Automating SAP Maintenance Service: solutions and key strategic considerations
Technological advancement is a must for organisations. Over recent years, the trend has been one of increasing levels of sophistication and applicability, in particular thanks to the emergence of new solutions. In the business sphere, automation has become a powerful driver of process optimisation while simultaneously increasing efficiency and productivity.
However, this is more than just a trend: today, automating SAP Maintenance Service has become a necessity in order to remain competitive. Specifically, using application management services (or AMS) to automate processes can play a key role in a company’s medium- or long-term success, as it allows teams to save time by eliminating monotonous tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-value activities. Beyond its positive effects on productivity, this also improves end-user satisfaction.
Automation solutions for SAP Maintenance Service
Before proposing a roadmap to follow as a strategy for reducing manual intervention, it is worth going over the functionalities that can be automated using NTT DATA’s current portfolio of solutions:
- Ticket triage: The goal of this process is to receive, prioritise, assign and direct requests more efficiently, and to offer automated responses to common questions.
- Preventative actions: Systems and applications are updated automatically in order to guarantee that the most secure and up-to-date version is being used.
- Robotic process automation (RPA): Software robots are used to streamline and speed up everyday tasks, simultaneously reducing the likelihood of human errors.
- Incident resolution: Rules and scripts allow systems to respond automatically to certain queries and avoid the drawbacks of managing them manually.
- Reports and monitoring: Companies that are capable of automatically generating performance reports will have an up-to-date record of the functionality of their systems at any given time.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning: Using these technologies, systems can solve problems on their own as well as analyse large datasets and learn continuously in order to make ever-better decisions.
- Chatbots and virtual assistants: These programs automate interaction with users and use a conversational format to answer questions. By doing so, they improve the availability and speed of customer service, and therefore the user experience.
- Code and documentation generation: Automated, centralised programming reduces manual human efforts. Moreover, it speeds up the development cycle and improves consistency.
- Testing: Tests can be automated to save time and resources, as well as to streamline the testing process itself. This makes it possible to improve coverage, considering that a broad variety of scenarios can be addressed quickly.
Key implementation considerations
To create an effective automation strategy, it is essential to consider the organisation, sector and context where the process will be implemented, along with the specific needs and technology in play. For this reason, at NTT DATA we help companies analyse their situation and create a detailed plan that takes every detail into account, from the investment budget to staff requirements.
There are five key aspects that we consider when creating a plan. They are discussed in more detail below.
The impact of automation
It’s critical to understand the impact and repercussions that automation will have on a company in general, and on AMS in particular. You must not lose sight of the desired goal when evaluating processes; the needs to be addressed must be identified, along with the business areas that show most potential for return on investment. Furthermore, you must consider the budget and any risks, and be flexible in implementing and fine-tuning the strategy over time.
Automation tools and systems
To ensure success, the selected solutions must be suitable for the tasks and process to be automated, based on the identified needs. Consideration must also be given to ensuring they integrate effectively with each other, to facilitate the management of new workflows. To make this possible, at NTT DATA we offer a platform of integrable and customisable assets covering all business areas.
Implementation and configuration
Once your strategy has been applied, workflows must be clearly defined along with rules triggering the actions that comprise specific processes. For example, these could be the rules configured for automated task assignment, or ticket and incident resolution. This aspect is key for obtaining the best-possible performance.
Training and education
In addition to freeing up teams from tedious and repetitive tasks, allowing them to dedicate that time to other, more valuable activities, automation also comes with new functionalities. It’s important to train staff to be aware of their new tasks and to teach them how to work with the new systems, tools and processes in place.
Continuous improvement
Once the new strategic system is in place, the focus must be maintained on continuous improvement. To do so, system functionality must be evaluated continuously, adjusting it as appropriate to overcome any shortcomings and optimise results. In this sense, staff members’ opinions on the subject must be taken into consideration, and regular revisions are necessary in order for the system to evolve constantly.
Conclusion: automating your SAP Maintenance Service can also enhance your business
AMS automation allows for improvement in the quality of operations, and increases end-user satisfaction. While it must be balanced with hands-on work and continuous training and evaluation, it is undoubtedly an essential factor in optimising company processes and thus improving productivity.
It’s very important to select tools that are suited for your company’s requirements, taking into account their usability and integrability. As a result, at NTT DATA we are here to offer you our expertise to help you choose the ideal solutions for your needs. Moreover, we can advise and accompany you as you define and implement the strategy best adapted to your situation. Contact us to find out how your company can benefit from our services.
Eva Invernón | Director SAP Long-Term Services Spain
