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Tom RobERTS

Vice president Global ecosystem and partner Group

Sap aG

4 Quick Ways to Get More Value Out of Your Current Business SystemsSAP Leverages Its Ecosystem Partners to Deliver Greater ROI to Customers

But to attain such a profitability boost, companies need a

clearunderstandingofallaspectsoftheircostandprofitplans.

Organizationsthatdon’t fullyunderstandhowcounter-pricing

proposalsaffectprofitability,forinstance,maylosepotentially

profitablebusiness—orworse, inadvertentlyacceptunprofit-

ablebusiness.Companiesmustgivetheirsalesforcethetools

theyneedtoquicklyidentifyprofitableopportunitiesandavoid

baddeals.

SAP Price and Margin Management by VendavoInglobalbusiness-to-business(B2B)industries—likewholesale

distribution, industrialmachineryandcomponents,hightech,

andoilandgas—cuttingcostsandincreasingprofitsareespe-

ciallycriticalbecauseB2Bpricingissocomplex.Thesecompa-

nies do business with multiple organizations across different

regions,channels,andsegments,andtheyoftenmustcoordi-

nateacrossmultipledepartments includingsales,production,

finance,operations,marketing,andexecutivemanagement.

With tools like SAP Price and Margin Management by

Vendavo,SAPcustomers in these industriescankeepapulse

ontheircostsandprofits,givingthemthevisibilitytheyneed

toknowwhen—andbyhowmuch—toraisepricestomaintain

or increase profitability. For example, SAP Price and Margin

Managementallowscompaniestokeeptrackofchangingcost

variables, such as product ingredients, transportation, and

productsupportanddesign. Italsoallowsthemtoshare this

information across networks of sales representatives, sales

partners, and distributors (see Figure 1 on the next page),

helpingthemmakemore-informedpricingdecisions.

And since it is tightly integrated with SAP ERP and SAP

CustomerRelationshipManagement(SAPCRM),thissolution’s

pricingcapabilitiesleverageup-to-dateproductandcustomer-

specific information that already resides in your business

systems—ensuringaccurate,nearreal-timeanalysis,evenina

complexB2Benvironment.

Inthesechallengingtimes,there’snoquestionthatSAPcustom-

ersarelookingtogetmorevalueoutoftheirexistingsystems.To

remaincompetitive—eventoremaininbusiness—organizations

havetomakethemostoftheirenterpriseinformation,resources,

andassets.Butcompaniescannot stopat simplycreatingnew

internalefficiencies.Organizationsmustalsofindwaysto:

Optimizeprofit

Improvethebottomline

Engage,retain,andgaincustomers

Createefficienciesacrossthebusinessnetwork

SAPcustomersalreadyhaveaccesstoawealthofinforma-

tionandbest-practicebusinessprocesses that canhelp them

achievethesefourgoals. Inthefollowingpages,we’ll investi-

gatehowSAPalsoworkswithkeysoftwarevendorstoensure

thatcustomerscantacticallyextendtheircurrentinvestments

tobuildevenmorecompetitive,compelling,andholisticsolu-

tions.WhethersoldorendorsedbySAP,theselectthird-party

offeringshighlightedinthisarticlecanquicklyextendthevalue

ofyourinvestmentinSAPandotherenterprisesystems.

#1: Optimize Profit Through More-Informed Pricing DecisionsCompaniesacrossallindustriesarefeelingintensepressureto

cutwhatevercoststheycanandkeepawatchfuleyeonprofit

margins.Pricingnegotiationshavethereforebecomeevenmore

important—companiesneedrobustcapabilitiesinpriceexecu-

tion,priceanalytics,pricemanagement,priceoptimization,and

priceadministration to fullyunderstand theirbreak-evenand

profitpoints.Forexample,evena1% increase inprice,when

properlyexecuted,canleadtoaprofitincreaseofupto30%.1

� Patrick Hoge, “Vendavo finds profits in downturn” (February 6, 2009).

1.

2.

3.

4.

ThisarticleappearedintheAprnMaynJun2009issueofSAPInsiderandappearsherewithpermissionfromthepublisher,WellesleyInformationServices(WIS),www.WISpubs.com.

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Consider a company with more than 5,000 products and

4,000 customers that’s dealing with a fluctuating cost of

materials.Ifthiscompanyusesonlymanualprofitabilitycalcu-

lations,itmightendupoverlookingimportantfactors—likethe

costsof freight—that influence itsoverallprofitability. If this

companyusedSAPPriceandMarginManagement,itwouldbe

workingwithinestablishedbusinessrulesandprocessestohelp:

Segmentitsmarketseffectively

Setandoptimizepricesandtermsbycustomer

Managecomplexpricelists,policies,andapprovalstructures

Negotiatemoreprofitabledeals

Halt“maverick”spending

LeveragetheseprocessesthroughitsexistingSAPsystems

SAPPriceandMarginManagementdrivesinformedandcon-

sistentpricingdecisionsthataligntheentireorganization,from

planningtoexecution.Thisinturnenablescompaniestoachieve

higher margins through pricing best practices and a precise

pricing science. Please see https://ecohub.sdn.sap.com/irj/

ecohub/solutions/priceandmarginformoreinformation.

#2: Improve the Bottom Line Through Better Business VisibilityOrganizations must operate more effectively to remain com-

petitiveintoday’senvironment.Businessvisibilityisparamount

toensureanadvantageintheseturbulenttimes.Leveragingthe

business data that resides within your powerful business

systemscanenableyoutorespondbettertopotentialbusiness

changesandopportunities.Whetheryou’remanagingacomplex,

multi-tieredsupplychainorchannelpromotions,youcanuse

theinformationinyoursystemstobettermanagecash-related

inefficiencies like inventory carrying costs and days charge-

backsoutstanding.

Improving Supply Chain VisibilityManufacturersareunder tremendouspressure tomeetrising

customer expectations for product availability, reduce supply

chaincosts,outperformcompetitors,andcapturemarketshare.

Atthesametime,globalizationisincreasingsupplychaincom-

plexity while fragmented markets and product lines foster

higherdemanduncertainty.

It doesn’t help that many manufacturers also operate in

disconnected IT environments where functional units tend to

make isolated decisions based on inconsistent data. In such

environments,forecastsarefrequentlyinaccurate,andrespond-

ing effectively to demand fluctuations is difficult at best. To

compensate,companiescarryexcessinventoryateverystage

ofthesupplychainprocessasahedgeagainstsupply,produc-

tion,anddemandvariability.Butthisdrivesupinventorycarrying

costs,whichtiesupcapitalthatcouldbeputtofarbetteruse.

SmartOps Enterprise Inventory OptimizationOptimizing your inventory requires the continuous manage-

ment of uncertainties, constraints, and complexities across

your global supply chain. Accordingly, organizations need

advancedtoolsforefficientlyoptimizinginventorycapabilities

to accurately sense and respond to supply chain fluctuations

whileminimizingstocklevelstocontrolcosts.

TheSmartOpsEnterpriseInventoryOptimizationsolution,an

SAP-endorsed business solution, helps organizations manage

their inventory (see Figure 2). Working seamlessly with SAP

BusinessSuiteapplications,thissolutioncanhelpmanufacturers

FiGure 1 p With Sap price and Margin Management by Vendavo, companies

gain visibility into many aspects of their pricing and profit margins

Case Study: Chemical Company reduces Procurement SpendingTolearnhowaleadingproviderofadhesivesandpolyesterplasticsforpackagingreduceditsprocurementspendingby3%to5%,visithttps://ecohub.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/hub/uuid/60b56bd1-9073-2b10-a3a7-e9d4051296bd.

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and distributors dynamically and reliably determine optimal,

demand-driveninventorytargetsforeveryitemateveryloca-

tionthroughoutthesupplychain.Youcansensechangesmore

accurately,makedecisionsfaster,andoperatewithsignificantly

lower working capital and higher customer service levels.

SmartOpsEnterpriseInventoryOptimizationdeliversasustain-

able return on investment by keeping inventory levels from

increasingovertimewhileprovidingnear-perfectproductavail-

abilityandconsistenton-timedeliveries(seesidebar).Tolearn

moreaboutSmartOpsEnterpriseInventoryOptimization,visit

https://ecohub.sdn.sap.com/irj/ecohub/solutions/eio.

Enabling Better Channel VisibilityAs competition for the end customer becomes more difficult,

consumerproductscompanies,wholesalemanufacturers,and

theirtradingpartnersarelookingtocustomerpromotionsand

sales channel incentives as a strategic way to maintain and

evengainmarketshare.Additionally,withcreditatapremium,

vendorchargebackprocesseshelptheforward-thinkingCFOin

thewholesaledistributionindustrymakestrategicinvestments

toimprovethevendorcostrecoveryprocess,therebypositively

impactingcashflowandworkingcapitalneeds.

Industry trends reveal that manufacturers are increasingly

offering special pricing to customers, but that the special

pricing is often lower than what distributors paid for the

product.Thisiswhydistributorsneedtorecoupthedifference

from manufacturers in the form of chargeback claims. An

averagecompanytakes30daystorecoupthemoneyitisdue.2

In comparison, the more competitive companies can do so

inthreedays,dramaticallyimprovingtheircashposition.

Itisquitecommontoseedistributorsmanagechargebacksin

spreadsheets or other siloed desktop applications, making it a

2 National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) study.

FiGure 2 p the Smartops enterprise inventory optimization solution’s advanced demand, production, and supply analytics leverage Sap

eRp, Sap Supply chain Management, Sap NetWeaver Business Warehouse, and Sap Businessobjects reporting and dashboard capabilities

Key Benefits of using SmartOps enterprise inventory Optimization1. Stabilize and improve product availability

5%to10%increaseinorderfillratesandon-timedelivery

20%to30%reductioninaverageorderleadtime

50%to75%reductioninorderleadtimevariability

2. Reduce working capital

20%to40%reductionintotalchaininventorycosts

Optimalandcoordinatedmulti-echelonSKU-location

inventorypolicies

3. Improve planner and analyst productivity

Automated,reliableprocessallowsplannerstofocuson

highest-valueproductsandcustomers

Visibilityintoinventorycostdrivers

4. Achieve quick and substantial ROI

Investmentpaybackofteninlessthansixmonths

LowTCOwithjointdevelopment,delivery,andsupportwith

SAPsolutionintegration

Source: SAP Business Transformation Studies

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slow,error-prone,andexpensiveprocess.Notonlyisthisamajor

headache for distributors, it also results in profit leakage. To

effectivelymanagechargebacksandreducethenumberofdays

chargebacks are outstanding, distributors need to track the

order-to-cashcycleforeachsalesorder—andalltheitemswithin

it—toenablemoreaccurateclaimsandaccruals,provideproof-

of-salesdocumentation,andenableanoverallsmootherclaims

settlementprocess(seesidebartotheright).Lackingautomated

businessprocesscapabilitiesresultsinlostopportunities,lower

profitability,andsignificantfinancialunderperformance.

SAP Paybacks and Chargebacks by VistexWithSAPPaybacksandChargebacksbyVistex,distributorscan

collectandtrackalloftheirchargebackclaims(seeFigure 3),

enabling faster and more accurate claims management while

reducingcosts.SAPPaybacksandChargebacksletsyoumanage

theentirechargebackprocesslifecycle—fromclaiminitiation

and receipt through adjudication, accrual, settlement, and

post-settlement adjustment. SAP Paybacks and Chargebacks

canhelpyou:

Createavarietyofcontractagreementswithmultiple

manufacturersandendusers

Processclaimsthroughelectronicdatainterchange(EDI),

flatfiles,aWebportal,ormanualentryusingfast-entrytools

Validatecontractagreements

Settlepaybackandchargebackdocumentsbasedonflexible

settlementparameters

Settleaccruedrebateexpenses,withautomaticreversal

ofaccruals,toSAPaccountsreceivableoraccounts

payablesoftware

Easilyreconcileandresolvedisputes

Usemultiplecurrenciesandunitsofmeasure

Reportrebateclaimandplan/performancetrackingto

managementthroughstandardreports,aWebportal,

oradhocreportingtools

Establishafullaudittrailfortheentirechargebacklifecycle

tosupportcorporateaccountingandcomplianceefforts

Useanalyticalandsimulationfunctionalitytoevaluateand

promotedesirableprogramsandmodelnewprograms

Distributorsacrossall themajor sub-verticalsofwholesale

distribution, such as the healthcare, industrial, and food and

FiGure 3 p Sap paybacks and chargebacks by Vistex allows users to

manage their chargeback claims through one interface

4 Tips for Better Chargeback ManagementYourchargebacksolutionshould:

1. Integrate with your SAP ERP-based order-to-cash and finance processes out of the box. Thishelpsprovidemorevisibility andcontrol,closebooksfaster,meetinternalcontrolsandregulatorycompliancerequirements,andeliminatethecostofintegrationandmaintenanceofcustominterfaces.

2. Provide actionable business intelligence capabilities.Forexam-ple,beingabletoexaminedatafrommanyperspectives—likeprod-uct,customer,program,andchannel—allowsyoutogainstrategicbusinessinsightandhelpsyoumakebetter-informeddecisions.

3. Enable “management by exceptions.”Managementbyexcep-tions — for example, requiring employee intervention only whenanexceptioniskickedoutbythesystembasedondefinedenter-prisebusinessrules—increasesemployees’productivityandhelpsthemfocusmoreonvalue-addingwork.

4. Provide easy B2B integration capabilities with trading partners. Thisenablesfasterandmorestreamlinedprocessesforallpartiesinyourbusinessnetworkandultimatelyleadstohighervalueforyourcustomers.

Case Study: electric Company Streamlines ChargebacksTolearnhowaleadingelectriccompanyusedSAPPaybacksandChargebacksbyVistextostreamlineitschargebackprocess,visithttps://ecohub.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/ hub/uuid/20f2d2f3-e376-2b10-b082-cdf1f6b55456.

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beverage industries, are successfully using the SAP Paybacks

and Chargebacks application. For more details on using SAP

PaybacksandChargebacksbyVistex,visithttps://ecohub.sdn.

sap.com/irj/ecohub/solutions/paybacksandchargebacks.

SAP Incentive Administration by VistexSince incentive programs go hand in hand with promotions

management,distributorsusingSAPPaybacksandChargebacks

oftenalso leverageSAP IncentiveAdministrationbyVistex to

providethesamelevelofvisibilityandcontroltomanagetheir

incentive programs. SAP Incentive Administration integrates

seamlesslywithSAPsoftwaretoproviderobustadministration,

analysis, and reporting capabilities. Thispowerful application

enables you to efficiently manage commissions and other

incentive programs. You can set targets and quotas — and

monitoractualresultsagainstbudget.

In the life sciences industry, for example, an integrated

solution is essential to address contract management and

downstreamcontractingprocesses,suchaschargebackclaims

administration and rebates management. SAP ERP, together

with SAP Incentive Administration and SAP Paybacks and

Chargebacks,offers the levelofend-to-endcontractmanage-

ment cycle — including contract negotiation, chargeback

management, rebate calculation, and financial settlement —

thathighlycompetitivecompaniesrequire.Pleasevisithttps://

ecohub.sdn.sap.com/irj/ecohub/solutions/incentiveadmin

formoredetailsonSAPIncentiveAdministration.

#3: Engage, Retain, and Gain Customers Through Better Customer EngagementIndifficulteconomictimes,it’scriticaltoattractnewcustomers

whilealsokeepingexisting,profitableonesonboard.Buttough

timesalsoresultinextrastrainsontheresourcesavailableto

helpmeetcustomerneeds.

Companiescanbetterserveprospectiveandcurrentcustom-

ersbyensuringthatcustomer-centricinformationinITsystems

is available at the right time, in the right place, in the right

format.WithofferingssuchasSAPInteractiveFormssoftware

by Adobe and SAP Document Access by Open Text, you can

maximizeyourinvestmentsandprotectyourcustomerbaseby

ensuringthatinformationisatthefingertipsofthepeoplewho

need it precisely when they need it. Services industries that

traditionallyrelyheavilyonpaperformsanddocuments,such

as financial services and the public sector, may particularly

benefitfromthesesolutions.

SAP Interactive Forms Software by AdobeOrganizations looking toenablegreaterbusinessproductivity

canensurethatallusers—includingSAP,non-SAP,remote,and

online users — have access to the data and applications they

needwithasolutionlikeSAPInteractiveForms(seeFigure 4).3

Thissoftwarecanbeusedtostreamlineaforms-basedprocess,

suchascustomeraccountset-upormaintenance,withoutrequir-

inganactiveSAPapplicationlogin.Becauseyourcustomersor

customerservicerepresentativesdon’tneedtologintoyourSAP

system,theycaneasilyusetheintuitivePDFformscreatedwith

thissoftwaretoincludeup-to-dateinformationintheirreports.

Thisenablesyourorganizationtothencapturethatinformation

withintheforminrealtimeandautomaticallyupdatethatdatain

back-endsystems—acceleratingnewcustomeronboardingand

makingaccountmaintenancemoreefficientthroughbetterself-

servicecapabilities.

Tohelpautomateoverallbusinessprocesses,aninteractive

formcanbeprepopulatedwithdata, thereby reducingerrors

andprovidingbettercontroloverdataquality.SAPInteractive

Formsalsohelpscompaniesadheretocompliancemandatesby

ensuring document validity through digital signatures and

documents-based process transparency. And, since the elec-

tronicPDFformsareacost-effectivestoragemedium,compa-

nies can comply with their records retention requirements

withoutbreakingthebank.

SAP Document Access by Open TextManycompanieslookingtoimprovecustomerrelationsarealso

takingadvantageof theSAPDocumentAccessapplicationby

Open Text. This solution gives employees access to all the

� For more details on SAP Interactive Forms, please see The User Experience column on page 58 in this April-June 2009 issue of SAP Insider (www.SAPinsideronline.com).

FiGure 4 p Sap interactive Forms software by adobe offers an intuitive,

paper-like format that can be used online and offline

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relevantenterpriseinformationtheyneed—withoutleavingthe

SAPenvironment(seeFigure 5).ByusingSAPDocumentAccess

tocapture,manage,andretrieveallcustomerdocumentsinone

location,employeescanworkfromthesamedatawithacom-

pleteviewofallcustomerinteractionsinhierarchalvirtualfold-

ers.Theresult?Better,moreconsistentcustomerservice.

AndfromanITperspective,companiescanuseSAPDocument

Access to optimize system performance by relieving the live

systemofagedSAPdataandstoring it inaneconomical,on-

demand storage medium. Additionally, SAP Document Access

groups informationacrossaprocess.Sonomatterwherethe

processstarted,theentirecustomerhistoryisreflected.

Consider a customer claims process for the insurance

industry.Everydocumentortransaction, fromthecustomer’s

firstfilingoflosstothefinalsettlement,canbeaggregatedina

single folder, regardlessofwhere the informationwasgener-

ated.Thisalsoprovidestransparencyacrosstheentireprocess

and supports records retention requirements. Everything a

customer needs to know pertaining to that case is at their

fingertips,orthecustomerservicerepresentative’sfingertips,

ondemand.

#4: Create Efficiencies Across the Business Network Through Process AutomationEfficiencyisakeyingredientofacompany’ssuccess.Businesses

needefficientbusinessprocesses,anefficientworkforce,andan

efficientdecision-makingprocesstoriseabovethecompetition.

Inthistighteconomy,however,efficiencyhasbecomeaneven

greaterdifferentiatorbetweensuccessandfailure.That’swhy

companiesneedtools thatwillenablethisefficiencybyauto-

matingprocesses,givingdecisionmakersup-to-dateandaccu-

rateinformation,andprovidingmanagementwithvisibilityinto

what projects the company is working on and exactly who is

responsibleforwhat.

SAP Visual Plant Information by NRXToincreasetheefficiencyoftheirplants,companiesmustgain

visibilityintotheirplantprocessesandmaintaincontrolofthe

physicalandhumanassets thatkeep it running.Toovercome

thesechallenges,companiescantakeadvantageofatoollike

SAPVisualPlantInformationbyNRX.Thissolutionisdesigned

toextendthefunctionalityofSAPServiceandAssetManage-

ment—partoftheSAPSupplyChainManagement(SAPSCM)

solutionsuite.

SAPVisualPlantInformationgivescompaniesvisibility into

their plant processes — like the status of plant maintenance

requests,forexample(seeFigure 6).

SAP Visual Plant Information also enables companies to

bettermanagephysicalassetsthroughoutthecompleteasset

life cycle. Companies will also be able to manage their plant

workforce, tracking the progress of their tasks and allowing

managerstofindnewopportunitiestoincreasetheirefficiency.

SAP Workforce Scheduling and Optimization by ClickSoftwareWorkforce scheduling isn’t easy. How can you be sure that

therightpeople—aswellas therightparts,equipment,and

FiGure 5 p Sap Document access by open text gives users a 360-degree view of customer information without leaving the Sap

environment; here, hierarchal folders provide a self-guided view across all the data and documents pertaining to the customer

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vehicles—areavailablefortherightjob,attherighttime,and

attherightcost?Efficientfieldserviceoperationisnotonlya

primarydriverofcustomersatisfactionandloyalty;itcanalso

generatehighlyattractiveprofitmargins.

TheSAPWorkforceSchedulingandOptimizationapplication

byClickSoftwarecanhelp take theguesswork—andsomeof

thecosts—outoffieldservicedelivery.SAPWorkforceSchedul-

ingandOptimizationenablesacohesivesetofbusinessactivi-

ties — such as demand forecasting, workforce shift planning,

optimizedscheduling,andbusinessanalytics—tohelpservice

organizationsrunatoptimalefficiency.Thesefunctionsensure

thattheserviceorganizationmeetsitsobjectivesandcommit-

mentssmoothlyandefficiently.

SAP Workforce Scheduling and Optimization addresses the

fundamentalsofjobortaskfulfillment—whoisdoingwhat,for

whom,withwhat,where,andwhen(seeFigure 7).Thisapplica-

tion also provides organizations with complete visibility and

controlovertheirworkforce,enablingcompaniesto:

Reduceeffortandincreaseefficiencyacrossalllevelsof

analyzing,planning,andschedulingserviceworkforceactivities

Drivetremendousimprovementsincustomerservice

Raiseworkforceproductivity

Enableflexible,dynamic,andinnovativeservicepolicies

Provideandautomatereal-timeproactiveandreactive

decision-makingcapabilities

WithSAPWorkforceSchedulingandOptimization,organiza-

tionscanalsostayincontroloftheirmobileworkforceandcom-

plete more calls per day. This leads to a more efficient field

serviceoperationandmoresatisfiedcustomers.

SAP Talent Visualization by NakisaFacingsomuchmarketplacechange,companiesmayfindthem-

selvesdealingwithexecutiveadditionsordepartures,market

fluctuations,orcompanyreorganizations.ForbothHRprofes-

sionalsandemployees,keepingtrackofthesechangescanbea

dauntingtask—butmaintainingacompany’sefficiencyinthe

face of such organizational change is key to maintaining its

competitiveness.

With SAP ERP Human Capital Management (SAP ERP HCM),

companiesgainaccess to richandplentifuldata thatcanhelp

themmakethemostoutoftheiremployeeresources.Andwith

toolsliketheSAPTalentVisualizationapplicationbyNakisa,users

caneasilyandintuitivelyviewthisdataandputittogooduse.

For example, SAP Talent Visualization uses real-time, in-

depthvisualizationtohelpHCMprofessionalscreateandexe-

cute succession plans to effectively align talent goals with

businessstrategy(seeFigure 8onthenextpage).Inaddition,

employees can access details on themselves, their team, and

the reporting hierarchy through visual organizational charts,

enabling them to easily see how their role fits within the

company’sbusinessplans.

TheorganizationalmodelingfeatureallowsHRprofessionals

to leverage the data in SAP ERP HCM and plan for the

most efficient and cost-effective organizational structure. By

FiGure 6 p Sap Visual plant information by NRX keeps companies

updated on the status of their plant maintenance requests

FiGure 7 p Sap Workforce Scheduling and optimization by

clickSoftware delivers exact and immediate availability access

and accounts for all needs, resources, service policies, and

travel considerations

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modelingmultiplefuturerestructuringscenariosinsupportof

what-ifanalysis,itiseasiertounderstandtheramificationsof

enterprise-wide changes, such as reorganizations or mergers

andacquisitions.

SAP Invoice Management by Open TextManual invoice processing is not only a time-consuming

process, it can also pose serious risks for your business (see

Figure 9). Incomplete or inaccurate information belabors

communicationsandcanstrainvendorrelationshipsandjeop-

ardize timely payments. And though many companies use

decentralized invoice processing, the limits it places on your

company’s liability visibility can put your organization at fur-

therrisk.Youcanreducetheserisksandincreasetheefficiency

of your invoice management processes with the SAP Invoice

ManagementapplicationbyOpenText.

SAP Invoice Management is integrated with SAP ERP and

SAP NetWeaver, allowing you to streamline accounts payable

operationsacrossandbeyondenterprisewalls.Thisapplication

providescompanieswithasingle,company-wideviewoftheir

accountspayableprocess— frompurchase throughpayment.

This enables companies to optimize timely operations and

improvevendorrelations.

With this visibility, companies can increase productivity

withoutlosingcontroloftheirfinancialprocesses.Theaccounts

payable process will also become more efficient since SAP

InvoiceManagementcan:

Automaticallyclassify,route,andsortinvoices;systematically

detect invoice exceptions and duplications; and help ensure

thattheinvoicereachestherightpersonattherighttime

Improvecashmanagementandshortenclosingcyclesby

streamliningthepaymentprocess

Automateinternalandexternalreportingtosupportcorpo-

ratefinancialrequirements,traderegulations,andcontinu-

ousimprovementprograms

Ensurecompliancebysupplyingthose involved inaccounts

payable with integrated, consolidated information and

enhancedreportingfeatures

ConclusionSAP customers are always — but especially in challenging

times—lookingtogetmorevalueoutoftheirexistingsystems.

Iencourageyoutolearnmoreabouthowyoucanextendyour

existing IT investments,both inSAPandnon-SAPsystems, to

optimize how you run your business. You’ll find a wealth of

information about the solutions highlighted in this article

at www.sap.com/solutions/solutionextensions and http://

ecohub.sap.com.n

FiGure 8 p Sap talent Visualization by Nakisa allows employees to

transform talent and organizational data into strategic information

through an easy-to-use visual interface

FiGure 9 p With Sap invoice Management by open text, you can

monitor the invoice process from start to finish so that nothing falls

through the cracks; the solution enables you to monitor bottlenecks,

cycle times, first-pass yield, and liability accuracy