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PeterSpielvogel
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert

In our conversations with prospective customers about SAP Screen Personas, we are often asked to define the value of the solution so they can write up a business case to justify their purchase. Generally, the justification must include some hard dollar savings. That is, cash they can avoid spending by virtue of using the new software.

Our messaging for SAP Screen Personas focuses on four areas:

  • Improve User Productivity
  • Increase Customer Satisfaction
  • Reduce Cost of Personalization
  • Decrease Training Time

This post will examine cost savings related to improved user productivity. Subsequent posts will address the other items in the list above.

User productivity can generate both hard and soft dollar savings. The premise is that you make users more productive so they get more done in less time so you need fewer people (or can defer hiring as a business grows). Streamlining a transaction from 7 clicks to 1 (see below) makes good business sense.

Let me provide an example. I recently had a meeting with an IT team from a large software company to train them on how to use Personas. The IT support people spend much of their day entering tickets and managing the IT assets for thousands of users. They do all this using SAP.

Using Personas to simplify their screens, convert free-text data entry fields to pull-down menus, create pick-lists of common asset types, and automate repetitive steps will save them time for every transaction they make each day. While this will certainly make them more efficient, it will not save their company money – at least not immediately.

But, one of the people mentioned, “if we can automate all these functions, we probably don’t need as many people in the asset management department.” If they were to eliminate this job function, that would result in hard dollar savings for the company – as well as hard luck for the person who was let go.

Fortunately, I don’t see this being much of a risk for anyone. Most IT teams I speak with are so backlogged with requests, they could use any time savings to address more items on their “to-do” lists. How many of the tasks on your list today were there last week? Last month? Last year!?!

Eliminating any potential areas for confusion means few data entry errors and less time (and cost!) in fixing these mistakes.

Thanks to my colleague, ellen.thiele, who helped in defining these scenarios and developing the slides. You can view the complete slide deck on how SAP Screen Personas creates value with fewer clicks.

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