SAP Debuts New CRM, Data Management Solutions

SAP SE announced new solutions to modernize customer relationship management at its annual Sapphire Now conference.

The new suite of applications, SAP C/4HANA, is designed to help businesses serve and retain customers; the new SAP HANA Data Management Suite is a comprehensive solution to help companies turn data sprawl into business value. 

SAP C/4HANA is an integrated offering designed to modernize the sales-only focus of legacy CRM solutions. Following the acquisitions of Hybris, Gigya and CallidusCloud, SAP is now able to tie together solutions to support all front-office functions, including consumer data protection, marketing, commerce, sales and customer service.

“The legacy CRM systems are all about sales; SAP C/4HANA is all about the consumer," said SAP chief executive officer Bill McDermott. "We recognize that every part of a business needs to be focused on a single view of the consumer. When you connect all SAP applications together in an intelligent cloud suite, the demand chain directly fuels the behaviors of the supply chain.”

Tthe SAP C/4HANA suite will offer full integration with SAP’s business applications portfolio, led by its SAP S/4HANA ERP suite. The combination of assets features new machine learning capabilities from SAP Leonardo, as well as the new SAP HANA Data Management Suite, which enables companies to gain visibility and control of highly distributed data. 

In other news SAP moved to expand its customer service solutions by acquiring Switzerland-based Coresystems AG to improve field-service customer experience, especially in the manufacturing, energy, high-tech and telecommunications industries. Coresystems’ platform service provides real-time scheduling for customer service requests and uses artificial intelligence-powered crowd-service technology.

These announcements come on the heels of Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation, which took effect on May 25. The regulatory change has required businesses to review their legacy CRM investments.

SAP is a perennial leader in numerous categories in CGT's annual Readers' Choice Survey.