Prevent these three things to avoid SAP SuccessFactors Services failures

#1 Lack of communication 

The most common quote we hear from SaaS services clients is that “we don’t know what we don’t know”. Service providers that have hundreds of deployments under their belt can be guilty of underestimating a client’s understanding of what’s involved in an SAP SuccessFactors deployment.   

Advice to clients 

“We got blindsided by the amount of manual processes
they had to outside the tool”                                                                        

Take it slow! Make sure you understand each step of the deployment and how long that will take. SAP SuccessFactors is not a simple plug and play implementation. You must factor in additional work and delays that may occur. 

#2 Not understanding end-user requirements 

“The service provider did not appreciate that some of our people
do not have a deep knowledge of HR”

This could be as much a client failure as a service provider oversight. If your end-users do not use or do not know how to use SAP SuccessFactors then the deployment has been a failure. 

Advice to clients 

Talk to your end-users before, during and after the deployment to ensure that you select the right solution and that they understand how to use it. 

#3 Failure to understand ongoing support services requirements : 

Too many clients believe that they can do this in-house. Some might be able to do so, but most have a very steep learning curve, because ongoing support in SaaS can be a complicated process .  

“Proactive suggestions were not forthcoming”

Advice to clients  

Ask your service provider about the process of SAP SuccessFactors ongoing support services. Evaluate whether to use your deployment partner, a different partner or your internal team to do ongoing support. If you select the latter, ask your service provider for best practices and recommendations to ensure success. However, prepare to expect the need for some ad–hoc external assistance.  

Bottom Line: A successful SAP SuccessFactors deployment requires business, technical and organizational issues alignment with your service provider.