track record of delivering successful SAP services.

Another facet to look out for in terms of an SAP consultant’s expertise is their ability to deliver a fast and secure SAP solution for you and your team. CenturyLink offers a SAP-certified, rapid deployment private and multi-tenant environments that delivers data connectivity via CenturyLink’s global high-speed private network.

How to Determine SAP Consultant Reliability

Making sure a consultant is reliable is another key factor during your search for a viable SAP consultant.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Will they be there for me not only for the deployment period, but also post set-up, and anytime thereafter?
• What training and availability do they offer?
• Will this investment contribute towards business success?

If your SAP consultant offers qualities and skills that allow you to say yes to those questions, then they’re a great choice. Westernacher’s consulting services offer just that: they outline the whole process of working with you—from design and implementation, to support and continued improvement for the future.

How Pillir Works with Consulting Firms

Now that you know all the best tips for finding the right SAP consultant for supply chain, it’s important to highlight how EdgeReady Cloud can also contribute to success within your business. Pillir’s solution uniquely collaborates with consultants in order to increase speed to market, as well as customize and modernize SAP customer’s digital core.

With pre-built features, functions and visual app-dev capabilities, users can generate apps with little-to-no programming or extend EdgeReady Cloud with code as needed. With the power of Pillir’s solutions and the help of a great SAP ERP consultant, your company will be well on their way towards SAP flexibility, modernization, and success.

To get started on your modernization journey, analyze the TCO of your ABAP today at no cost.