S/4 world without friction losses

Especially in the SAP-In the IT context, we are currently experiencing a wave of consolidation and streamlining of IT systems and landscapes, which does not even stop at complex system landscapes.

The only astonishing thing is that after the work on the core system, the peripheral systems often remain untouched. This is where a lot of potential for streamlining and purging is wasted.

Especially complex process-integrated ECM- and archiving systems are not considered, although there is a great benefit for the company in their consolidation.
As KGS, we have been dealing with the effective use of unstructured content (e.g. paper documents) in the SAP-context and in SAP-based processes.

Use unstructured content effectively

This topic continues to be neglected, whether out of fear of attacking existing processes, because too much decision-making freedom is left to the specialist departments, or because management does not recognize the benefits. As a result, potential remains unused.

On the way to a digital world, however, this transformation must also succeed. Only those companies that can effectively and digitally use both structured and unstructured content in their processes have arrived in the digital age.

Consider the following thought experiment: You are a customer support representative and receive a call from an angry customer.

How do you feel when you can't understand and comprehend the concern based on facts?

Because although you have a SAP-access and thus access to structured data. The delivery bill in question, however, cannot be found because it is filed away in some office.

How will the conversation end? With dissatisfaction on both sides!

Now put yourself in the shoes of another clerk who receives the same call. Thanks to completed transformation processes, you not only have the information from the ERPbut also those from the archive.

Right at the beginning of the conversation, you realize that there has been a misdelivery, because in addition to the ERP-data you will see a handwritten note with a position deviation on the delivery document.

With this knowledge, you can now find a solution with your customer.

This small example shows that it is important to take a holistic view of the transformation to the digital age and not to stop at process changes.

In order to make the right decisions here and not lose sight of the goal, competent partners are needed specifically for ECM/archive processes.

Because these can be similarly complex as those in SAP pictured.

Unstructured content will accompany us in business processes for years to come and requires effective integration.

With the ongoing digitization of our business lives and the widespread use of mobile devices, we are even seeing an increase in unstructured content.

How often today, for example, are receipts simply photographed on business trips and then sent by e-mail for further processing? New processes are needed here to effectively integrate such content into existing processes.

Integration into existing processes and installations

Entrepreneurs and companies must prepare themselves to design processes without media breaks.

Especially in the transition from unstructured to structured content, these are still present and can only be eliminated by a consistent integration of ECM-based processes in the SAP-world to solve.

SAP lays here with S/4 Hana and a deep integration of unstructured documents into the processes.

But what about all the installations that are still based on ECC? Here, the right course must be set today in order to prepare for a transition to the new S/4 world without frictional losses.

The digital transformation must therefore be viewed holistically. Only those who illuminate all processes and systems will master it successfully.