Why the time is now to move to SAP SuccessFactors in the cloud
By: Kris Khanna, Partner, PwC
The current crisis has accelerated the need for digital transformation in almost every business. Digital transformation is in full swing across the corporate landscape, and every department is coming to terms with the changes and opportunities that technology and altered working environments are bringing. Organisations are embarking on digital transformation to be more agile and resilient to changes in the business environment and to have real time data at their disposal to power faster decision making.
Bringing in technology to create the infrastructure for digital transformation is only half of the solution. The other half has to be your people, because there is no business transformation without a people transformation. If you are optimizing your business processes, it is important to realize that the human factor is actually the biggest variance for the outcome and success of these processes. Human resources pros have been feeling these effects in a variety of functions, including talent acquisition, learning and education, core HR, time management, payroll, analytics and reporting. As the enterprise becomes increasingly mobile and global, the demands on HR to drive digital transformation are more pronounced than ever.
By updating your outdated HR applications and connecting technology to business processes to your people in ways that feel right, human resources can evolve and become a vital component of a truly intelligent enterprise. And the SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) Suite can play a key role in maintaining and extending that competitive edge, through your people.
If your organization is using SAP ERP HCM and you haven’t made the leap to SAP SuccessFactors yet, it’s important to get started soon, and here’s why. When SAP first introduced SAP S/4HANA, the latest generation of its ERP platform, the company announced a deadline for customers to migrate to the system by 2027. And the message from SAP has been clear, SAP SuccessFactors is the go-forward solution for its HR solutions, so if you want to benefit from the newest innovations and keep up with the expectations from your workforce, you should consider upgrading to SAP SuccessFactors before support for on-premise SAP ERP HCM is scheduled to end.
But, frankly, there are myriad of more compelling reasons beyond the end of on-premise SAP ERP HCM maintenance to migrate to the new platform – and do it quickly.
What are the benefits of SAP SuccessFactors in the cloud to my business?
The SAP SuccessFactors Suite is where employee data is housed and is at the heart of the Intelligent Enterprise. Like SAP ERP HCM, the SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite was designed to provide solid HR features and capabilities, but in a way that is way more flexible and easier to work with for employees, managers and HR people alike.
In areas of talent management, user experience, mobile adoption and innovation, SAP SuccessFactors is lightyears ahead of SAP ERP HCM’s capabilities (if they were there at all in the first place...).
Also consider the fact that workers are increasingly demanding transparency and personalization in every facet of their jobs. SAP SuccessFactors gives employees and managers the ability to receive personalized and proactive coaching along with complete access to their full employee record, anytime, anywhere, using SAP Work Zone to bring all relevant information and workflows from other SAP solutions, like S/4HANA together in one place for their convenience.
Meanwhile, SAP SuccessFactors gives HR managers access to advanced, real-time analytics, with employee data consolidated into a single place, rather than being siloed in multiple, incompatible systems. This enables them to play an instrumental part in executing on the company’s strategy and align the workforce to what needs to be done to thrive and survive in the current economic climate in an engaging way.
Add it all up and SAP SuccessFactors on the cloud gives you a better ability to source, hire and retain talent while streamlining time and payroll processing, compliance and regulatory efforts. Advanced reporting lets you track and analyze all of this in real-time. And that is exactly what ‘the doctor ordered’ to drive the digital transformation within your organisation.
Why is now the time to move to SAP SuccessFactors in the cloud?
The current market circumstances have made customers looking at the cloud as the best solution for building business resilience.
It’s quicker to implement, easier to consume innovations going forward and a more OPEX-driven way to stay competitive for years to come. Cloud adoption is soaring and a cloud strategy is your best choice for digital transformation.
The days of folders filled with reams of paper representing an employee’s record are gone. Millennials now comprise half of the workforce, and they expect HR to offer the same experience they get from the technologies they use every day. They also want flexibility, which makes the cloud a perfect solution for fluid, adaptable HR management.
The other half of the workforce is getting older, and retirements are set to balloon in the next few years. Millions of baby boomers are poised to leave the workforce soon, which will put a strain on HR resources especially acquiring and retaining talent. The improved efficiency of SAP SuccessFactors can help to ease this crunch.
Finally, SAP SuccessFactors is an integral part of the SAP product- and technology strategy around the Intelligent Enterprise. That means that combining e.g. SAP S/4HANA with SAP SuccessFactors will unlock more value for multiple stakeholders in your organisation. Value that goes beyond traditional data/technical integration and comes to life in managing the entire corporate IT landscape, automating integrations, having cross-application analytics and one centralized identity management and access governance to make data-privacy, data security and compliance.
As much as these are benefits that usually resonate with CIOs and CFOs, just think about the fact that the HR system is the source for employee data and roles used downstream in your organisation. HR therefore plays an important role in the streamlining of operational processes and supporting operational managers to optimize turnaround times and profitability. The sooner you move to the SAP SuccessFactors Suite, the better your overall ROI.
Why is PwC the right choice for migrating your business to SAP SuccessFactors?
SAP SuccessFactors has long been a key component of PwC’s HR Transformation practice, which takes a holistic view of talent management and leverages SAP SuccessFactors to drive growth and overall enterprise value. PwC has a long history with SAP and SAP SuccessFactors, and the firm is a recognized leader in SAP SuccessFactors implementations, having earned SAP’s SuccessFactors Partner of the Year award in 2019. Put simply: Working with an experienced leader like PwC reduces your risk, complexity and downtime.
And, PwC’s accelerated implementation solution, eXperience Suite, lets you realize value even more quickly by letting you prioritize your goals to customize your rollout.
Now is the perfect time to kickstart your move to SAP SuccessFactors in the cloud. To get started, contact Kris Khanna, Partner, PwC.
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