At our Expert Talk “Measure, Don’t Complain,” more than 100 guests learned the importance of steering business processes through measurable performance indicators. Thilo Kerner, Chief Revenue Officer at Sybit, Georg Aholt, Head of the Center of Excellence, Business Analytics & Information Management at NTT DATA Business Solutions AG, and Jana Kiechle, Head of Marketing & Business Development, discussed how collaboration between business departments and IT can enhance a company’s performance and help achieve strategic goals more efficiently.

KPIs in Sales and Customer Service

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are crucial for measuring and managing a company's success. They enable organizations to evaluate the performance of sales and service departments, set goals, and take corrective action when necessary. Some KPIs are particularly vital for sales leaders. Quarterly and annual revenue targets provide a clear indication of whether the company is on track to achieve its financial objectives. The conversion rate, which measures how many sales opportunities lead to actual orders, is also a key metric. However, the talk emphasized one crucial point: KPIs that provide transparency into the sales pipeline — showing whether there are enough potential deals — are often underdeveloped in many organizations, despite having a significant impact on sales management and success. These KPIs help guide and improve the performance of sales teams.

The relevant KPIs in customer service vary depending on the area. The First Time Fix Rate, which measures how often a service technician resolves a problem on the first visit, is crucial for field service. In call centers, average call handling time is a key efficiency metric. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer satisfaction and loyalty, serving as a valuable general quality indicator. These KPIs help monitor service quality and ensure customer satisfaction.

Close Collaboration Between IT and Business Departments Is Essential

Implementing KPIs comes with challenges. Without high-quality data, KPIs are meaningless. Ensuring data quality at the source and continually improving it is critical. Everyone involved must understand how the KPIs are calculated and what data they are based on. Additionally, the seamless integration of data from different systems and sources must be ensured. These challenges require careful planning and close cooperation between departments.

Several solutions to these challenges were discussed during the Expert Talk. Data management systems like SAP DataSphere help maintain high data quality, while self-service analytics tools such as SAP Analytics Cloud allow business users to create reports and analyze data flexibly. Close collaboration between IT and business units is essential to meet the growing demands for data and analytics. KPI frameworks should be regularly reviewed and adjusted to stay aligned with business goals. These steps ensure that KPIs can be effectively utilized.

A Deep Dive: The SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP)

One key takeaway from the Expert Talk was that in the context of transformation initiatives — especially related to S/4HANA migrations — the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) is becoming increasingly important. BTP is a service-oriented framework that integrates a variety of tools to support data-driven business processes. This platform allows companies to meet individual requirements without being limited to specific tools, offering greater flexibility and adaptability to different business needs.

Integration and Utilization of BTP

BTP includes several core components, such as SAP DataSphere for data management and SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) as the front-end analytics tool. This combination enables real-time analysis and evaluation of operational metrics directly from S/4HANA systems, which is particularly advantageous when managing KPIs to steer the business. The ability to access and integrate data in real-time is a key benefit of BTP.

Data Quality and Governance

One of BTP's strengths lies in its ability to support data quality initiatives. Using BTP, companies can establish mechanisms to continuously maintain high data quality, which is crucial since poor data quality can lead to inaccurate analyses and negatively impact decision-making. Moreover, the modern data management systems included in BTP offer extensive self-service capabilities for business users, reducing reliance on IT departments and increasing efficiency.

Flexibility and Hybrid Scenarios

BTP enables hybrid scenarios, allowing companies to utilize both SAP-native and third-party data management tools. This provides organizations with the flexibility to maintain their existing IT landscapes while benefiting from the advantages of BTP. The integration of various systems and tools becomes much easier as a result.

IT Support

A critical aspect of leveraging BTP is the close collaboration between IT and business departments. IT must act as a partner, ensuring proper data modeling and governance. This allows business departments to independently create reports and generate specific insights, which previously took much longer due to IT's workload.

In summary, the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) offers a comprehensive and flexible solution for data management and analysis, supporting both IT and business departments. With BTP, companies can enhance data quality, respond flexibly to business demands, and establish effective KPI-driven decision-making processes.

Key Takeaways

A standout quote from the talk was: “Modern data management systems offer a high level of self-service capabilities for business users, allowing them to independently generate reports without relying on the IT department. This fosters collaboration and efficiency, as data integration and new reports can now be completed quickly and flexibly, unlike in the past when the heavy dependence on IT caused significant delays.”

The Expert Talk “Measure, Don’t Complain” highlighted the transformative power of KPIs in sales and service. Through effective collaboration between business departments and IT, companies can harness KPIs to improve performance, ensure data quality, and make informed decisions. Leveraging modern tools and focusing on continuous improvement can lead to significant efficiency gains and higher customer satisfaction. The clear message is: Companies should set clear goals, promote cross-functional collaboration, and adopt the right technology to fully unlock the potential of KPIs. Start your KPI journey now and experience the positive impact on your business.