Ken Conz, Manager, Technical Support Services
I recently wrote about how the beginning of the year is the perfect time to start your discovery process for whether third-party SAP support is right for your organization. There’s a cornucopia of free information available on this site and others, including analyst firms like Gartner. Once you’ve learned the basics, the next step is to initiate a conversation.
The Time to Talk: Now
We all approach research from a different angle. Some reach out to the vendor immediately. We hear from those every day. Others may not want to talk until they learn as much as they can about their options. And others reach out to colleagues or analysts first to solicit trusted references.
We recognize that everyone arrives at their own conclusions in their own time, which is why we provide as much transparent information as we can on our website. If you’re comparison shopping against SAP support, we offer a concise chart that shows the primary differences in support models. If you want to know what an entire year is like with Spinnaker Support, we have that, too. We even have ticket examples you can review.
But once you are ready to talk, there’s no better means to assess fit than with a knowledgeable expert. At Spinnaker Support, our staff provides a live consultation based on your products, needs, and time frame. Within minutes, you will be able to assess:
- Whether third-party support is right for your organization
- If your products can be supported by a third-party vendor
- The timing and cost factors involved with moving to third-party support
- What your peers have done when facing these same decisions
- How third-party support can fit into your future technology roadmap
- And more
How to Make the Most of Your Initial Conversation
Your time is valuable, and it’s your call if you want to have a high-level or a deeper first conversation. Should you wish for the latter, here are some of the types of information you may want to come prepared to talk about:
- What products you are paying SAP to support
- What locations and languages would you need to be supported
- What goals are driving your inquiry (e.g., lower cost, improve quality, extend product life)
- What type of service requests are you logging and how often
- What shelfware are you running and paying for
Below are some of the common questions that we answer in that initial conversation. Be sure to ask them if you don’t hear the answers:
- What type of organizations switch to third-party support?
- How quickly do you respond, and what is your escalation process?
- What type of security and vulnerability protection do you offer?
- What are your typical contractual terms and conditions? How flexible are they should our business conditions change?
- Is your company the subject of any legal litigation?
- Do you offer extended services if we have additional projects or application needs beyond the standard support contract?
It’s Time to Talk about Third-party Support
If you’re dissatisfied with your SAP support, the start of the year is an ideal time to begin a conversation. If you’re ready to talk about how a provider like Spinnaker Support an meet the needs of your unique SAP product landscape, contact us today.
If you’re still in the self-research phase, you can also begin your journey by visiting our interactive infographic “It’s About Time” which walks you through the whole process through 2021 and beyond. The “Time to Talk” section offers ideas and resources to help your engagement efforts.
