SAP Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is SAPs value proposition for Postal Services?

For Posts, SAP offers the most complete end-to-end solutions of any vendor. This includes the most complete mail handling solutions, which are core operations for most post companies. Going into more detail, Mail Handling Operations requests real change in real time, which means the deployment of the right amount of people to the  right sorting machine or working area at the right time for the right  task is the key challenge. Working time legislations, union regulations, wage agreements, individual contracts and skill sets set the scene for time management, that is defining the presence and availability of individual personnel resources, and monitoring the various time baskets for different shift periods. Integration with the HR payroll system ensures correct calculation of compensations. Considerations of punch in and punch out data is mandatory for exact payment determination and planning procedures. Employee self  services are employed to record absences and time preferences as well as approvals and changes by team managers. Finally print out of shift plan allows employees to determine their exact working time over a specific time period.

Question 2: Enterprise Management and Support is a much used term these days. Can you explain in a couple of sentences what it means?

Posts are faced with globalization and increased customer  expectations. Their need is to be able to respond flexibly without sacrificing profitability, transparency, or internal control. With ERP postal enterprises can boost  their performance delivering the right information in real time for all required activities. ERP delivers a simplified access to information that empowers employees and  managers to increase productivity and efficiency. ERP is implemented in more than 25 postal organisations that enables them to automate end-to-end business processes that extend to the entire business value chain, including partners, suppliers, and customers.

Question 3: What do you see as the major challenges – be it in process improvement or other areas – facing posts in the next ten years?

As organisations seek to increase their agility and deliver additional value to their customers, they are realizing the need to take advantage of their business networks to collaborate with complementary partners and businesses. Transforming the business network includes extending existing business processes as well as  developing new processes that facilitate interaction. Business network transformation is the process by which companies collaborate with partners and customers to improve efficiencies and deliver innovative solutions. For postal companies in ten years, how they interact with their network of partners, customers and even competitors will be the areas for exciting innovations.

Question 4: What other industries should posts look at to gain ideas and insights in technology development?

LSP’s and parcel companies are always a great place to start. This is especially true for postal companies looking to expand their offerings beyond traditional mail. SAP has some great customers like DHL and their published successes are full of wonderful ideas for post companies.

Question 5: Traditionally customer relationships have not been seen as a  strength for posts?

What sort of capabilities are needed, and how can SAP help? Posts are challenged today to sustain and grow market share in highly competitive markets. In order to overcome this challenge postal enterprises need a comprehensive software solution that responds immediately to market requirements and ensures that the postal  customers are at the centre of the postal enterprise business processes. Today 12 postal organisations have implemented the SAP CRM Software Solution helping them to Improve efficiency and effectiveness by streamlining end-to-end business processes, enhancing service level agreements, and reducing costs and errors. The bottom line is that the customer must be taken care of, and  their needs identified and responded to. Even in post, customers gravitate towards services and companies that meet their changing needs.

Question 6: What are the major IT challenges in relationship to mail handling operations?

Postal CIOs are faced with a heterogeneous IT landscape composed of homegrown legacy systems, resulting in high maintenance costs. This landscape is mostly hard wired which very often hinders overall efficiency and the delivery of innovative IT solutions for the business. Replacing homegrown systems which are hard wired with a single SAP platform will enable rapid innovation and adoption of new information technology that will enable the deployment of advanced IT Services.