Commercial Director at hsp AG Holger Schaar & Partner

hsp went live with its SAP Business ByDesign for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in December, 2010. Three weeks prior, SAP partner, IBIS Prof. Thome in Würzburg, began implementation of the system. Dr. Christian Bätz, Business Unit Manager for Business By- Design at IBIS, spoke with Jürgen M. Gruner, Commercial Director and Project Manager at hsp about the company's experiences with the new system:

IBIS: Mr. Gruner, how did you feel about the switch to SAP Business ByDesign?

JMG: For 25 years now hsp has had much success activating its customer's entire employee base using its unique bottom-up approach; it's led to these companie's lasting, holistic development. A central aspect of employee involvement is based on our iceberg principle that focuses not just on facts (10%) but operates at the emotional level (90%) too, taking into account factors such as attitude, motivation and personal choice. From the start, we made certain to include employees who would be affected by the change in all decisions and in designing the CRM system. The SAP project methodology confirmed the importance of incorporating users in the implementation of SAP Business ByDesign, so we were well prepared.

IBIS: What changes would you say are especially positive?

JMG: Without a doubt, mobile Internet access to the solution and centralized management of all customer and network data. Because we're a company with only decentralized consultants and trainers and rely very heavily on our network, we're noticing a huge improvement in our project work and customer acquisition.

IBIS: Can you describe the company's daily use of and access to SAP Business ByDesign?

JMG: Access to the system depends on user activities and preference. If an employee is traveling and has Internet connectivity, s/he can hook up to the system via a browser and maintain contacts, appointments and activities directly. Some colleagues prefer to use their Applie iPhone in addition to their laptop. But it's also possible to work offline. Contacts and appointments are then loaded as maintained in MS Outlook. SAP Business ByDesign remains our leading system and synchronizes all data whenever a connection's made. When in the office, employees can easily access the system from their desk PC.

IBIS: In addition to the positive, have you had any negative experiences with cloud computing?

JMG: Before jumping in, we considered the specific risks and dependencies associated with an SaaS solution. For instance, what happens if we lose connectivity and how quickly can this type of solution be accessed? But we've had consistently positive experiences. The solution is always available and performance is excellent. No longer having to manage and maintain our own system has freed up our time, allowing us to focus completely on our core competence.

IBIS: What advantages do you see?

JMG: The solution is available 24/7 and if problems occur, SAP Support is accessible every day, around the clock. Technical problems such as server failure - especially at inopportune times like evenings or weekends - are all history now. These are vital benefits in CRM and for enterprises like ours that provide service.

IBIS:  Thank you for talking with us, Mr. Gruner.