During SAPPhire 2018 SAP announced C/4HANA with quite a fanfare. I covered and analysed this announcement in my post SAPPHIRE 2018 – The Return of the Suite.
Sure, C/4HANA marks the return of SAP to the suite, just in another shape than previously known. Instead of combining the pillars of CRM: Marketing, Sales, and Service in one monolithic application it integrates the corresponding clouds into a suite by means of an infrastructure-, service-, and integration layer called SAP Cloud Platform. The SAP Cloud Platform also provides services like IoT and Blockchain, besides numerous additional and less sexy, but necessary ones.
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| C/4HANA Architecture; source: SAP |
The SAP Cloud Platform additionally permits extensibility of the clouds, be it in-app (?In cloud?) or as external extensions thru the Extension Framework and the (upcoming) Microservices Ecosystem.
The SAP Cloud Platform, as well as some of in-cloud features permit AI and system learning, uncovered as intelligence this is embedded into the various clouds.
Plus, the SAP Analytics Cloud ? Which isn't always explicitly mentioned as a part of C/4HANA, offers analytics competencies.
Fiori as a person interface metaphor permits a everyday consumer experience. A chat bot infrastructure and the potential to run on all relevant show sizes with one UI architecture pave the manner closer to retaining the client enjoy regular.
The addition of the SAP Customer Data Cloud recommendations into the path of offering a customer records hub as a single version of the reality of things client.
As such, the SAP Cloud Platform is a modern reincarnation of SAP Netweaver. Reincarnation, now not repetition, as it is strategies toward Hasso Plattner?S fine of recombining company techniques through just building them by using way of drag and drop and connecting commercial organization items declaratively.
As a similarly detail we get the SAP Commerce Cloud, previously referred to as Hybris Commerce.
One now can argue whether or not e-alternate, even multi-channel e-alternate is part of CRM, but this isn't always the right area nor time. SAP has taken the bold step of forsaking the Hybris emblem in desire of logo harmonization and employer-recognized names. This is extra than just laudable ? And did I mention that that is bold?
And the CRM industry, as well as the CRM network went past natural transactional CRM in the path of an entity that covers all elements of engagement to deliver an enjoy. This mandatorily consists of omni-channel e-trade.
I would even pass a step similarly pronouncing that it truly calls for channel unbiased, or channel agnostic exchange.
For a organisation, commerce is clearly the goal of CRM.
SAP has seen this early and positioned itself with the message ?Beyond CRM?. Beyond CRM, due to the truth it's far
· Not only transactional but also covers engagement
· Includes all channels
· Transparently connects front- and back office
· And has an outside-in view of the process
C/4HANA is a large step into the course of this, even if the requisite microservices shape is a long way from being in place.
If nothing more, this rebranding from SAP Hybris plus acquisitions to C/4HANA streamlines extends the September 2015 SAP announcement of delivering “integrated digital enterprise technologies that are intended to transform the relationships companies have with their customers”.
Additionally, it enhances the message of the digital core that powers the business. It also harmonizes and therefore clarifies communications by integrating the acquisitions of the past years.
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| SAP Customer Experience Clouds; source: SAP |
Lastly, it indicates that purchaser enjoy is near the coronary heart of SAP; near, not at its core, as that is in which S/4HANA is and wishes to be. This closeness, as well as the ambition to take at the competition, is also shown by using the use of SAP breaking out C/4HANA numbers. I can't consider SAP showing numbers of the SAP Hybris portfolio in the beyond years.
But there are some of open questions.
Don’t get me wrong. I like this rebranding, in spite of – and perhaps, because of – the likeness of C/4 to C-4, which is a (infamous) plastic explosive. The similarity may or may not be intentional.
Still, the ones questions, and possibly more, want to be ? And are ? Requested.
But what are a number of these questions?
Along with some feasible solutions and tips.
Analytics Cloud
One I even have already asked above: Where did the Analytics Cloud pass? After all there is no CRM ? Not to say something that is ?Past CRM? ? That would not cater for analytics, or as a substitute pushed with the resource of it. In my eyes the ?SAP Customer Experience Cloud?, this is the mixture name of the above-mentioned clouds, wishes to mandatorily encompass analytics, finally the authentic want for an SAP Analytics Cloud. On the alternative hand, analytics is every, platform functionality in addition to embedded into the programs. So it makes feel to make analytics part of the SAP Cloud Platform and to have it embedded into and made part of the packages themselves.
Sales Cloud
How will the integration a few of the various CallidusCloud answers especially with the Sales Cloud, the Service Cloud and the Commerce Cloud paintings. The statement is that CPQ and CLM will become modules within the SalesCloud. Since very last twelve months there is a primary model of an integration, which however does not show up as integration content material inside the SCP. CLM does now not however have an non-public integration into the SalesCloud. I understand from conversations with CallidusCloud in addition to SAP that there can be a focal point on integration. But there may be no detail but on what the anticipated and prioritized situations are. Knowing that roadmap statements are difficult to make, I assume that those will be extraordinarily useful right right here. Also for Sales Performance Management Commissions Management and the Sales Enablement solutions. Until then we want to depend upon commonplace enjoy. However, I suspect that the competition will use this nonetheless current uncertainty to create a few FUD.
And in Particular: CPQ
Talking of CPQ, SAP had a CPQ solution before acquiring CallidusCloud. What can customers expect on this frontier? I have covered the CallidusCloud acquisition mainly from a CPQ angle in three articles, here, here, and here. The challenge is that the existing (old) SAP CPQ is compatible with the SAP Variant Configurator as well as ERP- and S/4HANA pricing. And the Variant Configurator has around 1,500 customers; it is an important asset in SAP’s kit.
The statements I have heard and visible to this point say that the (antique) SAP product configuration engine may be included into the CallidusCloud-primarily based SAP CPQ. Doing this SAP makes the CallidusCloud CPQ well matched to the SAP Variant Configurator.
To achieve this, the (old) SAP Product Configurator will be made available as a Micro Service via the SAP API Hub. It essentially becomes an add-on to the CallidusCloud-based. CPQ. This way, the CallidusCloud-based CPQ can be used including variant configuration in front-end scenarios, e.g. exposed by Commerce Cloud or Sales Cloud, while SAP can continue to use the Variant Configurator. It seems like this shall be available to the Sales Cloud by November, 2018.
What this indicates is that the two principal functionalities of the (vintage) SAP CPQ, Product Configuration and Solution Configuration, may be cut up and wrapped in my view and often, but basically live alive. Happy to get corrected proper here, even though.
Marketing Cloud
On the Marketing Cloud frontier we do see the gradually maturing Marketing Cloud itself and LeadRocket from CallidusCloud. Obviously the SAP Marketing Cloud is the more organisation-ready device. Still, there may be a large overlap although Leadrocket offers a productized integration into web websites and tourist monitoring in addition to reputedly less hard social media integration than the SAP Marketing Cloud (anyone ever left out a set of ?Share to ?? Buttons)? I also had word that Leadrocket?S email and touchdown net web page editors are a protracted way advanced to those supplied with the aid of the SAP Marketing Cloud.
SAP need to benefit from a threefold approach right here: Merge the LeadRocket?S capability that isn't in the Marketing Cloud yet into it, and rapid. There ought to be a unique attention on internet website online tracking and the conversion of nameless profiles to appeared human beings.
If above statements about the editors are real, leverage the superior editors, as they will be a totally commonplace grievance of clients.
Plus, provide a ?Marketing Cloud mild? To gain higher get proper of access to into the SMB market. This ?Marketing Cloud mild? Wishes to have a obvious migration route into the SAP Marketing Cloud for growing customers.
Additionally one must take into account, which elements of LeadRocket will be merged into the SalesCloud with its as an opportunity easy campaign module.
Overall, there may be pretty some possibility right here.
Service Cloud
The SAP Service Cloud got redefined. During SAPPHIRE 2018 SAP announced the acquisition of a small company called Coresystems.
Coresystems is the kernel of the new SAP Service Cloud.
And that may be a big deal as all the unexpected SAP has an area over Salesforce Service Cloud due to the abilities of Coresystems. This is due to the marketplace capability for service technicians that Coresystems gives.
Friend Paul Greenberg said that with Gigya and CallidusCloud SAP made two of the best acquisitions in the industry. I’d make it three now (or four, adding Ariba; but then Ariba is not part of C/4HANA).
The antique SAP Hybris Cloud for Service, the SAP Customer Engagement Center and a few more modules and bits and portions have end up part of the SAP Service Cloud. This additionally consists of the exciting MindTouch answer.
As all these solutions are quite different it would be interesting to see a migration path into the new Service Cloud as well as an integration roadmap. Great as the individual pieces are, there need to be precise statements on how things will merge – and this before the SAP Customer Experience LIVE event in Barcelona.
Commerce Cloud
SAP Commerce Cloud is useless! Long live SAP Commerce Cloud. With not too much fanfare, SAP brought Commerce Cloud v2 to its solution set. Commerce Cloud v2 is in a nutshell SAP Commerce Cloud strolling on Azure together with some cloud deployment and manipulate gear. As such, and to benefit from severa certifications, it's far now critical to inform about which Azure times can be used (i.E. Where the facts lies) and whether or now not SAP is speakme public- or personal cloud. After all Azure may be used for each. Also, the integration approach desires to be clarified, as Commerce v2, as a Cloud system, via definition is predicated at the SAP Cloud Platform (SCP) for integration at the same time as the ?Antique? Commerce is primarily based at the Data Hub. Now evidently the SCP is not however advanced enough to useful resource all important integration eventualities.
If that is true then early adopters need a smooth migration direction.
Having said this, SAP e-commerce in the cloud is a big thing in general and might potentially become bad news for players like Corevist in the future, if SAP starts to seriously embrace the SMB market (which the company should).
Customer Data Cloud
Last but no longer least one of the most thrilling portions. The positioning of the SAP Customer Data Cloud indicates that it's far supposed to be a sort of Customer Data Hub. Already now this answer, previously known as Gigya, has the capability to merge and construct a profile from patron records. And it is terrific at its 3 key talents: Customer Identity and Access Management, consent management, and profiling.
Just that we are talking about clients to date and exclusively approximately their virtual footprint. The question proper right here is how this interferes with Marketing Cloud functionality. Marketing Cloud gives the opportunity to construct a golden document from an limitless variety of associated systems, the usage of a mechanism for prioritizing those records assets. These facts assets embody order systems, PoS records, and so forth., which makes the golden record a protracted manner greater exhaustive than the one brought with the aid of ?Gigya? (and another time, this answer may be very effective!). SAP Marketing Cloud keeps the supply information as sides of this golden document. This builds a very effective file. It moreover has records steward functionality.
What it does not have is a built-in capacity to push back information modifications to the supply systems. Being a marketing and marketing device it is a consumer of grasp statistics. But why the capacity to change information, then?
The major question now may be whether or no longer SAP intends to build up Customer Data Cloud due to the fact the holder of the golden record and then as a Customer Data Hub that is also able to pushing facts changes which can be accomplished through facts stewards once more to the associated systems. And if so, how? How will that relate to Marketing Cloud capability?
In a Micro Services worldwide it should be viable to build this Customer Data Hub out of offerings provided with the aid of the usage of both structures. I think, that is the manner SAP is going, but am no longer positive ? But.
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